Tumbleweed Tiny House Company: On Tour until June 13th

Until June 13th, tiny house architect Jay Shafer is on a road trip of a different kind. By popular demand, Shafer has hitched up Fencl, a 130 square foot home on wheels (pictured below), and is trekking across the country. Shafer’s tour takes Fencl from San Francisco to New York City, with open houses and building and design workshops scattered along the way. At the end of its journey, having proved its durability, the charming little house will be delivered to a desiring tiny house occupant in the New York area.

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company on tour

What are the benefits of a house like this? Lately, Shafer has been referring to small houses as “foreclosure busters.” With low upkeep costs, extremely cheap utility bills ($65 a year has been done), and no mortgage, Shafer’s homes are, indeed, hard to resist. Shafer also emphasizes the versatility of tiny, transportable homes. Not only can they be designed to circumvent some of the more aggravating complexities of current housing laws, but also they need not be conceived only as permanent residences. According to Shafer, small houses are terrific eco-conscious stand-ins for traditional vacation homes, they are ideal work studios, and they can even be tacked on to traditional homes as freestanding additions. And in high-risk geographies, the transportability of Shafer’s homes might yet be leveraged to fill a completely undersaturated market niche. After hurricane Katrina, displaced Mississippi resident Julie Martin collaborated with Shafer to develop a Gulf Coast Model. Needing only an electrical outlet and a garden hose, this model allows people to quickly evacuate coastal regions without abandoning their homes. Shafer’s other designs range from 65 to 837 square feet, so they can satisfy a range of housing needs. In short, if Shafer is passing through your area in the coming days, you won’t want to miss his open houses and workshops.

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company on tour

Here is the tour schedule from the Tumbleweed Tiny House Blog:

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 – Cincinnati, 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

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company on tour

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company on tour

(For a more detailed list of open house and workshop locations, look here.)

Via Tumbleweed Tiny House Company and NPR
Images courtesy of Jay Shafer of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company

2 Comments

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  1. 1
    chris young

    You need bring a tour to Dallas & Ft Worth, Texas.
    I believe you would receive a good response. I wait
    to here answer.
    Your Friend;
    Chris Young

  2. 2
    Shane Waas

    I was a police officer that got hurt and was given a medical disability retirement from the police dept. I lost my home and am now dependant on living with friends. I am interested in the Tumbleweed Fencl, because even with my very limited income I think I could buy material each month and although it may take me three or four years to finish it… I would finally have my own little cozy home, one that I could even move around! What a wonderful thing! I really want to know more about this kewl little house on wheels!!! Thanks

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