2 tiny house RVs move in to Chicago as part of nationwide tour

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Two tiny houses on North Riverside Plaza at Washington seem so out of place, but they aren't those tiny houses you set up on a tiny lot on a tiny foundation. They are RVs.

"The tiny house RV can move around, it is just like an Airstream or a Winnebago," said Steve Weissmann of Tumblewood Tiny House Company. "The tiny house that's put on a piece of land is an actual house."

They have named one of the houses Rose and the other one is Finn. The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company is touring the country trying to sell us on RVs that look like either giant doll houses or mini mansions. They have everything you need inside, everything except a lot of space.

"Finn is a little bit bigger. He's 258 square feet and Rose is a tiny 218 square feet," said Annie Colletti of Thousand Trails and Encore. "I would suggest living with people you really like."

These are RV's but when you get sick of camp sites you could put it on a lot and make it permanent. Perfect, they say, for one or two people who like to travel and who are very good in small spaces.

"We're just maximizing what is here. In your modern home I would challenge you to do the same thing," Justin Hall of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. "Great example is our staircase here that also doubles as your dresser and the higher up that you go in this staircase you've also got pocket doors behind here as well."

When they say tiny house, they mean tiny. For instance, up on the second floor or loft, even for short guys, it's "watch your head."

"The second floor is three feet four inches," Weissman said.

But don't think small if you're thinking of buying. Rose and Finn are $75,000 each.

"All of our units start at $61,000 and we'll go as high as possible," Hall said.

Tours continue Tuesday until 6 p.m. and Wednesday until 5 p.m.