Jay Shafer, founder of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, has been building and living in homes smaller than 120 square feet for more than a decade — and his company is encouraging others to do the same. Men, women, couples, and even a teenager in California are purchasing building plans for inexpensive and energy-efficient homes of their own.
Shafer's latest house is just 7' x 16'. Since he got married and had a child, he and his wife decided to put their two homes next to each other, creating a total shared living area of 620 square feet. "I like the relative freedom a small house affords," he says. "The more square footage and heating I'm paying for, the more likely it is that I'll have to do things I don't want to do for cash."
This tiny house Shafer just built is called the Gifford, and is the fourth tiny house he has lived in. This house now sits next to his wife's 500-square-foot house on the same plot of land in Northern California. "I like to call it the bunk house, since we all sleep together there," he says.
The main room of the house accommodates an office and living space. A tiny fireplace, two comfy chairs, desk, and lots of hidden storage all occupy this 6' x 8' room. Believe it or not, Shafer has managed to have dinner parties for 5 and workshop sessions for 9 here.
The sleeping space is nestled into a tiny nook up above the great room. The home's superb insulation helps keep this place warm in winter and cool in summer.
The size and build of these homes makes them very energy efficient. None of Shafer's home designs have consumed more than $70 in energy a year in California, and $180 a year in Iowa — a stark comparison for those of us used to paying that much every month.
The front door opens into a small kitchen and dining space. A sink, prep surface, portable electric range, and small refrigerator are all that's needed. Shafer has become the king of storage solutions over the years. While distilling his belongings down to the essentials is part of the answer, this home is also full of subtle shelves, drawers and closets. For example, most of the dishes are stored on a shelf above the sink.
The structure is made out of basic 2' x 4' framing, with pine paneling inside, cedar siding and metal roofing. Altogether, this little guy took about 600 hours to build.
Although he's been building houses for more than a decade, Shafer has never had a formal education in architecture or construction. Mostly he has learned by doing. His DIY plans encourage people to do the same. "It seems that we need more people making sustainably scaled houses that most folks can afford," he says.
This house is 7' x 16', including the porch. "It's important that every inch is used efficiently in a very small home," he says. "For my first few months doing this, I spent a lot of time figuring out what worked and what didn't, and moving my home's layout around accordingly."
In most of Shafer's previous tiny houses, he's been completely off-grid, collecting his own water and generating his own electricity. But for this particular house, Shafer has opted to hook it up to another power source with an extension cord. Water is gathered from a nearby spigot. "I'd do something more elaborate, but my local building codes and zoning prohibit a structure this small from being permanently connected to utilities."
"It all depends on your perspective," he says. "In my case, it makes perfect sense. It allows us to meet my wife's needs for a larger space, both of our needs for some privacy, and our baby's needs — without having to buy a larger house."
According to Shafer, these homes aren't just energy efficient — they're sturdier and safer. "The best thing you can do to make a building safer in a fire or an earthquake is to make it small," he says. "Shorter distances mean a more expedient escape, and shorter rafter and beam sizes with larger corner-to-wall ratios mean far less damage during an earthquake."
Shafer — shown here in front of another of the Tumbleweed models — loves his set-up, but he acknowledges that it's not for everyone. "I wouldn't want to live in a 120-square-foot house as a family of three," he says. "I know a lot of folks in this world live in less, but in my case, the only good company is optional company."
Brilliant! I've wanted a tiny home of my own ever since I first saw them. Design heaven, small footprint, and lovely little spaces. Thank you for this posting. Bring more to us! x
I've been following Jay on Facebook for a year or two and love his Tiny Houses. I dream of one day being able to sell our big family home (we're empty nesters) and downsize significantly. Until then I gather all sorts of wonderful ideas from Houzz and enjoy what I have. I will most certainly never want a big house to pay for and maintain ever again.
Wow.....I love this....it looks like fun. Maybe I would not want this to be my permanent home, but there is something wonderful about cozy little spaces and this is just darling! Carole
Love the concept - would love to see a design for people with handicaps and mobility issues - for example, I could not use the loft concept for a bedroom as I can not handle stairs/ladders.
My son introduced me to this concept years ago when he was considering it. That was before a wife and child. I cannot imagine anything this small, although it would be charming for a writer's studio -- if I could write. I do think Jay is on to something and the trend should be for much smaller than many of us have and don't really need, for the sake of our planet. Best...Victoria
I wonder if these are the same houses that were used on Design Star challenge this past Monday. Great concept, but they could be a little bigger, at least 500 sq. ft like his wife's home. Loving it!
Great review. Houses and lifestyles like this really makes you think WHY we need so much space. It's to hold all our "stuff" we buy, pile, and replace over the years. Seeing these pictures makes me think of all the things I could truly live without. Great example of how we could simplify our lives and reduce our human footprint on earth. Living in small places takes a lot more creativity and effort than a big house full of stuff for decoration or seldom use. Yeah, all this is commendable and makes me feel very vain, but I'm with the reviewer that pointed out we'd need a washer & drier too :)
this would make a great little guest cottage in the backyard!!! very cute but sorry, i LOVE my big(gish) house. :-) obviously we don't all need to live in mansions, or even mcmansions, but this is the opposite extreme and i tend to eschew the extremes. i cannot imagine living in something this small with children :-) and maybe that is the ultimate point of these houses, but alas, i am now waxing political...
i think this might look fun in pictures, but i bet dimes to donuts most would run screaming from this little closet if they actually had to live in something so small. i lived in a tiny tiny apartment at a difficult period in my life, and after a short time it really lost all of it's charm. i remember when we finally moved to a (slightly) bigger place, how i felt when i was able to close a door and be ALONE. and not have to be sittting on a toilet :-)
but again - what a FUN guest cottage for the back yard!!!!
