Smallest house on wheels: Tiny House on Wheels | TinyHouseMe
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Tumbleweed Tiny HousesTumbleweed2023-02-10T07:38:02-07:00
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Originally built in 1999 as the very first tiny house RV, it’s a look that hasn’t changed.
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Launched in 2016, we’ve maximized the interior space. Surrounded by a cool exterior.
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ROANOKE
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Simple and elegant styling makes best use of the front door along the side.
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ELM
®
Originally built in 1999 as the very first tiny house RV, it’s a look that hasn’t changed.
Elm Pricing
CYPRESS
®
Launched in 2007, the Cypress is the best selling tiny house model of all time.
Cypress Pricing
FARALLON
™
Launched in 2016, we’ve maximized the interior space. Surrounded by a cool exterior.
Farallon Pricing
ROANOKE
™
Simple and elegant styling makes best use of the front door along the side.
Roanoke Pricing
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“None of this (off-grid stuff) is hard, it’s just a commitment to extra regular chores that people typically do not have any experience with these days.” – Ariel McGlothin
“They have a stellar sales team… about six months later they were towing the tiny house down here. They did a great job with it. Super pleased with how it turned out.”
-Jacob Surratt
“The best to you and the whole tiny house team who worked so diligently to make my dream come true.” – Joanie
Little House in Alaska – Tumbleweed Houses
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Little House in Alaska
Once upon a time, Arianne and Sean lived in two separate houses in Las Vegas. Between the two dwellings, the couple had over 4,000 square feet combined. So how did they end up spending “happily ever after” in an Alaskan abode surmounting to no more than 150 square feet? Well, it all started with a newspaper clipping…
Arianne had always considered downsizing and living tiny, but it wasn’t until her mother sent her a crinkled photograph of a Tumbleweed featured in the Denver Post that she truly fell in love. “I used to dream about it.” Arianne admitted. “Sean and I wanted to live a greener lifestyle.” Her partner is an engineer in sustainable and renewable energy. Minimizing would help open other doors for the couple as well, including a big move to a certain beautiful and adventurous state.
With an Alaskan tiny house on the menu, Arianne and Sean teamed up with Tumbleweed to design their perfect abode – an Elm. The couple knew the main course of this particular tundra was best served cold, which meant a higher R-value insulation and electric heating in the floors. They also customized their house to have four skylights, and two lofts!
But once the house was complete, Arianne and Sean faced another challenge – getting their house from the Tumbleweed build site in Colorado to Anchorage. Their journey began with a cross-country road trip, including a stroll up the gorgeous Pacific Coast Highway.
Next the couple took to the sea, as they boarded the Alaskan Marine Highway Ferry. “Most people were boarding cars, but we pulled up towing a house!
The workers were surprised to say the least.” Arianne chuckled, remembering. “They said it was the first house they ever loaded onto the ferry, and it barely fit!” She recalls seeing numerous whales along the swaying careen up the west coast of Canada and Alaska. Finally, they docked in Anchorage, and set out to begin their new life.
Now, half a year later, Arianne works locally for the Air Force piloting C-17s – a plane that could fit six Tumbleweeds inside! She and Sean are enjoying their new house, new location, and new neighbors – most recently a curious moose greeted them one morning, resting his head on their front porch!
Who knows, maybe he is interested in a tiny house with a little extra antler-room?
*All photos provided by Arianne and Sean
Jenna Spesard built a Tumbleweed in 2014 and traveled with it for one year. She clocked over 25,000 miles, and now parks in a Tiny House Village. She writes about the Tiny House Movement on her blog Tiny House Giant Journey.
“I researched many manufacturers around the country, and I loved that Tumbleweeds are green built and RVIA certified. ”
-Katrina Touck’e
“They have a stellar sales team… about six months later they were towing the tiny house down here. They did a great job with it. Super pleased with how it turned out.”
-Jacob Surratt
“I love the design, the wood, the roof. It’s hard to pick one thing!” – Pete Quinn
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Motorhome, inside and outside photos, 11 most beautiful motorhomes, car-house and trailer-home who did not have time to put a country house before the start of the season. This is another way to forget about property tax and a great alternative to mortgages. We tell you what a motor home can be like: photos inside and outside are attached.
