Habitats Hawai’i

While most of us around the continental U.S. are experiencing the nip of winter cold, these tiny houses on the Big Island of Hawai’i are looking wonderful in their warm, tropical environment. Habitats Hawai’i are tiny homes on wheels created to simplify life and to live in a blended environment with the outdoors. The Habitats are a self contained living space which offer all of the basic necessities which one can then expand by way of arbors, plants, stone and water. Each of the homes are wired for 110 volts and are solar ready.

The Paniola is the first and premier model built with attention to quality and detail. The finishes include Sapele wood custom cabinetry, bamboo flooring, glass raindrop door between the bathroom and the kitchen, full insulation, refrigerator, two-burner stove, on demand hot water heater, a heater for cooler nights, Wilsonart countertops, an office, and an indoor bathroom with a shower and a composting toilet. The ladder is a unique and ergonomic design custom made from beautiful Sapele wood. The dimensions of the Paniola are 16 feet x 9 feet x 14 feet and there is a comfortable sleeping loft with windows above the kitchen. The Paniola is solar ready, wired for 110 volts and set up for a rain water catchment system. This Habitat is available to see by appointment only. Please call Barrie Rose at 808-960-6785. You will have the opportunity to discuss custom designs to fit your individual needs.

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Cheap RV Living

Tramp, gypsy, vagabond, nomad. Do you want any of these words to describe you? Robert Wells has lived most of his life as a gypsy, vagabond and nomad in various forms of vans and RVs, and documents the tips and tricks he has learned over the years on his website … Read more

Man to be Evicted from Camper

Unfortunately, living simply on your own land is not an option in Madison County, Indiana. 72-year-old Dick Thompson isn’t sure if he wants to fight or give up. Thompson faces eviction from his 38 acres in Madison County. The county lawyer tells 24-Hour News 8 it’s because Thompson is breaking … Read more

The Tiny Homemade Trailer – 1937

Guest post by Gayle Lobdell Opie

I’ve been investigating little houses and got to thinking about the trailer my father built in 1937. He was an electrician working for a contracting company in Rapid City, SD, in the 1930s. His company was taking on new construction jobs assigning him as foreman. Some of them were government jobs as the country prepared in case the problems in Europe overflowed to the US. One job was for a Naval installation in the middle of South Dakota, if you can believe that.

The problem was that these jobs were going to take my dad away from home and into the surrounding states of North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Nebraska for extended periods of time.

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Tonke Campers

If a utility vehicle married a gypsy wagon, a Tonke Camper may be the result of this unusual union. Tonke Campers are hand-built by craftspeople in Holland who were inspired by the classic yachts created by Dutch boat builders in the 1920s. There are two models, the Explorer and the Fieldsleeper, which both meet the Euro IV emissions regulations. For overseas customers, Tonke ships the living unit and the steel platform that supports it. Then each unit can be carried by Renault Master, Volkswagen Crafter or Mercedes Sprinter (Dodge Sprinter in the U.S.) trucks.

What makes this camper unique is not only the style (polished wood fittings, teak floors, porcelain sinks and chrome faucets), but that fact that the trailer portion can be dismantled and be used as a guest room or a tiny house. Each unit includes a bed, kitchen and eating space, a small bathroom and storage for bicycles. They also include a large water tank, a combination boiler with hot water and heating system, an on-board battery, a spacious fridge with freezer and a gas stove.

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Les Roulottes de Campagne

Ever since Kent posted the MiniCasas on the Tiny House Blog, my love of gypsy caravans has been renewed. The other day I ran across these gypsy caravans for rent and for purchase in France, and was amazed at how beautiful and spacious the designs were. The Roulottes de Campagne were designed by the same company who created the Carré d’étoile or the French Cube. Gypsy caravans like these are offered in over 50 locations within France. They cater to vacationing Europeans, but tiny house lovers can get a lot of ideas on how to live luxuriously in a small space with these beautiful photos.

The caravans are built from partially recycled timber and meet high quality environmental standards. The insulation is made from wool and the windows and doors have double glazing. A hot water heater and electrical wiring is included.

