New Vessica
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278 & 372 square feet - click here for more dimensions
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Save $200 on these plans thru April 15, 2009.The New Vessica is 278 square feet. If you include the loft space, the total square footage would be 450. However, we don’t include the loft in the total square footage of the house because it is not technically “habitable“. With the optional downstairs bedroom, the size of the house would increase from 278 square feet to 372. The New Vessica is designed as a stationary house only, permanently affixed to a foundation. This is not a modular home, and therefore cannot be built and shipped to you. We offer the plans so that you may build it. We suggest talking to local contractors about building costs in your area. Under most circumstances, building costs for a home affixed to a permanent foundation range from $100-$200 per square foot. This design meets International Building Code. |
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66 Responses to “New Vessica”
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hi there! i love tiny house company! someday i hope to have one… meanwhile, if you notice in the “vessica” description, line four…”LOFT” is misspelled.
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debbie reply on March 12th, 2009 5:04 am:
So is international in the last sentence!
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Jay Shafer reply on March 13th, 2009 11:16 pm:
Ok. Love the free proofreading.
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jim willeford reply on March 25th, 2009 6:16 pm:
Ok then Jay, how do you spell international? LOL
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Jay Shafer reply on March 13th, 2009 10:36 pm:
Thanks, Louise. I’ll send the correction to Webmeister Steve.
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As is the “downstairs” in what is the fourth line…as well as “loft” in the third.
I look forward to more Tiny Houses around this size (the 200 to 300 range). They seem like the perfect compromise for those wanting to downgrade but not able to commit to the 100 range. I look forward to one day owning one!
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Jay Shafer reply on March 13th, 2009 10:52 pm:
Ahhh. We pride ourselves on sustainability, quality design and spreading the word here at Tumbleweed, but, as for spelling the word(s)…
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I love this - this seems like the perfect size. I wonder how tall the loft is at its highest? I admit I am also curious about the size of the windows. It seems like the windows in the loft could be bigger - I love light - but I assume this has more to do with temperature control and other practical things?
Thanks for all your hard work!
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Jay Shafer reply on March 13th, 2009 11:00 pm:
It’s 7′ tall in the middle 3′ wide part. The windows could be bigger if I weren’t so persnickety about proportioning. ‘Stick a few skylights on the backside, and you’ve got yourself a far more sun-drenched room.
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The reference for the New Vessica house is linking to harbinger instead of to new-vessica. I finally pulled up the page by figuring out the link. Like the design, especially the amount of open public space downstairs plus the full bath.
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Henry reply on March 13th, 2009 6:36 am:
I believe he means that the image of the New Vessica on the homepage is hyperlinked to the Haarbinger page. Because, it is. What is it, with architects and websites?
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Jay Shafer reply on March 13th, 2009 11:12 pm:
All apologies. Thanks, Jerrel.
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Thank you for putting this one on the website, it’s one of my favorites. I really think the loft would make a perfect kids’ room when the house is built with the additional room downstairs. The large open living/ dining space is a huge plus. Such a cute house!
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hi,
This is a very interesting set of plans. I have been looking for a small house that would offer separate personal spaces for myself and my eleven year old. I would like to see the floor plan that shows the extra bedroom - are you planning to post that? I am also interested to hear the thinking behind the small loft windows.
Thank you,
Vivien
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Jay Shafer reply on March 13th, 2009 11:40 pm:
The windows are all about proportioning, but if you want bigger ones on the sides or skylights on the back, that would maintain them pretty well.
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How much does it costs to have this house built??
Estimate…
Is it build and then transported, or does it require a local builder.
THX
Pat Mastandrea
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Jay Shafer reply on March 14th, 2009 12:09 am:
It’s a local builder thing. I think you could get materials for about $35,000.
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Hi, are there any plans for a tiny house that is:
-built by you guys and therefore transportable
-wider than it is long (like the New Vessica) with the doorway on the wide side
-around 200 sq.ft.?
I live in Vancouver where the city is instituting laneway housing, and I would love to construct one of these in my backyard facing the lane.
Thanks,
Kelley
Vancouver, BC
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Jay Shafer reply on March 14th, 2009 12:13 am:
Not yet, but I do have a transportable New Vesica in the works.
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Kelley Hishon reply on March 15th, 2009 5:32 pm:
Fantastic!! Is there a potential release date on it?
Kelley
Vancouver, BC
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Jay Shafer reply on March 18th, 2009 12:00 am:
No. We still need to figure out all of the red tape.
Your tiny houses are the stuff my dreams are made of, and my wife’s nightmares!
Have you considered using HurriQuake nails? Seems like just the thing for wooden tornado magnets!
Also, can you fit a mansard roof? I’m thinking of head room along the loft walls, dormer windows, a skylight cum trapdoor, sunbathing hidden from all but Google Earth….
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Jay Shafer reply on March 15th, 2009 5:07 pm:
Thanks for the nail idea.
A mansford roof would work just fine.
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Is it possible to specify a gambrel roof for this home? This would make the loft more usable, give it a more country feel (fitting in with the surroundings for my area), and be simpler for the owner-builder.
