Happy Trails

I’m writing from Cheyenne, and I’ll be in Boulder by lunch time. Thanks to everyone for their enthusiasm. I get recharged every time I pull into a city and see all the smiling faces or get the thumbs-up from other drivers. Special thanks to Ginny, Sheila and Judy for letting me stay at their place in Salt Lake, and to Mark, Jodi, Scott and the good cop for spontaneously coordinating the parking and all.

I meet so many good people through these open houses. Thank you all.

Happy Trails.
Jay Shafer

California Nevada

Utah

Utah again

Wyoming

Fencl Coast to Coast Tour

Fencl leaving on tour with Jay's Epu in the background.

Jay left Tuesday on his Coast to Coast tour and is taking the newly built Fencl to show tiny house enthusiasts across the country. This is the first completed Fencl built from Jay’s plans.

Jay is having over 14 open houses and and several workshops along the way. Here is the Open House schedule and you can view the workshop schedule here.

Tue May 26 – Reno, NV 6:00 pm
Wed May 27 – Salt Lake, UT 6:00 pm
Thu May 28 – Cheyenne, WY 6:00 pm
Sat May 30 – Boulder, CO 5:30 pm
Tue June 2 - Omaha, NE 6:00 pm
Wed June 3 - Des Moines, IA 12:00 noon
Wed June 3 - Iowa City, IA 6:00 pm
Sat June 6 – Chicago, IL 5:30 pm
Mon June 8 - Indianapolis, IN 6:00 pm
Tue June 9 – Cinncinati, OH 12:00 noon
Tue June 9 – Columbus, OH 6:00 pm
Wed June 10 - Pittsburgh, PA 6:00 pm
Thu June 11 – Philadelphia, PA 6:00 pm
Sat June 13 – New York, NY 5:30 pm

Get the locations here.

If Jay is stopping in your home town or is close enough to drive to, be sure and go visit him and see this beautiful home.

Kent Griswold publisher of the Tiny House Blog has his readers taking pictures and giving descriptions of the open houses between San Francisco and New York. You can follow the links below to get the full story. Below is a sampling of the pictures from a few of the stops so far.

Jay at Reno Open House

Jay and visitor at Reno Open House view from loft

Part of the Salt Lake City Group out to see the Fencl

Reporter in Cheyenne, WY with others visiting the Open House

Visitors at Boulder Open House

Visitors at the Omaha Open House

Kevin and Jay in Iowa City

Grant in Chicago

Fencl Build for Coast to Coast Tour

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.

Coast to Coast Tour

This summer, beginning on May 25, 2009, Jay Shafer will drive a 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.

Last summer, in 2008, Jay drove his house from Canada to Mexico with Greg Johnson, co-founder of the Small House Society. This video documents their trip.
[Read more]

Victoria Challenge

Unfortunately, we’ve hit a snag in the road crossing the border to Victoria, BC. On the road, one of the taillights on the house was broken, and Jay was not able to board the ferry with a broken tail light. He rushed to the auto parts store and got a replacement, but was not able to return to the ferry on time.

Jay is scheduled to take the evening ferry and arrive at 11:00 pm. He will host an open house from 11:00 pm until midnight in the ferry parking lot.

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