Fencl Build for Coast to Coast Tour
April 10, 2009 · Print This Article
This summer, beginning on May 25, 2009, Jay Shafer will drive a Fencl Tumbleweed Tiny House from San Francisco to New York. Along the way, Jay will stop in 14 different cities, making the house available for you to see. In addition, Jay will host Tiny House Building and Design Workshops in Boulder, Chicago, and New York along the way.
This is a photo journal of the construction of the first Fencl, which is being built on the property where Jay and Tumbleweed Tiny House Company reside.
The picture above is the construction site and shows a lot of the building supplies delivered and covered to protect from the rain.
Here you see the framing of the sub floor, foam insulation is installed next and then plywood completes the sub floor.
The plywood has been installed and the sub floor completed. The house is now ready to be framed for the walls and the roof.
The walls are up, and the sheathing is attached, the roof has been framed and the loft constructed. Tyvek is being installed and roofing is the next step.
The underside of the loft above the kitchen and bathroom.
Roofing almost completed.
The electrical wiring is in and basic plumbing in the bathroom has been installed. The roof has been insulated and the walls will be insulated next. The shower will be put into position and the framing of the bathroom wall will be completed. Plumbing for the bathroom and kitchen has yet to be completed.
Jay has the Thetsford Aqua Magic Style II toilet, shower, and Surburban RV 6 gallon hot water heater available to install, plus the Dickinson stove has arrived for the heating of the Fencl.
Awaiting sunny weather to complete the exterior.
Jay is looking for a buyer so, if you are interested, please contact him. Check back often for updates on the progress and completed pictures of the Fencl before the tour.
I was really glad to see pictures of this build before you hit the road with your new Fencl. Thanks for posting and I do hope to see more soon.
p.s. I think I love this model the best, a weebee with more room and an open ceiling.
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How do you mount the house onto the flatbed trailer? Do you have to register the house as an RV or do you just register the flatbed trailer to save money?
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Donna F. reply on April 11th, 2009 4:35 pm:
Some folks, as soon as they get their trailer, they go ahead and register it as a trailer…then they build their house on it. As far as attaching it to the flatbed…Jay goes over that in detail in his new “Small House Book.”
But, not sure how the insurance would work if you register it as a trailer instead of as an RV….
AND my question is …do we HAVE to insure it BY LAW if we haul it on the road? Does anyone know? Jay?
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betsy reply on April 11th, 2009 7:07 pm:
to be sure, it is best to check the department of motor vehicles of the state you will be registering it in…in some states having insurance is also a LAW!
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Renae reply on April 13th, 2009 9:07 pm:
Thank You!
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Jay Shafer reply on April 16th, 2009 9:29 am:
I usually rent a pick-up or U-Haul that comes with insurance for the load being towed. This has always worked well for me.
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Jay Shafer reply on April 16th, 2009 9:19 am:
In my case, I just register the flatbed to keep things super cheap.
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Jeff & Arlene’s blog showing their Fencl build states that the plans have you remove about every other board on the flat bed trailer. The picture of the Fencl that Jay is building shows all the boards still in place on his. So this is optional and not really necessary?
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Jay Shafer reply on April 16th, 2009 9:41 am:
I often take some off to save weight, but it is optional.
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I am so excited to see the Fencl in progress. I saw your Epu on tour in Portland last year.
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How exciting! Love this model.
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We have one of these in the shower in our 24′ motorhome and really like it: http://www.newlinebathroom.com/. I think it would be great in your teeny houses that have seperate showers.
BTW, I liked our previous RV that didn’t have a separate shower because wiping down the shower walls meant the whole bathroom was clean. Now I have to wipe down the walls plus clean the rest of the bathroom.
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Hi: I have one question about the overall topic of tiny houses on wheels. As I understand it, these are legally considered RVs, so you don’t need a building permit. But in the state of New York, if you buy a piece of land out in the country (far outside city limits), are you allowed to park your “RV” tiny house on your own land? In some states, they seem to have regulations against this. Any advice appreciated.
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Jay Shafer reply on April 25th, 2009 6:33 pm:
As long as the law ignores justice and reason, then just and reasonable people will ignore the law. At this point civil disobedience is not only justified, for many it is the only option. The people of this purportedly free country will live in houses of any size that suits them whenever reasonable egress and land ownership or a landowner will allow. Thousands of Americans are already living beneath the radar in structures commonly regarded as too small to meet code. These folks live largely outside the system of imposed excess, and they do so within the rights granted to all of us by the Constitution of the United States. It now remains for our banks, zoning and codes to catch up.