Wheels as cover
USA, Olympia
The Tiny House Movement emerged in the USA as a response to the great American dream of a spacious family nest. The more square meters, the less freedom and the more painful the mortgage. Guided by this consideration, the Americans began to build small (no more than 55 square meters) mobile homes. Unlike trailers, these are real houses, suitable for permanent living in winter and summer. They need wheels not only for mobility, but also in order to formally be considered a trailer, which means that they do not need to pay property taxes and receive a bunch of building permits. Ideology Tiny House Movement: pay only for what you really need.
Dee Williams is one of the movement’s brightest advocates. 15 years ago, she also dreamed of a big house and even bought it in Portland: 140 square meters of happiness and $ 1,200 home loan per month to pay the mortgage and utility bills, Dee worked around the clock. One day, she fainted while shopping for groceries. Doctors diagnosed chronic heart failure. Dee thought: she has to pay for the house for another 30 years, but will she last that long? Does she like this life? The answer suggested itself. In the end, she sold her 140 sqm, along with the loan, and used the proceeds to build an 8 sqm mobile hut. You can see her in the photo.
Dee’s house is reminiscent of children’s drawings: a rectangle, a triangle and a pipe. The design is the author’s, and it reflects today’s worldview of the hostess: less saving and worrying, more joy. Dee is in her early 50s today. She, as she dreamed of in childhood, works as an ecologist.
The camper has a bed, table, stove, bathroom and toilet. If there is no way to connect to the grid, electricity is generated by solar panels. But Dee does not acquire a refrigerator in principle, so that there is an occasion to once again take a walk through the forest to the store and always have fresh food. Her trailer-mobile house has changed its parking place more than once, but everywhere the hostess tries to be closer to nature.
“I am happy 300 days a year,” she says. For the rest of the 65 days, Dee is still haunted by what she has lost: constant water (now she has to go to the well), heating, a huge plasma TV, a centrally drained toilet, and cheap beer nearby. However, it passes quickly. Dee even wrote a book about her experience in housebuilding and lifebuilding – it was published in 2014.
WW Wohnwagon GmbH
Formula of harmony
Austria, Vienna
The values of the Tiny House Movement appealed to people from other countries as well. The Austrians Teresa Steininger and Christian Franthal came up with their own series of motorhomes. The 25 sqm van can be used as a home, workshop, meeting place. The most expensive mobile homes from an Austrian couple cost 94 thousand euros – these are turnkey fully autonomous mobile homes. For 45 thousand, you can buy a simpler house – in the minimum configuration and disassembled. It is not difficult to assemble a motorhome with your own hands: instructions are attached to the designer.
WW Wohnwagon GmbH
Teresa and Christian live in a van by themselves. On their 25 sq.m. there is everything you need for life: a bed, a kitchen, a bathroom with a shower and a living area. A dry closet, solar panels, a wood-burning stove and a system for cleaning rain and used water are responsible for autonomy (filters from marsh plants are installed on the roof). Ergonomic furniture designed and made specifically for this project. Additionally, you can order a retractable bay window and a terrace. The van has no corners: the biomorphic shape hints that nature is the best architect, creating the most beautiful and practical solutions. The facade of the house is glazed to let in more light.
WW Wohnwagon GmbH
This motorhome has another special feature – it is built from recycled or biodegradable materials. Outside, the wagon is lined with local larch. Covered with a layer of resin, it is not afraid of water or insects. From the inside, the van is insulated with sheep’s wool, trimmed with spruce fiberboard and plastered. Plaster and wool perfectly regulate indoor humidity.
SEE ALSO
Houzz Austria: 25 square meter mobile home
Arch. Hristina Hristova
Lightness of Being
Bulgaria
This cute change house is called koleliba, which is reminiscent of the Bulgarian words “kolelo” (wheel) and “koliba” (hut). It was built by the Bulgarian architect Hristina Hristova and her husband. The couple was tired of overpaying for hotels while traveling, and besides, they wanted to move around without being tied to a reservation. The Bulgarian version of the roof on wheels is a mini-house with an area of 9 sq.m. However, from the inside it seems more spacious – the point is an unusual height for a trailer: 240 cm.