I really like this one!
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Jay Shafer reply on March 18th, 2009 8:21 pm:
It is doable.
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How would they be insulated for a cold climate, like Colorado?
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Jay Shafer reply on March 31st, 2009 11:14 am:
I use extruded polystyrene foam in them for a good R-value.
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Where is the ladder going up to the loft? Does it go through the kitchen with a pulldown hatch?
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Jay Shafer reply on March 31st, 2009 12:56 pm:
Yeah, it is on the kitchen side of the kitchen/living room wall.
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I’d speak my mind if I hadn’t lost it long ago, sir. I’m just tossing in a note about the pictures you have up there, they seem really vague: Vessica is hiding in the bushes and my main problem - I’m having a hard time visualizing the loft and those squiggly lines, etc.
I get that the square usually means ingress-egress (but hopefully no egrets, unless there’s lots of windows and skylights - for yet more egress?) but beyond that I am just baffled. And not in the good / muffles sound kind of way.
To quote someone who didn’t know proper English, “Irregardless of all that” [end quote] I do love your homes and it seems to me that my own bewilderment notwithstanding, you have created another outstanding home for the people.
Having just deleted two entire paragraphs because I love you all and don’t want to torture those yet to come through, I will leave this as it was initially:
With verbosity only overtaken by my admiration and gratitude-
TumbleFan
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Jay Shafer reply on April 9th, 2009 4:43 pm:
Your verbosity and admiration are dwarfed by my own gratitude, LB.
We don’t have any more photos of those larger houses yet. Those that we have posted are mere composites. I’ll be posting more as soon as I can, but each takes me between 40 and 65 hours to create (so not too soon).
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I’ve been checking our your homes for a couple years now… Single and don’t need lots of stuff, I think this would perfectly for me… Do most people just buy a plot of land and then plop the house on it? I guess you have to take the cost of the land into consideration… just thinking things through. I love all of the houses!!!! Great job. I’d love to see more interior shots of the homes. Thanks.
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Jay Shafer reply on April 10th, 2009 1:26 am:
The ones with foundations were designed to meet international building codes, so they are popular with folks who want to buy a lot and just plop one down right then and there.
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Jay,Way to go. Your opinion,take a home like the new vessia on a slab,put it on a piece of land.Wondering about electricity,heat.What kind of income does a couple need to survive in VA,not too tightly but to retire?
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Jay Shafer reply on April 16th, 2009 10:19 am:
Sounds dreamy. I’d go solar.
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emily reply on July 24th, 2009 4:59 pm:
On the solar subject, what does it take to make a home solar? I’m not too terribly familiar with the use of it in a home. I had a friend who tole me about your houses, they have been talking about getting one for a year or so. I’m a minimalist and if i could get my boyfriend trained to recycle he would be too. But I think your homes would be a great solution to our home issue.
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Jay Shafer reply on August 2nd, 2009 9:51 am:
I got my first house rigged up for less than $1500 in 1999. Check out the literature from Backwoods Solar for more about what you need.
One more question ,can these 200sq.ft plus homes support a bathtub and shower ?Solar is great and perhaps windmill for some electric power?And done with stone floors in a sunny side room would help generate the heat wouldnt it ?
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Jay Shafer reply on April 20th, 2009 9:25 am:
They can and do hold tubs and showers. Passive and active solar and wind work great with these houses.
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Jay,
I am trying desperately to figure out how to make one of your Vessicas work for our family. We are a family of SEVEN, so 2 adults, 2 teenage girls, and 3 children under the age of seven. We have a farm already, just wanting somewhere to lay our heads at night. I have looked at yurts and can’t bring myself to trust a soft wall, especially living in the hurricane corridor. Any suggestions?
Andi
PS-Yes, we are on a budget so we were planning on doing the building ourselves if possible. Thanks!
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Jay Shafer reply on April 20th, 2009 9:51 am:
There are several ways this could work. The one that comes to mind entails adding an additional 8×12 room onto the back, as shown in the plans, and, as one who thinks there should be at least a little private space for each member of the household, I would then build a village of tiny cottages in the backyard. These wouldn’t need plumbing, but would just act as “bedrooms” along outdoor “hallways”. You could build hollowed out Tumbleweeds or just buy and insulate sheds or used RVs. Crazy huh? But that’s what I would do.
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Andi reply on April 20th, 2009 10:19 am:
Security issues come to mind with the outdoor bedrooms (we live near a large hunting area), but I do like the idea :o) I also saw the B-53 after my first post and had some interesting ideas. Thanks for the quick reply :o)
Andi
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If you are considering additional “cottages” in the rear, it is possible to connect them with a “dogtrot” covered hall or porch. They are a southern thing, aid in air circulation during hot humid weather. Provide shade and a covered porch area. Un-plumbed bedrooms or get-away spaces open onto the dogtrot. It would be easily possible to screen the open end of the porch with both bug screen and hardware cloth to increase safety and security. The dog trot and cottages could open into the added back bedroom turned into a family dining room and also brings folks into the main house near the bathroom. Were it me, I would have a Murphy bed or fold out bed in the LR for parents and bunk the small ones in the loft with added skylights. They will love climbing up to their private space, and the teens will appreciate the privacy of the cottages. When my daughter was in college, she commuted, but still wanted some adult like privacy. She turned her 12 x 12 bedroom into an apartment with five separate work and play areas.