While it may still be illegal to live in a small house throughout many parts of this country, most areas do allow you to store a trailer in your yard. If someone wants to camp out in it on occasion, that’s fine too. Code generally makes no official distinction between “inhabiting” a structure and “napping” in it. I bought a house in 2000 and camped out in my own backyard for years with the City’s blessing. The rent collected on the front house covered the mortgage payments.
That said, most people do not advertise their campsite to the local municipality (or the rest of the world) as openly as I have. The housing departments would rather not be put in the position of upholding or refuting unconstitutional and/or unpopular laws. For most jurisdictions small housing regulation and its enforcement has become a matter of don’t ask don’t tell.
It is sometimes easier to ask for forgiveness than permission… and put some wheels on your house just in case one of our more vigilant officials starts thinking his rules trump reason.
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Linda reply on September 1st, 2009 10:52 pm:
There are often restrictions on “occupancy” as defined by County Code. This even goes for “houses on wheels” and a LOT depends on how nosy the neighbors get — so, just don’t shoot their dog for trespassing and maybe you’ll be fine……………the other trick is to buy a piece big enough that there are no neighbors……………………………
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Jay, how is the Fencl build going? Are we going to see more pictures soon? Thanks in advance.
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Jay Shafer reply on April 29th, 2009 10:04 am:
We’ll post some more in the next day or two. Thanks for your interest.
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Evilbeard reply on April 29th, 2009 11:24 am:
I’m very interested in seeing how this little hybrid turns out.
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GREAT JOB on your Fencl!
i was just curious to know how much water your Aqua Magic® Style II toliet used, and what ind of holding tank you use for it? do you have a door on the outside of the TW to empty it? how often do you need to empty it? Photos would be appreciated of the tank, and its’ setup.
thanks
btw: do you still have room in your vancouver workshops, and will your TW be there for viewing?
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Jay Shafer reply on May 8th, 2009 10:18 am:
We use a portable tank on wheels. I don’t know much about its operation, though, as I use a composting toilet in my house.
There’s still room if you can make it.
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Where does one find tour dates, times and locations? Thanks
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Have you ever considered making these houses with the same blueprint, but with a flat roof for an added patio area on top? I live in an area where you see homes like this quite often because land is very expensive and architects are squeezing every single inch they can out of any construction. This would also give you the added benefit of extra storage and/or bedroom space in the loft.
On that note, have you ever considered designing any of these homes as a floating home? I’m not sure if there are any different requirements due to saltwater evaporation/corrosion, but have you considered it?
I absolutely love your designs.
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Jay Shafer reply on June 25th, 2009 3:08 pm:
Thanks, Maria. I have only done a few flat roofs,as I have a thing for steep pitches. I dream of floating homes, and any of my current designs would work to this end given enough pontoon.
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Hi Jay
How come no visits to New England?
Thanks,
Kathy
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Jay Shafer reply on August 2nd, 2009 9:24 am:
All in due time. I’d love to do one near Walden Pond.
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Linda Prentiss reply on September 1st, 2009 10:48 pm:
Is this the Jay who lives in S.F. & worked at Spanish Springs ???
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Jay Shafer reply on September 4th, 2009 1:13 pm:
Nope.
can you build the small house out of light gauge steel by bolting it all together or does it have to be welded.
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Jay Shafer reply on September 4th, 2009 1:08 pm:
I’ve heard that screws and bolts vibrate out of the metal. Consider rivets or welding.
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I know there have been several inquiries and continued interest in cooling these little houses in Southern climes. While conventional a/c units are energy hogs (something I hope we’re all here to avoid), I found this interesting alternative @ The Field Lab website: http://thefieldlab.org/fun.html. This man is able to keep his 160 square foot tiny house in the Texas desert below 80 degrees even when outside temps hit 105. It runs on 12 volts and uses about 3 gallons of fressh water (per day) to precipitate evaporative cooling. Pretty interesting and a simple DIY project, not to mention extremely cost effective.
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Linda Prentiss reply on September 1st, 2009 10:47 pm:
I live completely off-grid on solar with batteries and generator back-up. It would take a “hard start” to run an a/c unit so there isn’t one — in the San Joaquin Valley of California it gets up to 108 and the house stays cool with a roof evaporative cooler and ceiling fans. This is a 2-bedroom house with a great room and kitchen — it is just under 1,800 sq ft with a high ceiling. It was twice the cost of the solar system to bring in Edison and then I would have to pay them every month to boot!!!
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