Caravan on Hornby Island, BC

Located in the forest on Hornby Island, this little house on wheels is inhabited by myself, two cats, and a chihuahua. After university, I realized that building a tiny house would be an attainable way to have a private and personally planned living space. Inspired by tiny house creators, I set to work designing the 250 sq. ft. (10 × 25 ft.) space, plus loft. The journey became official upon purchasing a second-hand steel trailer frame. It was towed home from Vancouver Island across two ferries. Because the frame was a little short, an extra 5 ft. were welded onto it.

The design evolved around two main features: an enormous window found on Craigslist and the roof’s curved beams gifted from a local builder. I tried to use and reclaim many recycled items. The live-edge maple cabinet doors came from my childhood home. The cast-iron tub was purchased from a guest house on a neighbouring island. The Pacific Energy wood stove (placed on an old table saw base) was found at the local free store. And all the wooden windows and doors were fixed up, along with much more! While I gathered and refurbished materials, several builders brought the vision to life.

Some unusual building techniques were used during construction. For instance, the studs on the side walls are exposed on the inside, allowing for more width. The S-shaped curve of the loft was constructed by cutting beams in half and joining them back together with one side flipped. I have been living here since September 2016. The next stage will be to build a cedar porch in front of the French doors and expand the garden.

–Sarat Colling