Epu
89 square feet  Ready made: $42,997 Build it yourself: $20,200 |
slideshow |
| House width: | 8′ | Porch: | 7 ½’ x 3′ |
| House length: | 15′ | Main Room: | 6′ x 6 ½’ |
Trailer Size:  |
7′ x 14′ | Kitchen: | 4 ½’ x 4′ |
| Road Height: | 13′ 5″ | Bathroom: | 4′ x 2′ |
| Dry Weight: |
4700 lbs | Ceiling height: | 6′ 3″ |
| all measurements are approximate | Loft height: | 3′ 8″ | |
The EPU is the house that Jay Shafer lives in. You can watch the video of Jay in his house and also featured on Oprah. The EPU comes with a desk and fireplace in the main room; a kitchen; wet bath; and a loft upstairs. For its small size, the EPU has a large amount of storage space.
Learn more: Connecting to utilties, Purchasing a house, Building a house
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Comments
81 Responses to “Epu”
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Just a few questions: you addressed building codes but what about zoning laws? Where can you park this home? What type of roof does it have? Also, does the little church window on your home come with the model when built?
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Steve with Tumbleweed reply on May 26th, 2008 5:05 pm:
Zoning and building codes vary in almost every city in this country. It makes it nearly impossible for us to answer questions specific to your area. Most county websites have a great deal of information about zoning codes. For instance, in our county of Sonoma, this home can be parked in an RV park (of course) or anywhere else you can legally park an RV. Whether or not you can park an RV on your property is usually governed by the CCR’s that were created when the developer subdivided the land that your house is now on. I’m digressing, as you can see, you’ll need to do your own research to find what applies to your area.
The roof is made from metal, and can withstand the wear and tear of driving down the road. The little window on this house is a custom window. Jay actually made it himself. However, if you’re not that crafty, I suggest looking for a local glass maker to do it for you.
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Craig reply on May 28th, 2008 9:19 pm:
Hi Jay,
Cool houses. Can you discuss the trailer (and wheels) a bit? Is it (are they) a permanent fixture to the house or can it (they) be removed? Seems like if it was not on a trailer or wheels, the house could be located in more places (zones) because it would not be considered an RV anymore(?)
Thanks,
Craig
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Steve with Tumbleweed reply on May 28th, 2008 9:56 pm:
The houses can be built different ways:
1. On a permanent foundation
2. Attached to a trailer
3. As a portable unit that can be placed on a trailer or on a foundation.
The type of trailer used in option 2 and option 3 are different. The type of trailer used in option 3 will have the entire trailer bed above the wheels. For that reason, you will not be able to drive it under low bridges. The trailer with the house in option 2 will fit under any bridge. The XS-House is the only small house we have that can fit on the trailer mentioned in option 2 and still be easily removable.
Can the Lusby be built on trailer type 3. Then moved to a location, then placed on a foundation? In other words could it be left on the trailer for many years and then at some time be put on a more permanent foundation.
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Steve with Tumbleweed reply on June 9th, 2008 7:33 pm:
Any of our small homes can be removed from the trailer if desired. Some are designed with the trailer integral to the design, others are not. Obviously, if you’re planning on removing it from the trailer, you’d want to be sure to use the appropriate trailer to do so. I’m not familiar with a type 3 trailer. Basically, you would need a trailer where the entire bed is above the wheels. Our homes are designed for a typical flat bed trailer where the wheels peak above the bed. The considertaion with a bed above the wheels is the road height. If you do put it on a trailer with the bed above the wheels, you will not be able to drive under low bridges.
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Can the Epu be built with running water, or does its smaller size mean that it’s confined to the jug above the sink and the gravity-pressure shower shown in the video?
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Steve with Tumbleweed reply on July 7th, 2008 5:19 pm:
Yes, normally are homes are built with running water from an RV hose.
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I see you have a video tour of the Epu model on youtube, but no other video tour of your other house models. Is there anyway you can make video tours of your other houses?
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Steve with Tumbleweed reply on July 9th, 2008 6:18 pm:
Thanks for the suggestion. We’ll do that in the future as we build more homes.
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Hello,
I had just a quick question. Can I see a basic layout of the house? I don’t need intricate details or plans, just a basic layout of the rooms. I’m building my own tiny house that I am designing and building myself.
