As many of you know, I recently completed my tiny house on a trailer. I plan to travel to a few locations beginning this winter. I built my tiny house to be self contained, since most of my time will be spent in places without services (electricity, water, etc.). Since batteries will supply the house’s electrical power, I will need to recharge them often. While I will have a propane generator, I plan to use solar power for most of my needs. This should allow me to get power, and keep the costs down by not buying propane as often as if I was using the generator.

Completed Solar Cart

Often, trailers have the solar panels mounted on the roofs. This allows the panels to charge the batteries as long as there is sunlight available. The problem with this set up is you need to park your trailer in the sunlight. While this might work well in some locations, others will have trees and other obstacles that can block the sunlight. Also, certain locations might result in parking the trailer facing away from the sun, hence lowering the output of the solar panels.

Originally, I decided to place the solar panels on a cart. This would allow me to move the panels into the sun, reposition them as needed, and provide storage for the panels. As a further enhancement, I added a solar controller, battery, and inverter to the cart and turned it into a solar generator. That way I could have power available in almost any location I plan to go. With this set up, I can use both AC and DC items, such as a microwave, and even a refrigerator all powered by the sun.

The Solar Generator Parts

First, the technical details for those who are interested. The solar generator (which I call the SolGen 160) has a four major components. The 2 solar panels are rated at 80 watts each, for a total 160 watts. The solar charge controller is rated at 30 amps. The battery is a marine deep cycle model, and is rated at 210 amp hours. The inverter is provides a steady output up to 1100 watts of AC power, with a peak output of 2200 watts.

Ok, so what does all that mean. Based on the manufacture’s solar panel ratings under ideal conditions, the SolGen 160 should provide approximately 460 amps of power each week to charge a 12 volt battery. While you never want to discharge a battery completely, the output is enough to fully recharge the battery in 3 to 4 days. If you use only 25% of the battery each day, the solar generator should be able to fully charge it up during the next day. With this set up, it can power a number of appliances, such as a small microwave, TV, laptop, or even some power tools. All the comforts of home can be available wherever the cart is located, in a campground, a forest, or even the desert.

How was the cart assembled

I used 2×3 lumber as the framing for the cart, and enclosed it with the T-1 siding. The overall size of the cart is approximately 4 feet wide by 4 feet long by 4.5 feet tall. I began by building a wooden frame that fit around each panel. I then built two L-shaped pieces for each panel to hold the panels at a 45 degree angel. The L-frames were cross braced to provide a solid base for each panel. Then the two panels were attached together by screwing the frames together. Next I added the T-1 siding to enclose the cart, and a piece of plywood to form the cart floor. After that, I built doors on the back to allow access to the battery and components inside the cart. Finally, the cart was painted and caulked to prevent leaks, and wheels added to make it mobile.

Here is a video slideshow of the building process…(video created by Steven at Tiny House Listings)

Cost of Materials

The SolGen 160 cost approximately $1500 to build. The cost breakdown is as follows:

Solar Panels – $ 850
Battery+box – $ 180
Solar controller – $ 100
Power Inverter – $ 70
———-
Subtotal – $ 1200

Cart – $ 300
————
Total – $ 1500
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The major portion of the cart expense was for the T-1 siding and the 2×3 lumber. The wheels, hardware and paint were a small additional cost, and purchased locally. While they lumber was purchased locally, the solar panels, controller, and inverter were all purchased from Amazon.com. While this configuration was designed to fit my needs, buying fewer or less expensive solar panels and components would reduce the cost of the cart.

Several people have expressed interest in the SolGen 160 since I posted it on Twitter and Facebook. I am considering selling a set of plans so people can build their own solar generators. If there is any interest in this, please let me know by responding to the poll below. Thank you!

View Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 and also be sure and subscribe to the Youtube Tiny House Blog Channel here. You will than be notified of any new videos on this channel.

Also a tour of the shower and bathroom area and an introduction to Bill’s composting toilet. Again lots of little details that you may not have thought of. I appreciate Bill being such a great tour guide of his work.

View Part 1 and Part 2 here and join the Youtube Tiny House Blog Channel here.

In this video, Bill shows us the kitchen, his propane heater, water storage and some of the plumbing that was involved. There are lots of little details that go unnoticed because they are hidden and this helps give you an idea about the work involved.

Again, I am learning and the video is proof of that. I am getting a little faster at pulling them together so in the next post you will probably see 2 or 3 videos. Youtube limits the length so I am trying to give you over an hours worth of video in little sections so you can get the full picture.

