One eco-conscious designer takes downsizing to a whole other level with his teeny tiny Tumbleweed “houses” that run from 65-140 square feet in size. More than a decade ago, Jay Shafer took his sustainable living motto to heart when he hand crafted his 89 square foot home which clocked in at almost smaller than your average closet.
Don’t worry! You’re not the only one scratching their head as to why someone would want to live in a closet-sized room, err, unless of course you happen to reside in Manhattan where an 8’ x 8’ cell screams cozy. Shafer was seeking to minimize the amount of unused or unusable space which is a detriment to the environment seeing how a smaller home makes for a smaller environmental footprint. And as it happens, a smaller imprint on the pocketbook too.
The average price of a used home was $244,000 last year whereas these homes on wheels go from $36,997 to $49,997 when preassembled. Pick from 6 different tiny houses or borrow Shafer’s concept and make it a DIY project. Floor plans to slightly larger spaces dubbed “small houses” run from 140 to 837 square feet in size.
You can choose your favorite of seven available floor plans ($495-995) and give yourself a green home that actually sits atop solid foundation. While you mull over this minimal style of living, make sure you check out these tiny numbers for yourself as it’s currently on a 14-city tour that started in San Francisco and ends in New York on Saturday.
Tue June 9 – Cincinnati, OH 12:00 noon
Colerain Township Parks Department
4725 Springdale Road
Cincinnati, OH 45251 map it
Tue June 9 – Columbus, OH 6:00 pm
Whitehall Community Park
402 N. Hamilton Road
Whitehall, OH 43213 (Near Columbus) map it
Wed June 10 – Pittsburgh, PA 6:00 pm
Schenley Park Visitor Center
101 Panther Hollow Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15213 map it
Thu June 11 – Philadelphia, PA 6:00 pm
Henry on the Park
706 Palairet Road
Philadelphia, PA 19128 map it
Sat June 13 – New York, NY 5:30 pm
Hampton Inn NY-JFK
144-10 135th Avenue,
Jamaica, New York, 11436 map it