I don’t know what to do about rooms, and I needed ideas. I have a couple already, but I’m lost.
I can understand if you don’t want to. I just hope you can help me out.
Thank you.
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Steve with Tumbleweed reply on July 10th, 2008 7:18 pm:
We have pictures of floorplans on all our homes. They are usually the last picture in the set … just scroll through all the pictures.
Also, our portfolio of homes has flooplans of our homes.
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I’ve got quite a few questions;
First, you said that your home was 96 square feet but the epu is listed as being 89 square feet. Is yours modified from the standard epu floor plan? If so, how?
Second, do you have a generator for electricity?
Third, if you had an RV hose, where would you get your water? (I can’t believe you shower so fast)
Finally, do all of the homes come with compost toilets or can they be hooked up to city sewage?
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Steve with Tumbleweed reply on July 14th, 2008 12:21 am:
The difference in square footage is because Jay had previously listed approximate square footage on the website. While the dimensions are aproximately 8 x 12 feet (which equals 96), the house isn’t exactly 8 feet wide. I used the actual dimensions for the square footage listed.
Some houses are on solar, others are on conventional electricty.
The RV hose would be connected to a water spout. The difference between an RV hose and a garden hose is that an RV hose wont give you that funny taste in the water when the hose sits out in the sun too long.
The house can come with your choice of a compost toilet or can be hooked up to city sewer.
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Hi
I cant get the pictures to come up on your website. Can you send me a brochure so I can see the insides of the houses? Thanks Bonnie Lehigh, Renton Washington
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Steve with Tumbleweed reply on July 14th, 2008 12:55 am:
Hi, I’m sorry the pictures aren’t working for you. Which type of web browser do you have? Try looking at http://flickr.com/photos/13664360@N08/
We don’t have a brochure to mail (our website is our brochure), but our portfolio of homes has many picutres of our homes.
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Does Jay’s spiget, mentioned in the Oprah segment, just filter water from a stream or something?
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Thanks Jay, for showing the world that there’s another way, and that you don’t have to spend your whole life working to pay off a mortgage. I hope lots of people take your work to heart. You rock!
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I’m interested in the vendor of the small propane fireplace in the Epu shown on the web site. I am in need of a small fireplace in my own home and this would fit the bill. Can you give me a name, web site, e-mail address, phone #, any leads?
Thanks!
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Mike reply on August 8th, 2008 6:23 pm:
The propane ‘fireplace’ shown is from Dickinson. It’s a marine heater. They also sell a ’sleeve’ for the piping, as it gets hot when in use. I’ve included the link.
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Mike reply on August 8th, 2008 6:24 pm:
http://www.dickinsonmarine.com/
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Jay Shafer reply on August 20th, 2008 3:17 am:
dickinsonmarine.com
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Does anyone know what sort of property taxes one has to pay when living on land with an R.V.? How much better is it than with a home, homeowners taxes, etc.?
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Colin reply on August 30th, 2008 12:20 am:
Varies by state. Usually if you can drive it down the road then there is no prop tax because it is not real property. However, you are not free from the tax man as you will (must likely) need to pay for sales tax, tags, and periodic registration. It would cost about $2900 (mostly in tax) to register an Epu as an RV in my state. Or you could register trailer, then build house and tell them “I’m just moving a lot”.
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When I received your package with the books, at first I was dissapointed with the content - three little brochure-like books and one bigger. “Maybe they sent out just the brochures and books will arrive later” went through my head. But no, those were the books themself.
Luckily, the books proved the idea of the Thumbleweed houses - great things don’t have to come in big packages.
Thank you for the really excellent books and ideas in there!
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Jay Shafer reply on August 20th, 2008 1:45 am:
Thank you so much. I kept them as small as I could w/out cutting substance.
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Cool to see the pictures out on the road now. House is looking great!
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Jay Shafer reply on September 1st, 2008 8:10 pm:
Just you wait, Daniel. The best is yet to come. I’ll be posting a great documentary Greg and I made as soon as I get the music rights.
Thanks.
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Daniel reply on September 30th, 2008 3:49 pm:
Just saw it… look pretty good. Looks like the tiny house almost didn’t make it into the ferry…. Makes me wish I could start building now.