Arch. Hristina Hristova
The weight is also unusual: the trailer on which the house is located is designed for a maximum of two tons, so all the materials in the project are lightweight. Both the facade and the interior are made from oiled solid pine, while the floor is made from lightweight birch plywood. One of the facades is completely glass, so the van is always light and calm even for experienced claustrophobes. Glass is strong, tempered, so even if it breaks, it will shatter into thousands of harmless fragments. Behind the glass begins a small terrace. You can increase the living space due to the linen canopy. In addition, the van is equipped with a folding bench.
Arch. Hristina Hristova
Hristina came up with ideas for a 9 sqm bedroom, kitchen and bathroom while working at a London-based architecture firm that specializes in compact living spaces. The sofa unfolds into a bed, the owners store things in cabinets and drawers above and below the bed. To achieve complete harmony, the pine inside the house was not painted, but only oiled to enhance its aroma. The spouses cook themselves, for this there is a sink, an electric oven and a refrigerator. They are connected to electricity in campsites using a regular outlet – there is a switchboard in the van. The construction of the house cost the owners 8,500 euros. Compared to analogues – very cheap.
SEE ALSO…
Houzz Bulgaria: Summer house on four wheels
Back to school
USA, Montana
900 02 Alyssa Pelletier and her boyfriend Will Hitchcock also live in a mobile home, but in a trailer and van they preferred the old school bus. After paying $5,500 for “a car that looked like a criminal transport vehicle,” the couple undertook a major overhaul. Turning a rusty bus into a super-modern caravan cost Alyssa and Will another $35,000. But now it is a house, an office and a spacious garage for bicycles all rolled into one. That is, the body. The bus-motorhome has got three solar modules on the roof, LED wiring, ventilation and a water heater. There is a dry closet and a bathroom with a hidden tank for used water. When the batteries are low, you can cook on the gas stove. In order not to freeze in winter, the walls of the motorhome were insulated with a modern insulator.
Together with the Bernese Shepherd Hilda, the couple travels on their bus all over America: today they are in one state, tomorrow they are in another. This lifestyle allowed Alyssa and Will to see most of the country’s natural attractions. Satellite Internet, two computers in the bus, two equipped places – and no problems with work. The couple designs and maintains software and doesn’t have to be in the office.
The great advantage of a bus as a home is its size. Here you can not save on living space by inventing tables built into the beds. Even the kitchen of American travelers is designed for the work of two people. In the “living room”, in addition to a large bed, there are sofas and a separate dining table. Finally, at the tail of the bus is a huge storage garage. There, in addition to two bicycles, climbing equipment, kayaks, roller skates and other things are stored.
The bus has one drawback – it is very voracious. A lot of money is spent on diesel fuel. Not as much as if the couple were paying off the mortgage, but this type of travel cannot be called economical either.
Leave the company
USA, Minnesota
Another school bus-motorhome. Its owner is Hank Butitta, a graduate of the Department of Architecture at the University of Minnesota. As a student, every summer he went with friends to visit his grandfather in Wisconsin. My grandfather had his own plantation there with magnificent views. Hank had long dreamed of building himself a guest house in those parts, but local laws required that the building be capital, solid and with all permissions. The student did not need a big house, and he did not have time to collect documents. The problem seemed unsolvable until Hank turned up an old school bus – a real car and a motor home.
After spending $3,000 on the vehicle itself and another $6,000 on upgrading it, Hank was on his first trip three months later. The mobile home is designed for a comfortable stay of six people – ideal for long summer trips with friends. The modest budget is explained by the fact that all the work, from replacing the skin to designing and building furniture, Hank did himself, with the help of his brother and friends.
