The vardo was in terrible shape when Gary purchased it for $10,000 and towed it from Barstow to his home in Fallbrook, Calif. The wagon had been sitting in the sun for over 20 years and gallons of desert dust and sand had settled onto the floor. Since the wagon had also been used as a prop in a movie with Pee-Wee Herman and Valeria Golino, none of the drawers opened and the cabinets were facades. Over the course of four years, Gary, his wife and son restored the gypsy wagon (by using a DVD of the movie) to its original colorful state and added a few workable cabinets and a comfortable bed.

Gary has created a website to sell the vardo and hopes that someone with a unique B&B or a penchant for tiny homes will be interested in the whimsical wagon.

Photos courtesy of Gypsy Vardo Wagon. Bottom photo courtesy of North County Times.

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

When we tire of traveling, our plan is to set up our boutique guitar store in Vancouver BC, with the Boler in the showroom as a private space for people to try out guitars, as the acoustics in the Boler are amazing.

(Photo Credits Jenn and Paul)

Sleeping arrangements require the shuffling of a lot of the contents into our car, as we have modified the bed to become almost king-size with the use of two extra-large coolers, so the process makes it more of a camping lifestyle than your typical RV experience. We also have two rather large dogs, so a bivouac in a Walmart parking lot, in the rain, makes for some strategic planning.

Thanks,
Jenn & Paul

The new 15-foot long T@B has the same smart and sassy design, options and details as the original, but is still in the initial floor plan phase. Little Guy has added some additional amenities such as an outdoor shower with a 2.5 gallon heated tank, a 3-way refrigerator that can run off 12 volt, 110 or propane and a detachable screen door. The trailer is about 1,500 pounds fully loaded, contains a sink and a 2-burner LP stove, a propane tank and battery attached to the front and has a 5 gallon fresh water tank. The interior has birch cabinetry, storage under and over the seating/Queen bed combo, a small closet, a Port-a-Potty, an LP furnace/CoolCat air conditioner and several upholstery designs.

Little Guy has also made an effort to redesign and correct issues that plagued the original T@B. The new trailer will have a better door handle, a heavier front door, solid aluminum instead of mesh wheel wells and they are using automotive adhesives to attach the trim to the roof. There will also be additional 110 and 12v outlets and the axle weight was increased to 3,500 pounds instead of the original’s 300 pounds. The expensive European parts will be produced in the U.S.

Other standard features include:

• Silver, Yellow, Red & White Exterior trim available
• Aluminum Framed Roof & Sidewalls
• Laminated Fiberglass Sidewalls with foam block insulation
• Alufiber Roof with R-12 cut insulation
• 14″ Alloy Rims
• E-Coated Microlite frame; Independent suspension
• Tongue jack with dolly wheel
• Two sets stabilizer jacks; Two sets grab handles
• Poly Plastic, duo pane bay windows w/roll-away screens/ shades
• 2-Way, 3-Speed Fantastic Fan ; Multiple 12v/110 outlets
• Spare tire and under mount bracket
• Premium vinyl flooring on Aluminum Framed Floor
• 5 Interior 12Volt light fixtures & External Porch Light
• “Easy-up” indoor/outdoor table, Table top 28″x31″
• 110V A/C to 12V D/C power converter
• Hydraulic Surge Brakes
• Pre-Installed Keder (Awning) Rail
• DVD/TV Player with AM/FM and Cable Coaxial Hookup
• 12v Norcold Compressor Refrigerator
• Redesigned, Industrial Strength Entry Door w/ Removable Screen

Optional features include:

• Norcold 3-Way Fridge that can be plugged into 12 volt or 110 or propane
• 15″ Monitor w/DVD/AMFM
• Side Portal Window
• Side Awning
• External shower
• 2.5 gallon Hot Water Heater
• 19 gallon gray water tank

The 2012 T@B is being sold at dealers around the country for around $16,000-$20,000. Only about 600 units will be built in 2012, but the company projects to build about 1,200 a year in their current facility in the next 18-24 months.