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Is the window in the loft big enough for a normal sized person to fit through in the event of an emergency such as a fire?
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Jay Shafer reply on September 11th, 2008 5:32 pm:
At 5′-10″ and 160 lb, I’m fairly normal (at least in this regard), and I fit. I wouldn’t recommend it to any giants though.
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Daniel reply on September 17th, 2008 1:14 pm:
I’m 6′5″ and looking at changing a few things (along with height) whenever I am able to build so it will work for me.
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For others that are interested here are a couple of more tours of the Epu that Jay lives in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-q3yrsTAJQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDwbKN4jqhM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbRvsWuWNUM
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love reading all these comments. I’m so obsessed with tiny homes that i carry your books with me everywhere. As an oldster I am intereted in your z-glass. One of these days I may not be able to climb into a loft. i have a spot for the z, just waiting for the time and cash to put it up. Thanks for all the info.
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betsy mccullen reply on November 6th, 2008 10:03 pm:
nancy, i’m kind of an oldster too (57) and would be interested in communicating with older women and/or women over 40ish (or any age really) who have built or are interesting in building a tiny house. it would be neat to see what their experiences & challenges have been. i need to think about climbing into the loft every night to go to bed someday, but i could still use it for my tiny art/writing studio. i too carry jay’s little books all over the place with me
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Mokihana reply on November 9th, 2008 10:49 pm:
Betsy, I will celebrate my 61st next week and goddess willing I will celebrate my 62nd in the vardo my husband and I are building now. Jay’s workshop a year ago fueled our original motive to build a tiny mobile safe home. The VardoForTwo is a large single room (8×12) on a trailer, designed specifically because I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. Visit our blog to follow the daily experiences of building it if you’d like. We welcome you and your comments as well. See us at http://www.vardofortwo.blogspot.com
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I saw a story tonight on NBC news about on downsizing and Dee Williams house and began searching the web for log cabin rv’s and came across your Epu. I just love it and it has literally made a big change in my retirement plans. As a “baby boomer” I thought I would never get old…ha! So haven’t saved like I should. I bought and sold a couple of condos and now have a condo that I owe more on than is presently worth, otherwise I would sell it as soon as I could and buy one of your homes. Thanks Bush! Anyway, my plan is to have you build me one of these homes. I’m going to check out financing as I won’t retire for another 4 or 5 years. I know I can rent out my condo until this real estate market comes back, and live in my new small home. I’m going to check out the RV places and see about putting the home there until I retire. I do have two questions for you. How much does the home weight? I have a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and not sure if I can haul it? And secondly, how long does it take you to build one, and does it have to paid for in full before you start building? Thanks. Your doing a great job to get us all back to being “green” and sensible about how much space we need to live in. I just love what you’ve done to yours. I like the idea that you can be creative with the Epu, and make it your own.
Steven
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Daniel reply on October 5th, 2008 3:07 pm:
if you’re new to the tiny house stuff… check out http://www.tinyhouseblog.com Lot’s of other ideas there too.
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Jay Shafer reply on October 7th, 2008 5:25 pm:
I look forward to seeing that piece on Dee.
The Epu weighs about 4700 pounds. I just rent a U-Haul or pick-up when I nee to move my house.
Eight to twelve weeks.
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hi, was wondering if you have any plans for a 12′ x 12′ or 10′ x 10′ footprint? If not you do you know where I can find any great designs that would fit those requirements? Thanks for any of your help and have an amazing day.
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Andrew J reply on October 8th, 2008 6:48 am:
The XS House or the Tinapple would seem to come closest that requirement. They’re both 10 x 7, I think. I bet you could square at least the latter one up, if that’s important.
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Jay Shafer reply on October 8th, 2008 11:50 pm:
Check out the resources link at the bottom of our home page, Amy. Someone’s got to have what you need.
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Hi Jay! Trailer shopping and need some clarification. Your plans specify a flatbed trailer with a GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) of 10k. However, most flatbeds out there are 7k. I visited a local trailer dealer and noticed that the bed of the 10k model stands higher off the ground than the 7k. Is a 10k GVWR absolutely necessary??? I can’t wait for my tiny house “barn raising” next spring!!! Thanks!
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Jay Shafer reply on October 14th, 2008 4:07 pm:
Hi Stephanie.