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Would it be possible to include a franklin stove for heating? Love the plan.
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Jay Shafer reply on April 30th, 2009 8:21 am:
That would be nice.
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Is there a “showroom” or similar, anywhere in the U.S.? I’m really considering one of these. Lovely!
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Jay Shafer reply on May 29th, 2009 6:31 am:
I wish. For now it’s just my house in Graton and the Fencl I’m pulling to NYC.
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I’m really falling in love with this little house!
Regards from Germany
Andrea Baer
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I love this one!
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I love this plan! Do you have any photos of the loft? It is scary to try to convince my hubby to reduce to this tiny space without some visuals.
I am trying to decide between this house and the Sebarasota. For us mid- lifers cost is critical. I am wondering if it would be more cost effective to build the bigger home, because the measurements are even multiplications of the standard 8ft sheets of plywood.
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A couple of quick questions:
1) About how long does it take to have one of these built, starting when I buy the land and finishing when the contractor is done and I move in?
2) What’s the approximate cost of a New Vessica with extra bedroom?
3) How do you recommend that it be heated? I’m in a rainy coastal area where we need some heat every day, but the temps never get bitterly cold. A Monitor heater might be overkill. I’m thinking that electric floorboard heaters might be most practical???
I’ve been looking at your designs off-and-on for several years. I just moved to a rural area and will be needing a house soon. Your designs really appeal to me.
Thanks,
Dwight
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Jay Shafer reply on July 17th, 2009 10:43 am:
Hi Dwight.
1) It varies, but you could have it finished within three months of purchasing the plans if you’re determined.
2) Once again, there are a lot of variables, but you could do it for about $30,000 in materials and $30,000 in labor.
3) I like using a gas heater with a thermostat, but floorboard heaters would be great too.
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Any plans to put interior pictures of this house? I would love to see inside. The exterior is lovely.
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Jay Shafer reply on July 17th, 2009 10:48 am:
I hope to have some soon.
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I didn’t think by code the bathroom could open directly into the kitchen. It has been a long time since I cracked a code book, but something like that rings a bell.
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Jay Shafer reply on August 22nd, 2009 12:13 pm:
This is true in most parts of the US. and that’s one of the reasons I just redesigned all of these mid-sized ones to be put on wheels with a slightly different layout. We will post these as soon as I can work up some composite images to accompany the plans. In the meantime, it would be necessary to get a variance.
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[...] To build and inhabit a Tumbleweed Tiny House [...]
Hi Jay - As much as I love the tiny houses on wheels, I don’t see how I can make one of them work for me. I have two possessions I simply cannot give up: my piano and my harpsichord. My piano is a small upright (55″ wide by 20.5″ deep) and my harpsichord is also a small single manual one (34″ wide by 57″ long). To give them up would be like giving up my soul. The New Vessica is perfect, but it means going the route of the permanent house with property taxes and all the rest of it. I wonder if the Wildflower or the Ofnoco, with their open floor plans, might work better. I’m kind of stuck here. How large a trailer can one get and still be legal? Maybe I could enlarge one of the tiny houses on wheels a little more? I’d appreciate any ideas. Thanks! Kathy
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Jay Shafer reply on October 20th, 2009 7:23 pm:
You can stretch out even the largest of our wheeled ones another 20′ or so and still be legal.
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Kathy Handyside reply on October 20th, 2009 7:50 pm:
So the wheeled ones would still be 8 feet wide, but can be longer? Cool!
Thanks, Jay!
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“…I just redesigned all of these mid-sized ones to be put on wheels with a slightly different layout.” That is great news, Jay! I just need a little more room and the layout of the New Vesica is perfect, but I wanted to be able to go the house-on-wheels route. Can’t wait for the new designs! I have 4 more years before I retire and that’s when I will purchase my house.
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I noticed in an earlier post that you were pulling the Fencl to NYC. I live in Brooklyn and would love a chance to see your design in person. Would that be possble?
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Jay Shafer reply on November 17th, 2009 8:21 pm:
Sorry, Sean. I’ve vowed never to drive through any of those five buroughs with a tall load again. Getting a house to NYC was easy. It’s the low clearances throughout the city that made things difficult. I should have listened to the truckers.
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I love, love love these houses. I hope to start one in 2010, cross fingers.
- what do you think of an armoire kitchen in a tiny bungalow?
I’d hate to give up a window but I like the concept. http://www.yestertec.com/details.asp?cat=The_Press_Room&id=40
- Can loft ladders be made more elder-friendly with rungs that require less big-stepping and with handrails? Do stairs have to be easier than ladders, perhaps it’s an anthropometric architect thing? I want to make this friendly for when I’m 95.
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How fast can you go when you are taking one of these homes down the highway?
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It says in your book that you are a prof at the University of Iowa’s School of Art.
Your website says you are in California.
Where are you?
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