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Newest Zyl Vardos Build: Belinda’s Little Bird


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I think there’s a general consensus on Tiny House Talk that Abel Zimmerman Zyl, of Zyl Vardos, is a master tiny house craftsman. Therefore, we should all be excited for his newest build, Belinda’s Little Bird!

The home features stunning french doors, no loft, tons of storage and a beautiful tiny Hobbit wood-burning stove. He finished it just recently, thus it’s snow-covered exterior! Abel said the house is now on a farm in Pennsylvania. Perfect!

Related: No-loft Zyl Vardos Build: The Dewdrop Tiny House

Newest Zyl Vardos Build: Belinda’s Little Bird

 

Related: Ampersand Tiny House by Zyl Vardos

Related: Video Tour: Zyl Vardos First Tiny House

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Natalie C. McKee

Natalie C. McKee is a contributor for Tiny House Talk and the Tiny House Newsletter. She's a wife, and mama of three little kids. She and her family are homesteaders with sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and quail on their happy little acre.

Latest posts by Natalie C. McKee (see all)

{ 30 comments… add one }
  • Eric
    February 17, 2017, 1:17 pm

    No good for me, I need elbow room when I’m cooking. Apart from that another brilliant masterpiece from Zyl.

  • Danielle DiLisio
    February 17, 2017, 2:02 pm

    Love, Love , Love Zyl’s designs!

  • February 17, 2017, 3:01 pm

    He did a beautiful job on his Vardo! Love the stained glass windows! Simply beautiful!

  • ZACHARY E MOHRMANN
    February 17, 2017, 3:14 pm

    Another Zyl work of art…! This guy never fails to amaze me …! It has a wonderful sense of warmth to it in this winter wonderland picture perfect photo op…..!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      February 20, 2017, 8:24 am

      Yes! I love seeing a house in winter. Shows you whether or not it’ll make a cozy home.

  • Dan
    February 17, 2017, 3:17 pm

    I think when you start getting up into this price range-and I by no means don’t think the craftsmanship is worth the price- a slideout for some real living space is in order.

    • Annette
      February 17, 2017, 6:46 pm

      Hey Dan, I accidentally hit “report” instead of reply just now. Sorry guy. Mainly, I have questions about slide-outs – thinking that moving parts soon become the weakest link and run the risk of leaks. No? I don’t have experience with them so feel wary and maybe you know better. Meantime I beg to differ: I think craftsmanship is everything in a tiny house, and makes the difference between the run-of-the-mill, temporary vs. a place that enriches one’s experience of home and makes for a place one wants to live in for a long time. Right now I’m in 450 sq. feet — not tiny, but aesthetics really matter the smaller one goes.

      • Dan
        February 17, 2017, 9:58 pm

        I’ve been living in motorhome for about 9 years now and haven’t had any leaks yet. The tarp “roof” is starting to look like they may need to be replaced but that’s a pretty minor project. I’m sure there is a more creative and durable solution than the typical rv companies use.
        Sorry if I gave the wrong idea about craftsmanship. I’ve worked as a carpenter and woodworker my whole life so I definitely have a respect for craftsmanship and the inherent costs to make it happen. Often times the thought process alone of how to make someones dream into reality can take more time than the actual hands on process. I’d be willing to bet that by the time the suppliers and helpers have been paid, if Mr Vardos figured every bit of time he put into this, he’s lucky if he makes $8 an hour. His creations are born from love of the process, not of making money-but then most creatives are terrible business people.

        • Annette
          February 18, 2017, 1:46 am

          Man you’ve struck a nerve.

          When I graduated college among 300 journalists 6 of us had jobs in the field at the time (the local paper was paying $230/month – try paying rent).

          So I wrote free-lance (“unemployed”). After an amount of work I soon realized that there are far more clients with great ideas to write about than there are clients who can actually pay reasonable fees to research and write up their ideas. After that I contracted and succeeded financially.

          I’m never going to be a person who can create a tiny house – it would be foolish. I can change light bulbs and toilet paper rolls.

          I got a drill to install a retractable clothesline in my shower – I researched and purchased special drill bits for ceramic tile – it took me hours and hours to drill 3 of 4 holes and the drill got smoking red hot. Nothing like the Youtube video I watched. At least I didn’t break the tile.

          My son came over and drilled the 4th hole in about 2 seconds.
          Turns out my drill speed was too slow.

          I could no more build a house than I could build an Egyptian pyramid. The entire thing is a complete mystery to me.

          Yet I’ve done a lot of work for less than $8/hr. Every time the main thing is the integrity of the work.

          Good luck to you!

