I’ve been a fan of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company for a few years now. Last Christmas, I purchased The Small House Book
[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”auto” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]If you’re interested in building your own tiny house instead of going prefab, tiny house plans might just be the ticket.[/dropshadowbox]
A few new Teeny home designs, homes starting at 65 sq. ft. (yes, that’s right, under 100 square feet!) up to 135 sq. ft. include (all portable homes):
- The Weebee: 102 square feet of efficiency on wheels. This home doesn’t need a foundation and can be towed around on a utility trailer. Most Tumbleweed homes include a sleeping loft that isn’t included in the total square footage. Cost for this home: $48,997 ready built.
- The Fencl: The largest of the “Teeny” homes at 130 sq. ft. This home also has a sleeping area in the front of the large room and a sleeping loft above the kitchen/bathroom. It includes a black and gray water plumbing system. It sells ready-made for $53,997.
Some new Tiny home designs, these homes range between 261 sq. ft. to 557 sq. ft include (these homes are not portable, they require a foundation.):
- The Bodega: Starts at 261 sq. ft. with just a sleeping loft, add a single bedroom and increase your square footage up to 356 sq. ft. This home includes a fireplace and full kitchen and bath. The materials to build this home start at $22,500.
- New Vessica: 278 sq. ft. or 372 sq. ft. again, these homes include a loft but it is not counted as part of the total square footage. This design is new and I didn’t see a price for materials directly from Tumbleweed Houses. The plans can be purchased for $695.
- The Whidbey: 461 sq. ft. or 557 sq. ft. the Whidbey includes a small front bedroom and a sleeping loft. The loft in this plan is the entire length of the house. Since it’s not counted in the total square footage, this adds a lot of room. The estimated materials cost starts at $35,000.
Small house plans that are slightly more roomy range from 681 sq. ft. to 837 sq. ft., again these homes require a foundation (only the house plans can be purchased through Tumbleweed Houses):
- B-53: starting at 743 sq. ft. or adding a third bedroom expanding the footage to 837 sq. ft. is a larger model of the tiny Loring house plan. The Loring is one of my favorite plans, and I absolutely adore the larger model as well. Plan price: $695.
- The Ernesti: Staring at 681 sq. ft. the Ernesti has two full bedroom on the second floor. Very similar to the B-53, but slightly smaller on the second floor. Plan price: $695.
If anyone is seriously interested in Tumbleweed Houses, they are currently looking for someone to host the Fencl as a vacation rental this summer in the US. Click here to find out all the details if you have a site with RV hookups and sewage availability. Also, Jay Shafer offers consultations if you’re truly interested in building your own Tumbleweed. Could you live in one of these homes? Would you want to try it out for the summer?
6 Comments
@The Simple Machine – Thanks for your comment. You’re right, the problem with the stationery homes is finding land! I’m encountering this problem myself. I’ll have to check out your article. Sometimes I think renting my be an okay choice. 🙂
These are so cool! Why are people homeless when they can make houses like this?
@Don – I agree, these homes are very affordable. However, the issue on homelessness is a bit more complex. The smallest Tumbleweed home is still about $22,000. Most homeless people are jobless, so it would be difficult to afford even this. They would also need a vehicle to attach their house too! Thanks for stopping by.
@Budgeting in the Fun Stuff – I agree, the sleeping lofts really make the homes. The built-in storage and efficiency also makes the homes more livable in such a small space. I love these homes, too!
I really love these small houses. I think the challenge is finding a suitable location in which to build, preparing the land, etc.
There are so many restrictions everywhere you go. And I don’t think being in the middle of nowhere 50+ miles from anything is a good option either.
Any ideas where are good areas to build these, close to civilization?
I’d love somewhere near Portland, OR.
@Jeff – That’s a good question. I live in Southern California and finding a piece of affordable land near a city is difficult. I’d have to say that looking a little outside the city would be a start, but maybe not 50+ miles away. 😉