To make the bus ceiling higher, Hank came up with the idea of lowering the floor. For this, the caravan on wheels was left without “insides”. The historical moment is captured in the photo. It was winter. After the future architect washed the floor in the bus, the water instantly froze, so until it got warmer, an impromptu skating rink functioned in the cabin. The new floor was bought by a student for a dollar a square foot at a local school – it’s a former gym floor and you can even see basketball markings on it. Cabinet furniture in the bus can move and dock. To make the cabin seem more spacious, Hank abandoned the shelves in its upper part. Window panels are made translucent, but no curtains were needed. From the inside, the motorhome is finished with plywood, and the ceiling is made of solid sheets – it was simply bent.
The RV has a bathroom and a kitchen. The roof is also used – during stops, friends take sunbaths and do yoga on it. Today, Hank, already a certified architect, is thinking about mass-producing such houses based on old buses. It turned out that his transport aroused great interest among travelers with many children and student companies.
Lucy Call
Style Icon
USA, Salt Lake City
Airstream products are said to make hipsters salivate, which is no joke. These trailers, especially those from the 50s and 70s, are able to turn the head of anyone, regardless of status, gender and age. Rounded shapes, shiny metal – the design of these American trailers was clearly ahead of its time. Most of the stories of the owners of caravans of this brand begin with the words: “I saw – and that’s it, I could not forget.”
IT entrepreneur Jordan Menzel from Salt Lake City saw Airstream 1976 years old while cycling. A rare trailer house was put up for sale – and Jordan could not resist. It was a difficult period for Jordan: personal problems, sadness and longing. Remodeling the trailer served as a great form of therapy – all winter the entrepreneur crawled into the precious cabin, changing the upholstery, furniture and various little things. His one-year-old daughter Penelope came to help him.
Lucy Call
Jordan didn’t want his Airstream to look like a dull pod. He needed a real comfortable home. Therefore, there is no built-in furniture in the trailer, the sofa and chairs can be moved. Part of the cabinets is made in a fashionable loft style: from old pallets. The owner’s favorite place is a long table, which goes from working to dining and kitchen, with a sink and a gas stove.
The walls are wood and metal, but not decorative (Jordan calls himself a functionalist).
Lucy Call
There is not much historical left in the cabin – except for the luggage racks under the ceiling where books are stored. But outside, everything is the same as 40 years ago – only the seams are processed and the metal is polished so as to sparkle in the sun.
Jordan is going to live in his trailer all year round, changing the view from the window from time to time: today it can be a city, and tomorrow it can be a suburb.
Paul Welschmeyer ARCHITECTS & energy consultants
Mobile office
USA, Fremont
This is a 1958 Airstream, although you can’t tell from the interior. Architect Paul Welshmeyer has converted an old trailer into a modern mobile office. There is Internet access, all office equipment, a comfortable workplace with good lighting, telephone and TV.
Paul Welschmeyer ARCHITECTS & energy consultants
In such a motorhome you can travel without interruption from work and family: the trailer is designed for a comfortable stay of four people. For this there are two single beds and one double bed. Shower, toilet, solar panels on the roof – everything you need for autonomous parking.
Paul Welschmeyer ARCHITECTS & energy consultants
The interior of this Airstream deserves some praise. Paul Welshmeyer didn’t go along with the retro theme, but he didn’t argue with the original design of the style icon, so the trailer both outside and inside sparkles with metal walls. The atmosphere is dominated by techno style, and without sacrificing functionality. When not on the road, the trailer sits in the backyard of the Welschmeiers and serves as a guest house.
A ROOM ABOVE
High expansion
Denmark, Aarhus
Europe also loves old caravans. A 1971 motorhome (M.K. Pedersen) caught the eye of the Schau family in Aarhus, Denmark, and sparks were definitely lit between them. Of course, Charlotte and Soren were going to buy a trailer to travel around Denmark with their three children, but they hardly expected to spend several months on the second youth of the “old man”.
A ROOM ABOVE
The trailer is doubly lucky because Charlotte is an interior designer. A dusty brown box turned into a stylish monochrome house. Lacquered furniture, faded green sofas, and earth-colored wall paneling were removed from the trailer. A black-and-white interior with red accents was equipped on the vacated area. Two separate beds and one bunk, full kitchen that turns into a table thanks to a folding lid, a coffee table, a refrigerator and a microwave – it’s amazing how much you can fit on 8 sq.m if you are a designer and you have three children.
