PT Bruiser

Walden is my current favorite among the tiny houses produced by Tumbleweed. It’s 117 square feet (not counting the sleeping loft) with a road height of 13’5”. The materials to make it cost approximately $21,250.

It has a toilet, shower, sink, two burner stove, small refrigerator, and space for a toaster oven, microwave, washer/dryer, or dishwasher. It’s heated by a stainless steel fireplace and is insulated enough to keep you warm anywhere in the contiguous United State or southern Canada.

Jay Shafer, founder of the Tumblweed Tiny House Company, writes, “…the average American house consumes about three quarters of an acre of forest and produces about seven tons of construction waste. It emits 18 tons of greenhouse gases annually, and [takes up] more than 2,349 square feet…”. In contrast, the largest two of his first three tiny houses were each made with just 4800 pounds of construction material, only about 100 of which went to the landfill, and each house gave off just 900 pounds of greenhouse gases during the typical Iowa winter. And since tiny houses use so few resources, you can imagine how much cheaper the utility bills are.

I see Walden (or any of the mobile Tiny Houses, really) as the perfect bachelor pad for a recent college grad. I like the thought of parking one in the shadow of Pinnacle Mountain in Natural Steps, AR and teaching at Little Rock Christian. If I want to see another part of the country in between school years, heck, I can just move there for a couple months. If I end up getting a job somewhere else or going to grad school, my house can come with me. If I get married and the tiny house feels too cramped, I can sell it, or convert it into an office or man cave or retreat home or guest room.