Stats as quoted by Jay Shafer of Tumbleweed Houses on benefits of living tiny...tumbleweedhouses.com

Own a Home for Less than 20 Grand! 

Today in America, 1 in 5 homeowners owe more money than what their home is worth. Many people are literally walking away from their homes because of this tragedy. But that's only part of the story!

Last year banks foreclosed over 2.8 million homes in the United States.

We were sold a bill of goods! For decades we've been duped into buying more house than we really need. It's more clear now than ever that our housing system is failing. Even worse, we are all paying for this mistake in the form of government bailouts.

The resale value of American houses of 2,500 square feet or more appreciated 57 percent between 1980 and 2000, while houses of 1,200 or less appreciated 78 percent! (Elizabeth Rhodes, Seattle times, 2001) Small houses appreciated $37 more per square foot!

Can you believe that the average price of a used home in America today is an alarming $244,000? That's 30 years stuck with mortgage payments, utility bills, creeping property taxes, fees and regulations!

Imagine owning a house without a mortgage. What would you do with your new found freedom? Most Americans pay far more in interest than for the actual house ... and that of course doesn't include taxes, insurance, or maintenance costs.

Do you realize that most people will not have any real money to retire on? It's true. Look at these sobering retirement statistics:

Take any 100 people at the start of their working careers and follow them for 40 years until they reach retirement age, and here's what you'll find, according to the Social Security Administration: only 1 will be wealthy; 4 will be financially secure; 5 will continue working, not because they want to but because they have to; 36 will be dead; and 54 will be dead broke - dependent on their meager Social Security checks, relatives, friends, even charity for a minimum standard of living. That's only 5% who retire with the American Dream.

Imagine Paying as Little as $65 Per Year in Utilities!

 Saves Money & Saves the Environment

The average American home consumes about 3/4 of an acre of forest and produces about 7 tons of construction waste. Add to that 18 tons of greenhouse gases every year!

A typical Tumbleweed Tiny House is made with only 4,800 pounds of building materials, and less than 100 pounds of which goes to the landfill. Plus ... it produces less than 4 tons of greenhouse gases during a typical Minnesota winter!

12 Years in a Tiny House

I'm Jay Shafer, author of The Small House Book

Twelve years ago I designed and built the tiny house that would later become known as Tumbleweed. I've been, designing, building and inhabiting little houses ever since. I've built a dozen with my own hands and created designs for hundreds of other folks. My small houses and ideas for efficient living have been featured on Oprah, CNN, and in Natural Home Magazine.

I've shared my vision of living small by creating The Small House Book and Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. Today, I lecture across the nation on small house living and design. All of my home designs are tried and true. I've traveled 7,000 miles across the country in one of my tiny houses. To my knowledge, no one else has been doing it longer and no one else teaches workable designs teaching people how to design and build along the way.

Viva la Tiny Revolution,

Jay Shafer

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company