“I saw my first teardrop at a campground at Guadalupe National Park in Texas and fell instantly in love,” Mary said. “Less than a month later, I bought my own. I had been casting about for the next iteration of my life on the road. After 7 years of living out of my car in between housesitting gigs, I was craving some personal space, but I wasn’t willing to settle in one place. The teardrop was the perfect solution!”

Mary purchased her 5×10 foot teardrop for $4,000 from an “octogenarian craftsman” in Nebraska who builds one teardrop trailer a year. The 550 lb. trailer has a full-sized bed with a memory foam mattress and storage space underneath, a fold-up table, two feet of floor space, drawers, cabinets and counter space. Outside, in the back, is a slide out kitchen/galley area with plenty of storage space for pots, pans and food and a propane burner for cooking. The trailer is insulated and has a large skylight above the bed.

Mary said that she loves the freedom of being able to go anywhere at any time and still have her own bed to sleep in. However, living almost full-time in a tiny trailer does have some drawbacks.

“Not having a shower might be the most obvious, but the hardest part for me is not having a refrigerator!” she said. “I lived for a year in a off grid cabin in Oregon without a fridge and I swore never again. But here I am, buying ice and avoiding perishables and leftovers. It’s annoying, but totally worth it.”

The road stretches on for the Blonde Coyote. This summer she will roam from New Mexico to Alaska with the Rattler and her dogs in tow. She recently turned 30 and has no intention of settling down soon.

“This world is too big and beautiful to stay in one place,” she said.

Photos by Mary Caperton Morton/The Blonde Coyote

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

The Opera has been designed for people who don’t want to tow around larger, heavier campers or fifth wheels,  but still want comfortable amenities while still enjoying the outdoors. The Opera offers what most camping tents don’t: two electrically adjustable beds that can be transformed into one, a private ceramic toilet and two sinks, a 36 liter (9.5 gallon) top-loading refrigerator, a 30 liter (about 8 gallon) water tank and water pump, LED lighting and even a teak veranda. The Opera also has a boiler that supplies warm water to the outdoor kitchen and the exterior shower, hot air heating, two cupboards, and a wine storage cabinet as well as baggage and clothing storage.

The unique and compact outdoor kitchen is multifunctional and stylish. It has two modular elements that can be configured into a piezoelectric 2-pit stove, piezoelectric gas barbeque, charcoal barbeque (stainless steel only) and beech wood cutting board. It folds up to fit into a kitchen cupboard. The tent portion of the trailer consists of an inner layer made of cotton and an outer layer made of polyester weave canvas. It folds out with the use of three hydraulic motors.

The Opera is about 1,350 kg (2,973 lbs.) and is available in three color schemes. It’s being sold in Europe and Australia for approximately €27,680 ($36,152) and the company is looking for more international sellers.

Photos courtesy of Opera/YSIN

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

The diminutive trailer is just over 12 feet long and about 7 feet high. It weighs about 1,245 lbs. and has a maximum load capacity of about 400 lbs. It includes an awning, three windows and a skylight, outdoor lighting, integrated blinds, lights, a two-burner stove and sink, a fold-out work surface, a refrigerator, a four gallon water tank and a gas heater. It sleeps two people on the 4.5 ft. by 7 ft. fold-out bed. The trailer also contains a full wardrobe, storage under and behind the benches and above the dining area.

Each of the “Nests” have a specially designed identification plate with their respective serial number and are equipped with “Swallow” upholstery.  The price of the Schwalbennest is €5,990 or about $7,900. It is currently only available in Europe, Iceland and Great Britain.

Photos courtesy of Knaus and under-autofreunden.de

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

We are ‘snowbirds’ from Canada, 60 something, who have always tried to have a small footprint. We were environmentalists and vegetarians long before it was the ‘in thing’. In our retirement we sold all the trappings of our old lives and travelled in a van and backpacking tent. That proved to be the most liberating experience of our lives! It came to be though, that we wanted a home base in Canada so we bought a bit of land and built…by ourselves…as small a cottage as the local bylaws would allow. Winters, however, have been spent in Texas pursuing our simple passion for birding. For this purpose we bought an 1983 Airstream Excella, that we named Rosie, to refurbish and be our winter home. We have been comfortably living in ROSIE’s 232 sq ft for 4 months a year. She has everything we need and more. We enjoyed the challenge of making her liveable and easy to maintain.

A change came over us this winter though. We decided that we needed less space! We would like to explore but do not own a tow vehicle for Rosie. We needed to think even smaller and lighter to make more travel affordable; we needed to think even simpler to make boondocking possible. So, to that end, we have purchased a used 17 ft Casita Spirit Deluxe, already named Megg (for the EGG that it is ), that our Toyota can easily tow. We will be downsizing to 102 sq ft! Our plans are to stay down south for even longer periods, maybe up to 6 months. We’ll have the option of summer trips up north too.

Here are photos of Rosie. She’s a nice blend of modern and vintage with lots of other interesting changes possible. There is so much storage for clothing, kitchen equipment, food bought in bulk, and tools. The rear frame was extended and an aluminum truck box added for extra outside storage. (We had planned to change the twin beds into a queen (and have the parts to do it) but we found we both got a better sleep in separate spaces. LOL) Rosie would make a comfortable tiny home, home away from home, studio, office, or bunkie for guests.

Photos of Megg will be forthcoming as soon as we get settled in her and ‘nest’. We look forward to enjoying our even tinier winter home. Less is more!

Thanks so much for listening to our tiny story.

Hazel & John

If you are interested in purchasing Rosie email bluebird@chickadees.ca ”All reasonable offers considered for a quick sale!”  ;-)

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.