    • February 19, 2017, 12:20 pm

      Dan,
      Slideouts are very expensive to do right. I build my houses to last many many decades (unlike RVs) so I expect any part of it to also last that long. One of the most difficult engineering challenges with slideouts is preserving the insulation envelope of the house. So, generally, in the interest of simplicity, it is far cheaper to build a larger tiny house… than create a slideout. Cheers!

  • Gigi
    February 17, 2017, 3:21 pm

    I love all of Zyl’s creations, this one included.

  • gmh
    February 17, 2017, 3:37 pm

    Of all his wonderful builds, I think this would work the best for me.
    Simple kitchen, lots of storage, no loft, beautiful stained glass.
    I can just smell the wood interior… mmmmmm!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      February 20, 2017, 8:21 am

      And the wood burning stove 🙂 Nothing more magical than that smell!

  • Susanne
    February 17, 2017, 6:47 pm

    Is $84,000 not too much though?

    • February 17, 2017, 8:11 pm

      It might be out of some folks (including my own) price range, but I don’t think it’s high for a lovely, Han-crafted space. Just compare it to shoddily built, leaky RVs which can cost much, much more and depreciate in value very quickly, plus have cheaper components, don’t last long in good condition, aren’t good for all seasons, and have no true beauty.

      • Kathleen
        February 17, 2017, 8:39 pm

        Well said.

    • Paul Larsen
      February 17, 2017, 9:18 pm

      Hi Susanne. It sounds like a lot of money. I paid about 70,000 $ for my regular sized house on a 50 by 120 foot lot in 1979. But you can also pay a lot more for a comparable cheaply built for the masses RV too, And this tiny home is way Better!

  • Paul Larsen
    February 17, 2017, 9:13 pm

    Great design! I love every thing about it. No loft , that s cool . Wood burning stove, that’s cool , I mean hot. The interior wood work is really nice. The kitchen area is nice and cozy too ( not cramped)
    Only thing is the price tag is a bit steep, but if you consider all the work and quality materials in it , maybe that’s within reason.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      February 20, 2017, 8:16 am

      I think for the level of craftsmanship you get, it’s certainly worth every penny 🙂

  • Sandi B
    February 19, 2017, 11:10 am

    Lovely little home! I truly like the roof line and the stained glass window. This, as is usual for his builds, is extremely well done and unique. For me, personally, this would be way to small overall. I am looking to do either a 36 x 10 or a 40 x 10 foot that is double lofted. I have corresponded with him, however the design of his that I just fell in love with he said would lose the look built out to 40 feet. But then, you just never know — depends on the money I can pull together over the next few months. One can always dream. I am sure he could come up with a great design for whatever anyone wanted. This one for me is a pass, the kitchen way too small, the bathroom way too small. I really like the fireplace though and will have to look into incorporating one into whatever design I come up with. Thanks for sharing — it is a charming house — Zyl you never disappoint!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      February 20, 2017, 8:00 am

      He truly does amazing work!

  • ROSEE
    February 19, 2017, 2:54 pm

    BEAUTIFUL!

  • Elizabeth Rubio
    February 19, 2017, 5:23 pm

    Abel Zyl is my favorite designer/builder. The Little Bird is a personal favorite, but I have yet to see a house come out of his workshop that I don’t like. I also enjoy Abel’s personality, which just seems to bubble out of him. Love you, Abel!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      February 20, 2017, 7:32 am

      He is fantastic 🙂

  • Mary
    February 22, 2017, 8:39 pm

    Where is the fridg, a person who wants a stove that big needs a big fridge.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      February 23, 2017, 6:22 am

      It’s right under the counter 🙂 And not necessarily true. I have a fridge that size and a stove that size and I cook all our meals — but if my apartment had a larger fridge I’d love it 🙂

      • mortinoregon
        December 27, 2022, 9:01 am

        Very interested in the range. It does have to be propane where we live. Can you give details, please.

  • Michele
    March 8, 2017, 8:22 pm

    Is the platform in the front window a bed? How on earth would one get up there once a mattress is placed on it? And, why the step between the lower and upper set of drawers?

    The craftsmanship is beautiful, the layout, not so much.

    • Paul Larsen
      March 8, 2017, 8:40 pm

      The step between the lower and upper set of drawers would be for accessing the bed. I would estimate the bed height from floor ( allowing about 8 inches for the Mattress ) to be about 30 to 36 inches. the step would be about 20 inches off the floor . So a bit of a climb but still way better than a loft!

  • Cyndi ann
    March 15, 2017, 12:44 pm

    Just love Zyl’s Vardos, always so warm and inviting. I really like haveing these tiny wood stoves for back-up because I wish to have an all electric, and standard shower and toilet. All because I’m youthfully challaged, need simple. All so beautiful though. 🙂

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