A ROOM ABOVE
The stylish motorhome doesn’t feel cramped at all, with deep black glossy vinyl flooring and a glossy fiberglass ceiling. In addition, Charlotte correctly arranged the stripes in the interior, visually lengthening and expanding the space. From the equipment, in addition to the refrigerator, the trailer received a new generator, an electric stove and a water pump. Alas, it does not have a toilet and a bathroom. But something had to be sacrificed.
HyggeLiG
Enough room for everyone
Germany, Berlin
The Germans have their own rarities. Blogger Katerina Hug from Berlin gave her 1976 Knaus Passat the name Hugo, implying that he is a member of the family. Before buying their own trailer, the Hug family rented a caravan on wheels twice to travel around their beloved Scandinavia with a child and a dog. So Katerina knew what she wanted from the motorhome. In particular, she wanted plenty of storage space, large comfortable beds, a kitchen, and a place for the dog. But first, the trailer house was thoroughly cleaned, getting rid of rare dust and rust.
Katerina was specifically looking for an old caravan model on the market, as she does not like new motorhomes aesthetically. The fact that this model is a real retro is indicated by the Knaus logo – the swallows on it have long been flying up, not down. Externally, the trailer has not changed much – only the rear lights and tires have been changed. But the “stuffing” is all new. On the floor – environmentally friendly rubber, on the walls – non-woven wallpaper with a geometric print that adds volume to the room. And the whole interior has become lighter.
HyggeLiG
Sofas and a dining table in front of the trailer can be easily folded into a large bed (the table lowers and becomes a support for them). The stove and sink with foldable tap become a table in an instant when the lid is lowered. And the beds are divided into sectors, under each of which is a storage compartment. There is room for a folding bike, grill, three chairs and other useful items. In case of an emergency stop, there is a backup battery, to which you can “transfer” lamps and a refrigerator. Clean water is in the tank under the sink, a pump is installed to pump it. The owner’s daughter’s favorite detail is a lamp with a lantern made from half a globe that can change color.
Noble Johnson Architects
70’s Aesthetics
USA, Dixon
This 1972 Avion LeGrande is a symbol of love, not only marital love, but also travel. Bill and Cathy Johnson went on their first hike when they were fifteen years old. Since then, they have not parted for 36 years, and wherever they were. The passion for movement in the Johnsons perfectly coexisted with an interest in real estate: Bill works as an architect, and Cathy is a realtor. The couple bought a trailer to travel in the summer to the most beautiful places in Tennessee: the Johnsons love canoeing, fishing and picnics – you can’t do without a motor home.
Noble Johnson Architects
The trailer, 8.5 meters long, was in excellent condition, having been blown off by the previous owner. But if the aluminum frame did not even have to be tinted, then the interior of the motorhome is obsolete. The owners changed the upholstery and flooring, dark tones gave way to light ones. There were a number of additional windows to allow more light into the trailer. However, the layout of the trailer, the outlines of furniture and appliances remained in their original form – so the couple wanted to preserve the aesthetics of the 70s.
Noble Johnson Architects
The motorhome has a full kitchen (Kathy bakes cookies on her travels!), two beds, a bathroom and a dining room with a crystal chandelier. The couple did not spare 11 thousand dollars for the repair and arrangement of the trailer.
SEE ALSO…
Design World: 10 Vacation Homes – Best Examples from Around the World
Roundhill Shepherd Huts
Forward into the Past
9 0008 East Dean 9 UK0009
England, XXI century, mobile home. No, this is not a joke or a prop. Louise Adams and her brother Paul, from East Dean, Hampshire, built caravans based on blueprints for old shepherd dwellings. A hundred years ago, such trailers on wheels served as a home for shepherds throughout the warm season. Young entrepreneurs know a lot about the life of the English peasants of the 19th century, because they are passionate about their native history. In the wake of interest in the retro theme and ecotourism, the idea of “trailers from the past” does not seem so naive. Moreover, one house costs 15.5 thousand pounds.