To keep updated be sure and subscribe to the Youtube Tiny House Blog Channel.

I am attempting to create some videos and Bill agreed to be my first guinea pig. The video is not perfect (rough in a few places) but Bill does a great job of explaining the process. This is the first of several videos from the visit and I hope you will learn a lot about building a tiny home from Bill who has become an expert in my humble opinion with all that he has learned in the construction of his home. The next video will feature the interior  and I will let you know when it is ready.

To keep updated be sure and subscribe to the Youtube Tiny House Blog Channel.

Bill just completed installing the windows with some help from his father. He was able to complete the installation one day. Below are some updated pictures of the house with the sheathing completed. The house wrap in place and the roof installed.

Windows Installed

If I have done a post on your tiny house that you have started and you have an update for me, please let me know. I get rather back logged with all the great ideas and projects coming in and I am unable to stay on top of all the projects at times. Please send me an email with pictures and I will do an update on your project too.

Sheathed

House Wrap

Roof Completed

Lots of new tiny houses being built right now and Bill Brooks from the Central Valley in California has also started building a house for himself. Here is Bill’s story.

While I still plan on creating a blog, here is the background story for my tiny trailer house.

I am having fun building the trailer, and look forward to building more tiny houses some day. But for right now, I am focused on finishing this one.

I wanted to visit Alaska for a long time, but was not looking forward to the winter cold. I read an article last year that sparked my interest in the Southeast (panhandle) area. The area does not have the extreme winters as the rest of Alaska. Also, the summers are mild compared to California. I decided I would like to go there, spend some time, and decide if I liked it enough to move there.

I realized that the regular accommodations would cost too much (hotel, bed/breakfast, etc) for a long term stay. So, I began looking into purchasing an RV. Finding a good RV was difficult, as prices were quite high. I decided a trailer would best fit my needs. I could leave it somewhere, drive around as needed, and have a place to stay. Somewhere along the way while researching trailers, I began reading about tiny trailer houses. The more I read about these tiny trailer houses, the more I felt they would fit my needs. Better insulation, more space, and simple living. With this, an idea was born. I would build a tiny trailer house and travel for awhile.

The more I researched tiny trailer houses, the more web sites I discovered. Several were blogs about people building their own trailer house. This appealed to me, as I always wanted to build my own house. I also discovered several sites that showed builders, such as Jay Shafer (Tiny Tumbleweed Houses) and Bill Kastrinos (Tortoise Shell Home). These were a great start, but I wanted to build my own. I researched more and discovered the Sonoma Shanty. I really liked the design, but it was not on a trailer. I decided I would be building a Sonoma Shanty at some point (in Alaska or where ever I located), so I purchased the plans.

First wall

I was studying the Sonoma Shanty plans and determining how I could build it on a trailer. In the meantime, I was also researching more aspects of a trailer house, such as the electrical and plumbing systems. I did not find a lot of information on how to build these systems (and still have not), but I did discover Michael Janzen’s plans for the tiny solar house (Tiny House Design). Now here was a design that would accomplish two things at once, building a house and RV in one.

Bill with one wall up

After that, things began to move along. I found a local trailer dealer, and got a good price on a 10,000 GVWR trailer. As soon as the trailer arrived, I began work on my tiny house on wheels. Since I did not have a blog, I created a Twitter account (@Brookswoodworks) and Facebook page (Bill Brooks) to update my progress. The rest, as they say, is history.

While I still intend to create that blog, most of my energies have been focused on building the house, as well as continuing research on the electrical and plumbing systems. I decided I wanted to make this house as self sufficient as possible. The electrical system will be based on batteries, and charged through solar and other means. There will be an inverter for those things that need 110 volts, such as a microwave, refrigerator, outlets, and lighting. There will be a shower and sink, but the toilet will likely be a composting one. The stove/oven combination will be propane. Even though the trailer will be well insulated, there will be a propane heater for warmth. The stove will be propane as well. I have not decided on the internal layout yet, but I will build the counters, shelves, and storage areas myself.

First wall installed

I have been working on this since early August 2009. There is much more to do, as I have only completed framing the walls so far. However, it is finally beginning to look like something. The next few weeks should show much more progress as the trailer finally takes shape. Thanks a lot to Kent and Michael for their support and encouragement along the way.

Thanks Bill for sharing your story. I will do an updated post when Bill has completed his home. It will also be featured on the Tiny House Journal site, plus when Bill gets his own blog up I will let you know.

Foam and insulation

by Kent Griswold (Tiny House Blog)

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