Go for the 7k trailer. If you can find one with two 5k axles that’s less than 24″ at the deck… great, but that extra suspension is just meant to cover any variability in the weight of materials. Just choose the 2×4s that tend to be on the lighter side and don’t let your framing get wet as you build. Or use metal framing. That would work very well too. In any case, you can buy the smaller trailer.
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Stephanie reply on October 15th, 2008 2:42 am:
Thanks, Jay! Oh, now I’m going to throw you for a loop…you might not have the answer to this one, but just in case…! I’m probably going to build with structural insulated panels (SIPS)…I wonder what traditional 2×4 construction weighs (approximately) per square foot. Any idea?
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Jay Shafer reply on October 15th, 2008 6:07 pm:
I once had a specific answer to this question. Now, I can only say that SIPS are lighter. The modification should be an improvement. Please send photos.
Hey. My family just bought a house a little ways from New York City with a great lake in the backyard. instead of restoring the old barn into a guesthouse, this seems to be a much better alternative. I was wondering where I can buy an already made model?
Thanks,
Jordan
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I want to know if it’s possible to order the Epu (or another of your
tiny houses and NOT have the kitchen or shower in. Just shelves
desk, refrig, toilet . More of a writing place than a complete home.
Fireplace heater..yes. In other words, can we request changes
by eliminating some of the extras?
Thanks!
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Jay Shafer reply on October 29th, 2008 2:44 am:
It will be much more affordable. We can do that.
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[...] The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company does a good job at a more practical movable house. [...]
[...] home we got a tour of in the video isn’t even the smallest available: while his (the “Epu” model) is a scant 89 square feet, the aptly-named XS-House trumps them all at an astonishing [...]
can the wheel be takin off?
can it be made wheel chair able?
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Jay Shafer reply on November 4th, 2008 5:21 pm:
Yup. Yup.
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I’m thinking about getting the Epu in a few years and i was wondering about a few things. First, is that I was planning on taking the Epu to college, and what would this entail as far as sewage and water? Or is this just a bad idea?
Second, there’s a ventless washer dryer combo unit and is adding an electrical outlet and water hook-ups in one of the downstairs closets possible? Here is a link to the unit, it includes dimensions in the specifications tab.
http://www.compactappliance.com/LG-WM3431HW-Ventless-Direct-Drive-Washer-Dryer-Combo/WM3431HW,default,pd.html
Thank you!
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Jay Shafer reply on November 6th, 2008 2:37 pm:
I wish I had had the foresight to take an Epu to college.
The washer won’t quite fit in the primary closet as it is designed at 19″ deep. This could be adjusted.
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Hehe, we are concerned though with where we would hook it up. Water is my biggest concern, whereas I’d just use solar panels and occasionally a gas generator when needed. Any suggestions?
Are there any cabinets deep enough under the desk or in the kitchen?
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Jay Shafer reply on November 7th, 2008 1:50 pm:
There are too many answers to this question for me to detail, but a tank under the counter would work as would water catchment, a well or simply a hose hooked up to city utilities (if you’re in the city).
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Brandon reply on November 8th, 2008 4:40 am:
Are there any cabinets deep enough under the desk or in the kitchen to fit the combo washer/dryer?
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Jay Shafer reply on November 8th, 2008 4:15 pm:
No but you could just put a tiny lean-to shed on the tongue of the trailer to house it.
Just a few questions. I am wanting to know if this little houses require a 5th wheel or if they can be ordered with one? I am not sure which way we are leaning on the tow package yet, but I was wondering which is standard.
Also when we order the house from you guys, do you paint the houses to the customers specs or one color for all?
Thanks for your time
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Jay Shafer reply on November 8th, 2008 4:11 pm:
We do not usually build them as a 5th wheel.
Just send us a swatch, and we will paint the siding to match.
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I really love the idea of a vardo in place of a standard RV, but they don’t have all the features I want. The Epu’s features and layout is perfect. Do you think it would be possible to alter the roofline to make the Epu look more like a vardo? Possibly with a popup to allow more headroom in the loft? Kind of like this one: http://www.enslin.com/rae/gypsy/vardo15.html
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Mokihana reply on November 9th, 2008 10:37 pm:
We are building a vardo on a 12 foot trailer. We took Jay’s workshop in Summer of 07 and blue-skied the idea in class. What we are building is a hybrid of those ideas. Rae Enslin’s vardo site (the one you link to above) inspired us too. “Modifying” the roofline is more like a big leap … building arches is way different from a peak. We are making the vardo as it was originally(but we are kitted for electricity): a single room with bath and cooking done outside. If you’re interested check our blog: http://www.vardofortwo.blogspot.com for the process we’re going through.