Roundhill Shepherd Huts
Despite the appearance and steel wheels, this is a real motorhome – it can be transported by car (but if you have a horse, then nothing too). The trailer is equipped with a stove, sink, toilet, sofa and stove – you can live comfortably here in the warmer months. Of course, it is not suitable for traveling, but it will do as a summer house.
The interior with painted walls (in some versions), antique lanterns and vintage furniture persistently sends you back to the past, which is good – it’s probably the only way to relax in our fast-paced age. Entrepreneurs have developed several models of residential trailers: for summer houses, shops, pubs and offices.
Minicamper is the smallest motorhome. Choosing a car for building a motorhome Part 1
Topics: building a motorhome
Content of the article:
- Expand
Consider the three most popular types of homemade motorhomes and look at platforms, base cars that are their foundation.
These will be “minicamper”, “compact motorhome” and “full-size motorhome” motorhomes Of course, there are also houses based on buses, trucks, airplanes, steamships
NO! If you decide to take on such a project, I think you yourself know what you are doing without any videos on YouTube. We will take a look at more real classic options.
What is a minicamper
So the first category – “minicampers”
In fact, this is a tent on wheels, with a retractable rear or outdoor kitchen.
Sometimes a roof tent is used instead of a sleeping place inside.
The advantages of such a camper are obvious – it is very simple and can be made without special skills
It will be inexpensive and its operation (eg fuel, parking, tolls and storage) will be no different from a normal car. A good way to save money while traveling is by using free parking lots to sleep in and having your own kitchen for cooking.
Despite its compact size, such a “minicamper” can be quite well equipped for traveling two people, especially for a short period of up to a couple of weeks.
Combining wild overnight stays and parking in campsites (where there is a shower) or in hotels – you can travel very budget and interesting. Of course, there are also disadvantages – you can’t make a toilet or shower in it, and there is usually no margin of autonomy, little water and no additional electricity, so multi-day parking on such vehicles is not an option for everyone. Well, in bad weather, the camper turns into a pumpkin, because the kitchen becomes inaccessible, and inside there is usually no place to spend time – only a bed and two chairs for driving. So if you didn’t plan to lie down or go, you have to. Partially, the problem is solved by various sheds and tents, then you can turn around more freely and the weather is not a hindrance.
Some craftsmen cram even a semblance of a sitting area for lunch and rest into such a building,
but the width and height of the car here impose great restrictions, so you won’t really accelerate. The classic version is just a bed with drawers in the back.
You can’t call it home, but you shouldn’t dismiss it if you want to try yourself in wild road trips, waking up in the mountains or on the lake, without investing too much money and time in the construction and the trip itself.
Choosing a car for building a mini camper
As for the platforms for building such a “mini camper”, these are most often small commercial trucks for example, VW Caddy
and this is still quite a large option Fiat doblo, Peugeot partner and Citroen are very popular Berlingo – in general, these are approximately the same cars, let’s not forget the domestic analogue of Lada Largus.
In general, I don’t know much about cars of this type, so I can’t give any specific advice. The selection rules are generally the same as when buying a regular car. Study the forums and typical problems, before buying, drive the car to the service for diagnostics. The main thing is to check that you have enough space from the front seats to the rear doors to equip a full bed for your height.
And then the building will be limited by your imagination and not a very large space inside.
Such campers are made not only on the basis of such minivans. There are even variants of “micro-campers” based on station wagons like Mercedes, Audi or VW, but of course there will be even less space, so be prepared to get a not very wide and high bed and very modest storage space and a simple street kitchen.
However, do not think that this is complete nonsense – many people enjoy traveling in such “micro-campers”, especially those who are not ready to build a large motorhome, but want to see the world right now.
In addition, such a “minimal camper” can be made in some serious SUV and get a bed on wheels with great opportunities for exploring natural attractions.
Everything is in your hands, in fact, any car that can accommodate a sleeping place can be called a “micro-house”. But enough about the kids this time and in the next article we will already consider the “compact motorhome” option.