Vehicles (131)

“Imagine living in a place with your possessions, all within a 232-square-foot house. For one thing, you’ll probably need a lot fewer possessions. But Denise Ryals, who builds tiny homes with her husband, Tommy, said a buyer can pack their possessions — and the house itself — and drive it anywhere…”

Article at www.macon.com/…
www.hummingbirdhousing.com

“It only cost the Morrisons $22,000 to build their dream home. They now live mortgage-free, which has improved the quality of their life and the closeness of their marriage. Thanks to a brilliant design, this 207 sq. ft. space feels much bigger on the inside. The Morrisons have everything they need. There’s a spacious kitchen, with an oven, fridge, and sink. Definitely no lack of counter and shelf space here! They also included a reading area and an office desk that doubles as a dining table. Under the stairs to the loft is a big ‘closet.’ Not a single inch is wasted.”

Article at news.distractify.com/abby-s-marino/itty-bitty-house

This amazing transforming house truck, created by New Zealanders Justin and Jola, compacts into a street-legal truck (with turrets). Once parked, the house truck completely folds out, expands immensely, and transforms into a fantasy castle.

The truck in its compact, ready-to-roll form

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Peter Pavlowich’s Casual Turtle Campers were featured in TINY HOMES ON THE MOVE. He’s just built a new teardrop camper model: The Hatchling.
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In 1988 I bought a 4-cylinder, 5-speed Tacoma 4×4 with the Xtra cab (meaning a 6′ bed). Then in 2003, I got a new one, same model. The engine is a bit gutless going up long hills, but will run forever.

By this time I knew exactly what I wanted:

A metal camper shell made by Tradesman in Winters, Calif. It opened on all three sides, was way stronger than plastic shells. I bought an aluminum rack from Hauler Racks. It came disassembled via UPS and I bolted it together and mounted it. It rests on the truckbed sides, not on the camper roof.

At Campway’s in Santa Rosa, Calif., I got the inside of the bed sprayed with a waterproof membrane to protect the metal. Also a “carpet kit,” with storage boxes along the sides and sliding middle panels inside the bed.

You can see the pull-out drawer and side storage boxes. I shot this photo on Hornby Island, BC on one of my four trips to Canada shooting photos for Builders of the Pacific Coast. I remember one afternoon collecting oysters way out on a reef (beyond the commercial guys and cooking them for dinner on a beach fire with aluminum-foil-clad potatoes, red wine, AND blackberries with …(ahem)… heavy cream and brown sugar.

I never mounted the rooftop tent. I bought a used pull-out canopy which is great for Baja surfing, sets up in a few minutes as opposed to 45 min. for the flea market tarp. On camper roof: Yakima Rocket Box, surfboard rack. I slept inside when it was raining or really cold, otherwise outside.

This is a fantastic setup for desert travel; the 4×4 will get you just about anywhere. A 4×4 van is another option, but costs about twice as much.

I can take the camper shell off (four quick-release clamps) to haul straw, topsoil, gravel, etc.

(Interesting factoid: The Toyota Hi-Lux trucks, beefed-up Tacomas, and mounted with machine guns, were used in the Iran-Iraq war and more recently by Afghani rebels.)

Jake and Kiva have produced a YouTube series of construction videos documenting a tiny home build on Vancouver Island.  The videos follow their tiny house project, from early design to completion and beyond showing materials, tools, and construction techniques. A 3D Google Sketchup plan is also available as a free download.

Check out their videos below:

In this episode, we introduce ourselves and catch you up on what we’ve done so far.

In this episode, we talk about the trailer that we have acquired for the project, why we chose it, and the process we went through to get it.

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Portland-based design firm Von Tundra did the conversion of a 1969 Dodge Chinook into a mobile juice and cocktail bar. Their client wanted something a little different to serve street food to the city’s public as well as host guests inside. It went from a bland old white truck to Sip Mobile Lodge, a stylish vehicle that feels right for the American Northwest with its heavy use of wood and comfortable interior.
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