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Andrew J reply on November 10th, 2008 1:40 am:
This actually seems to kind of what you’re talking about- I saw it on the Tiny House Blog.
http://www.gypsycoach.com/
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Jay Shafer reply on November 10th, 2008 2:49 pm:
Cute!
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Mokihana reply on November 10th, 2008 5:36 pm:
Wow, this IS cute. Let the revolution roll.
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Jay Shafer reply on November 10th, 2008 3:16 pm:
Yes. You could easily put a bow top roof on the Epu.
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hum. I’ve been addicted to your site and to the Idea of living it small and simple but one shot and silly question just poped out of my head :
How the heck do you put your mattress upstairs ?
hun?? that’s a hard one, isn’t it ??
beside that,
Thank you Jay for all your inspiration !
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Jay Shafer reply on November 13th, 2008 5:04 pm:
I roll up a piece of 4″ high-density foam. It’s very comfy. Be sure to put it on top of some small pieces of wood with space between them for ventilation.
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i have a few new questions. do you have any links on where i can find the “trailer” or wheels to mount my home.
i also created a basic design and am trying to fit a complete turntable system (2 tables, mixer) and this http://calgarc.deviantart.com/art/desktop-97354555 any ideas
i found a link you might want to add to your resources page too
http://www.solarhome.org/
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Jay Shafer reply on November 23rd, 2008 1:37 pm:
Just be sure to get a trailer with an adequate suspension system.
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Steve with Tumbleweed reply on November 26th, 2008 2:09 am:
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/build-it-yourself/trailers/
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Can the bathroom be made like the one from Martin house company, using water proof cedar walls instead of the metal one shown in your pictures.
Here’s what i’m talking about.
http://www.lodge-on-wheels.com/images/LOW_Interior_web24.jpg
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Hi Jay!
I would love to use the Dickinson heater, but a friend of mine suggested that they may not operate well much above sea level. The company confirmed that, while they have never tested them at higher elevations, this could be true. Do you know of anyone who has used them at higher elevations and if so, how high?
Thanks!
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Jay Shafer reply on December 1st, 2008 9:37 pm:
There’s a couple that bought my XS-House and moved it to Teluride. I heard from them about a year later and they only had praise for their new home. That doesn’t really mean the heater worked well though. I don’t know anything beyond that.
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Stephanie reply on December 3rd, 2008 6:42 am:
Any chance you can forward my email / question to them? Or ask them if they would be open to talking with me?
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Jay Shafer reply on December 4th, 2008 2:47 am:
Sorry, Stephanie. I try my darndest not to bother the people who have bought our houses. I bet something could be found out by googling it. But that’s my answer to everything these days.
Well, thanks anyway, Jay! If anyone out there has experience with the Dickinson heater at higher elevations, I’d love to hear from you!
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i absolutely adore your company! the epu is pretty much my dream house and i show your site to everyone! i have yet to have anyone think a smaller house is a bad idea - but then we live in a 5000sq ft average house area. (which leaves about 6 feet between your house and your neighbour’s… eww!)
i’ll definitely be working towards this - thanks for having such a great, professional site!
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Hi Jay!!!
I saw about you and your invention, the little house, in the TV over here in Brasil, where I live.
I loved so much, I was thinking the same thing here and when I saw your example I am so decided to build my own house also. And I will do now, next month, January 2009.
This is a better way to live, I believe, because is less Nature resources used to buid the house and living in. Theremore we can move anytime we want, in this time of changings, naturals and economicals changings, that is The Way.
Congratulations my brother, you are an ecological guy, we must have a simple life, simple life´s style.
Your brother from Sao Paulo, Brasil,
Eliel Bragatti. SP 27-12-2008 1:30am
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Jay Shafer reply on January 1st, 2009 2:08 am:
Right on, Eliel. Please send pictures.
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