Most of these caravans are around 215-230 square feet and include a kitchen, a bathroom and sleeping facilities as well as plenty of storage, heating for winter use, outdoor living spaces and lovely details including polished brass port-hole windows. They come fully equipped and can accommodate up to four people. Some are even accessible for the disabled. The units start at €29.800 or $41,000 and take 2-4 months to be completed.

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Living small: When Home is a 150-square-foot RV

They only get about 7-10 mpg, but RVs can be environmentally friendly… when parked. “What I use in electricity and water in one month is about the same as the average American household uses in one day.” In this video, faircompanies’ blogger Bakari Kafele (biodiesel hauling from our site and … Read more

Ridin’ in luxury

I am in Southern California today after delivering my daughters car to her and will be driving back home here shortly. Eight hours on the road. Fun…

This is a cool little teardrop, built like a piece of furniture and with a price tag to go with it. Thank you Ben for spotting this.

William Landivar, 60, of Boulder Creek, has constructed a one-of-a-kind teardrop trailer that is a sight to be seen. Made of rich mahogany and white oak wood, the teardrop is 15 feet long and 7 feet wide and weighs 1,700 pounds.

Photos by Lucjan Szewczyk/Press-Banner

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Sir James

At this year’s Burning Man, I was thrilled to find this modified gypsy caravan right next door to my camp. The builders of this unique rig are Christy Horne and Michel Olson, and they were kind enough to give me more information about their comfortable, tiny house which they named Sir James.

Sir James started his life as an 8×12 dual axel car trailer from California Custom Trailers. The trailer came licensed with brakes and everything for $1,700. The house was made with a welded iron “cage” and then wood, tarpaper and plywood layers were all bolted into the cage. It’s 7 feet wide by 12 feet long and it took 4 months to build. Sir James is Michel’s second of four original designs.

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The Sportsmobile

At my last teardrop trailer gathering, a monster vehicle pulled into the campground. I immediately dismissed it as another massive vehicle built for trips to the mall, but I was surprised to see that it was actually a tiny house…on really big wheels. The young couple who owned it lived most of the year in the vehicle in Baja, Mexico.

The Sportsmobile is actually a Ford, Chevy/GM or Mercedes-Benz van that is converted into a traveling home. The one I toured was the 4×4 version which is rugged on the outside, but very comfortable, clean and organized on the inside. It’s the perfect touring vehicle for people who want a little more adventure.

Laura and Geoff took their Sportsmobile on their honeymoon and travel around the country in it.

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Laurel Nest’s Yurtle

Asia contacted me the other day about an interesting tiny house concept. Asia is the owner of a company called Laurel Nest Yurts. Here is what Asia had to say: We just “invented” a yurt on a trailer, with a round deck.

The Mongolians invented yurts as a portable structure. Laurel Nest Yurts invented the Yurtle TM as a portable yurt structure on wheels. Our Yurtle is a mobile home that is affordable, elegant, and sustainable. Our smallest model uses less than 50 yards of fabric, 30 2x4s, 2 sheets of plywood, and 35 decking boards. The Yurtle is a tiny house with tiny materials, totaling about 110 square feet plus a small porch.

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Robert’s Tiny Truck House

About 15 years ago, Robert P. O’Neil of Concord, Massachusetts spent a month building this “truck house” for himself and his longtime partner, Susan to live in while they built their half-cape house. He built this tiny abode to originally fit his 1949 Ford F6 dump truck, but it is now mounted on a flatbed trailer which is towed by his Ford F350.

The house is 8 feet by 12 feet, weighs 3,600 pounds, and has cathedral ceilings to fit Robert’s 6 foot 6 inch frame. It has a bead-board ceiling, true divided light windows, a cedar shingle roof, oak threshold, pine floors, queen sized bed up on a platform, and a closet. The house has what Robert calls a “non-integrated” kitchen: a small refrigerator, a wood shelf and a hot plate. Because the kitchen is not built into the house Robert said it has the opportunity to move and change.

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