For those wondering about the shower, the thing that looks like a sink in the fourth-last picture is actually a deep Japanese-style tub. I believe the shower head is above it, so you can either sit in the tub for a bath or stand in it for a shower.
Like the old shotgun homes. I have been intrigued by this small style design for awhile. I think that for one they would be doable but two might require an extra 200 sq feet to enable a sitting area/dining table.
Jay does have larger home plans on his website (http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/). I love these itty bitty ones that always get featured online, but the 2 and 3 bedroom houses are much more practical for a couple or small family. Would LOVE to see a tour of one of those.
did you see that last episode of HGTV Design Star. They had to design a whole house guess what kinda house they used? You got it the same kind we just saw in these pics. Good job
Even though I prefer a small house (800 sq.ft.) I find this one too small to live through one Canadian winter, even for one person. In the warmer months, it is fine, because one tends to spend every available moment outside, but in the harsh winter, we need some space to hunker down in comfort without feeling claustrophobic. I'd say, maybe double this size for one person, 240 sq.ft would be perfect.
This small space reminds me of living in our camper mounted on our pickup when we visited all the major league ballparks years ago. The efficiency of space is definitely essential but we loved it! (of course it was only for 4 months.) Lovely idea and beautifully executed!
I think the idea is cute. The reallity of living like this is crazy. My very first place was a "Studio apartment" and that was hard to live in. Living in the "Tiny House" is just ridiculous.
We bought a 500 foot studio Condo and I love it. I can clean it in 15 minutes which gives me plenty of time to bike, attend plays, concerts, etc. Who needs a TV? Thanks for sharing Jay's creative spaces.
This is amazing i have a tiny room in my home that my to children sleep in i cant imagine all that you did and the space is much bigger.in my kids room and i trying to fit to kids and you have this amazing space with so much more , my hat goes off to you . Christine
I came across these little houses last year when I was looking for some inspiration for another project. I love them! I think they have so many possibilities. Beautiful idea!
This concept is not so different from living on a boat, which many people -and families!- do quite comfortably. My family of three lived on a 39-foot sailboat for 2 years with no problems at all. I think we must have had a bit more floor space, though, since we had two distinct "bedrooms" plus a main room with a kitchen and living/dining zone and 2 small bathrooms. Actually, living so close to one another brought our family closer together and was, I think, very healthy. I do think , though, that there's an added phsychological sense of space when living on a boat, since you feel you have the whole wide ocean around you, and your view can change just by sailing a few miles to another anchorage. it might feel more restrictive to live in a small place that's never moving anywhere!
If anyone is exploring this idea, I'd urge you to take a look at interior design on boats for great ideas on how to maximize small spaces, create small showers, etc. Also, don't forget that there are tons of small sized appliances and fixtures made for the marine and RV market, like small toilets, and small but fully functional ovens and stoves.
I like his designs, but I think he is heading in the wrong direction.
This house has no bathroom shower, has bare minimal space, and cost way too much.
I also like his plans, but they too are overpriced.
I think his homes on wheels are as pretty as any out there, but to design even smaller homes than those is not very market savvy.
I think a larger, perhaps longer trailer house would be a better design choice.
Not everyone is going to be up to the idea of crawling through a hole to get to the loft, or not having sleeping spaces for two people, not to mention the bath.
I think he needs to think about these elements in his designs if he wants to appeal to a larger audience.
We are just finishing up turning a 12 x 16 granary into a little cottage for our 18 year old daughter. It has been so fun. We built a 3/4 loft in it where she sleeps, made a little kitchenette using recycled old barn boards for shelves, and a "lean-to" bathroom complete with a good sized shower, a toilet, sink and closet. Fully self contained with the exception of laundry (she can drop that off at Mom's still as the cottage is just in our back yard!). Someday we'll just use it for a guest suite. Been a blast!
I LOVE this article on tiny homes. My family and I are currently working towards downsizing to a smaller home. Our current 1400-square-foot monstrosity of inefficiency is just too sickening to continue living in, not to mention the $500+/month electric bill.
I'd like to see the building materials covered a bit more, though. Is he using eco-friendly materials like reclaimed barn wood for flooring and sawdust for insulation? We're even using reclaimed pallet boards for our walls in our home instead of drywall. That makes it very easy to hang pictures and wall shelves since you don't have to find a stud except for very heavy items - the whole wall is wood!
Granted, our home will be a bit bigger, but still economical at under 700 square feet for a family of 5 (my wife and I and 3 kids).
I'd love to see more articles on homes like these. Makes it easier to envision the ideas presented when the homes pictures are closer to the same size as what you are working on and the budget is much closer to reality in the pictures homes as well.
Considering serious downsizing, I adore what Tumbleweed is doing along with the exciting diversity of design. As a senior I could afford living on my own in one of their designs . . . as could many others! Hurrah for what they do!