Photos courtesy of T@B/Little Guy

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

While not a tiny home, Micheal and Juliet have done a fantastic job turning their 1963 Globetrotter into a well functioning space for their business. The two are co-owners of Cabin Cove, a garden oyster harvesting business, and the Shuck Truck, a beautifully renovated Globetortter turned food truck.

Please check out their full story on Design*Sponge, where they were recently featured.

1. Stick to just one color palette
2. Make your furniture multi-task
3. Use vertical space as well as horizontal space
4. Arrange more public uses closest to the door
5. Don’t be afraid to have fun

To read the full article go over to Apartment Therapy and be inspired by all the great photographs.

About a year ago, a good friend of mine approached me to build his new home. My friend is an aid worker and spends a lot of his time away from the UK, when he is in the country he spends a lot of his time seeing people in different areas of the country, so obviously the mobile house is the way forward.

I have lived in vehicles on and off for many years and with his additional experience of this lifestyle in mind we have designed something that works really well as a small home.

The complexity of the build is something that I wasn’t really quite prepared for, and has caused me several sleepless nights to say the least, however, I think I can finally see an end in sight.

You can view Dan’s project in much more detail on his blog http://dmc-makerofthings.blogspot.com/ as I have just posted a few of his pictures. Great job Dan, your friend will have many goods years in your beautiful cedar strip trailer.

Her home in Germany (which she shares with her partner, “The Beard”, who also has his own trailer) is a caravan which was formerly parked on a farm. The 60-year-old wooden wagon, known as a Bauwagen in German, was on the farm for at least 20 years and the owners of the farm gave it to Nicolette for free if she hauled it out herself.

She proceeded to fix and decorate the wagon over a the course of a year with about 900 Euros and many trips to the Dumpster for furniture, lighting, kitchenware, bedding and even food. Her wagon, affectionately called the trash house, is parked in a wagenplatz, an intentional community in which people live together on a piece of land in a variety of wheeled dwellings.

Her tiny house contains a woodstove, a bed, a desk and shelves for books and a closet for clothes. The wagon does not have running water and Nicollete cooks in an outdoor summer kitchen or a communal kitchen in the wagenplatz. The bathroom and shower is also communal.

The birth of her baby may have Nicolette getting a larger wagon, but she intends to stay in the wagenplatz because of the opportunity for instant community.

“I can’t imagine a better place to raise a child. It’s the “it takes a village” principle in living color,” she said. “There’s space to play outdoors. There are seventeen different people to talk to and learn from. It’s not any smaller than most of the apartments I’ve lived in. And we have a hell of a lot more money then we would if we had to pay a normal rent. I can’t think of a single reason to leave, no longer being attached to the luxury of having running water within arm’s reach at all times.”

Photos Courtesy of Nicolette Stewart/ClickClackGorilla

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

I have been reading your blog for a few months now and every new post inspires and surprises me. The whole idea of utilizing and experimenting with small spaces is really fascinating. Considering most of your blog posts have an American/Canadian touch to it, I believe that my story could be a fresh view on camping!

My girlfriend used to go camping with her parents in this beautiful classic caravan. Last summer we took it to Switzerland and France and this summer we took 4 weeks to completely restore this 50 year old caravan.

The caravan is a Wa-Wa 180 Sport. The original manufacturer doesn’t exist anymore, but they used to build a lot of wooden caravans and trailers. This Wa-Wa was created for recreational use on campsites but considering its weight of 300 kg’s even people with a small, not so powerful car could take this caravan and travel around with it. Besides the chassis and the rear window, the whole caravan is made of wood. Inside there is room for a small kitchen – with a refrigerator, sink and a gas cooker – and a large twin bed that can be removed and replaced by two small benches and a table. Originally the caravan was designed so it could fit 6 people! The caravan surface is only 2 x 3 meters so in practice nobody used it that way.

The Wa-Wa caravan is even more special because of its roof. The wooden roof is set up when you are camping in it and can be fold down so it is barely higher than a small car. This saves a lot of gas money and creates a stronger structure when you are driving with it.

On the pictures you can see the blue tent that was specially made for this caravan.

This caravan has a big history and is pretty unique; only a few of them are still alive these days.

