Often people ask us if we’ve ever seen another traveling Tiny Home on the road? Sadly, the answer is no. Well, actually the answer WAS no! Somewhere in Arizona we realized we were about to cross paths with another tiny house blogger – B.A. Norrgard from “A Bed Over My Head.”
B.A. upended her career and her life to live in a traveling tiny house!
B.A.’s traveling Tiny Home was headed east, and we were headed west along the same highway. I imagined us holding our arms out the window and high-fiving as we passed each other! Instead we pulled over, toured each other’s tiny homes and chatted about life on the road. Which was fun, but imagine the photo of that high five…
She plans to travel around the United States, following “good weather.” On her travels, she often parks for free in home improvement store parking lots. B.A. told us that they are usually very welcoming, as long as she gives a tour to their customers. After all, many of the materials she used on her tiny home can be purchased in their store!
We move our home, on average, every three days. Because of that, our house is designed to hold our belongings in place. B.A. has some of that going on as well, even though she tends to stay in each location for a longer period of time. Her bookshelves are protected by a piece of plexiglass, which keeps her belongings in place as well as creates a display that’s pleasing to the eye. What a brilliant idea!
As I entered B.A.’s 112 square foot home, I realized it is the smallest house I’ve ever stood inside. Probably the smallest house I’ve ever seen! B.A.’s house is only sixteen feet long, which is four feet shorter than our own tiny home. It also doesn’t have dormers in the loft. I imagine that, because of the size, her tiny home is better suited for the road than my own. It’s most likely easier to maneuver and more aerodynamic.
Sometimes Guillaume and I feel our house is too big. Shocking, I know!
But the more we travel with our tiny home, the more we wish it was smaller. This is a common reaction for many tiny housers. Once you realize you CAN live tiny, you become “tiny-curious.” You ask yourself: Can I live even smaller??
Aside from travel, our house and B.A’s tiny house share another defining factor: the designer. Jay Shafer designed the Tumbleweed “Fencl“. We purchased those plans three years ago and modified them, but we still consider it a Fencl design. Jay now has a company called Four Lights Houses, and it’s from there that B.A. purchased plans for “the Gifford.”
Safe travels B.A! Hope you meet you on the road again someday! Maybe we can master that high five…
Next up: The land of sin and neon lights, but we saw it from another perspective.
FYI – the http://www.fourlightshouses.com/ domain has expired. I would like to know if it has changed or gone out of business. Thank you, gwest1955@aol.com
PS – enjoy watching your videos and appreciate the articles.
Author
Really? I didn’t know that. Not sure what the company owner is doing now.
Jenna and Guillaume – thank you soooo much. Getting such great tips from all your interviews. Learning so much.
Hey glad to hear how your trip is going– i attended the Las Vegas tumbleweed convention where I got to tour your house- I have been looking for a couch like yours online did you guys buy or build it I can’t seem to find a good template but overall it is my favorite couch that I have seen for storage and sleep ability — I’m trying to convince my husband to change out our rv toilet for a compost toilet– any ideas about how to sell people on these!?
Author
Hi, our bench is custom built into the space. You won’t be able to find plans for it. We purchased ottomans from Amazon, modified them for storage and built the bench around them.
As for the toilet, read the Humanure Handbook. It might give you ideas and arguments to be able to convince anyone. We love ours and would never go back to regular flush toilets!
Thank you !!
My partner and I have enjoyed following your build and journey, and are thankful for the inspiration you have given us to build our own! Following blogs like yours and BA’s gave us the confidence to do it ourselves. We just finished framing! Here’s a link to check it out if you’re interested. wereitstops.wordpress.com
Author
That’s awesome! Glad to see that we can help
While you may wish for a smaller “tiny house” for logistics, I think having 2 people require more space than just a 1 person tiny house in order to preserve sanity. Imagine living in a smaller area when one of you is sick. You mentioned it was difficult in the space that you are in.
Author
True, when one gets sick, it’s tough for the other not to. But honestly, it all depends on people. I think couple live happily in smaller places than ours and they are very sane. Heck, we even sometime think that our house is too big, especially because we tow. In the end it depends on the people. Some need bigger, some are fine with smaller.
It’s not exactly a tiny house, but my wife and I spend about four months each year travelling around Southern Europe in a tiny vintage Eriba caravan, in much the same spirit. It’s only big enough for a large comfy bed, a tiny sink and cooker, but we find it’s all we need in warm weather. We top up a large deep cycle leisure battery with a solar panel, and have constant hot water with a Kelly Kettle. The Eriba is so small and cute you can park it just about anywhere, even places where a caravan wouldn’t usually be welcome. Our best wishes for all your travels! Peter and Sheila Wendes
Author
Thanks for the message! We’ve seen some of those on the road and always liked them. They are indeed cute and fairly inconspicuous.