Maarten Bellaard
The Netherlands

[View with PicLens]

Matthew Hofmann, a 28-year-old Central California Coast-based architect, is the master craftsman who’s turning back the clock. This is his second high-design Airstream project to be released this year. Hofmann Architecture (www. HofArc.com) is a a full-service Santa Barbara residential design and small space renovation firm.

Hofmann’s version 2.0 is truly better in several significant ways, offering more open space, a larger bathroom, and an office desk. There’s a lot that hasn’t changed inside and that’s good because so much of what he designed into the previous 25-foot 1978 Tradewind was quite simply solid design.

In Hofmann’s first project he combined the workspace cubicle, dining table and second bed in the forward convertible sleeping space – clever, but truly not an earth-shattering step. This time Hofmann found four feet of linear counter-height deck space for a built-in desk, mid-level chair and three drawers situated between the bathroom and kitchen.

This first edition has already been located on a recently-graded pad setting among a modest forest of avocado trees. A view of the Pacific Ocean is framed in a window that can be seen while sitting at the built-in desk.

A centrally-located hi-def 19-inch video monitor displays either DVDs or streamed Netflix videos from anywhere in the trailer. A surround sound audio system provides more than enough sound support. The monitor swivels on a pullout arm for optimal viewing adjustments and tucks away neatly behind a roll-up cabinet.

One of Hofmann’s signatures is his close attention to bathroom details and this project again offers a significant upgrade. Hofmann – who stands 6’4” – offers a refreshing change of space in the full height, stand-up shower. The lightweight 1/8-inch tiles span the shower basin and seal in the water more than a foot up three sides. And Hofmann guarantees the shower won’t leak thanks to an alternative tile installation method that uses a foam backer with acrylic adhesive to substrate.

A high-design brushed stainless steel sink and faucet sits on an elegantly curved deck that faces another nifty addition – a transparent fish tank that’s visible from the office and bathroom, with only the fish seeing what’s on each side.

The Cali Bamboo flooring is a nice sustainable feature. Although travel trailers don’t qualify as a LEED- qualified project, this abode would earn points for reuse and energy efficiency thanks to the 12-volt ceiling lights and refinished overhead tambour roll-up cabinets. The backlit ceiling lights emit a soft glow against the brilliant white surfaces. The cabinets were painted with zero-VOC earth-friendly finishes – together they create a futuristic tone. Three LED puck lights over the kitchen/office stubbornly keep electric usage down and specific task lighting cranked up.

Hofmann is LEED-certified and his sustainable training emphasizes the reuse and repurpose of every material that was disposed. “Construction waste management is one of the most effective ways to be green,” said Hofmann.

The dining area has been expanded to seat six comfortably at the table, with the addition of two fold-away chairs that adjoin the kitchen area. Underneath the left and right access benches are two “carry-on luggage-sized drawers,” as Hofmann calls them. “They’re for guests to store their travel bags.” The drawer guides, as are all installed drawers, constructed with silent closing Hafele German-crafted hardware that’s sturdy enough for 50 lbs. of gear.

There wasn’t any skimping on the kitchen sink, either. The extra-deep stainless steel commercial-style basin will shock seasoned RVers. Most trailer kitchen sinks barely get both hands wet at the same time. An adequate pullout food pantry fits next to a generous refrigerator. The 2-burner propane stove completes a no-hassles, no-nonsense food prep package.

Hofmann’s second Airstream project is a work of art that’s ultra eco-friendly, emits cool tones, is tech wise, and crammed with creative details.

Hofmann Architecture / (805) 618-2461 / info@HofArc.com / www.HofArc.com

Since 1985, Kurt has owned and operated Fine Line Design, a custom home design firm located north of Redding, California. The recent downturn in home construction allowed him the free time to get back to his woodshop where “MiniTears” began to take shape in 2008. Kurt’s background in home design and construction, along with the fabricating skills his father passed on to him, gave him everything he needs to build these beautiful Teardrop Trailers.

You can see a video of Kurt’s MiniTear here.

Photos courtesy of MiniTears

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]