By Devorah Peterson
In 1973, the year she met her future husband, a friend of mine bought a three year old caravan, an early project of Lloyd House. Since then, this treasure has been sitting in a forest clearing on an island of British Columbia. As there is no kitchen or bathroom, other small structures were built alongside.
I fell in love with the rustic 17 foot caravan in the nineties when I first visited the remote property. Perhaps more than any other “tiny house,” it has inspired me to write about them and (hopefully) build one of my own eventually.
Though the exterior is plainer than many hand built caravans, I kind of like that about it. One would never suspect that inside is a world that’s magic.
There is a photo of my friend and her caravan in the chapter on Lloyd House in “Builders of the Pacific Coast” by Lloyd Kahn (also author of “Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter.”) Here are some others she kindly agreed to share.
I love this. So lovely. You are right, the interior is magical.
Wow,I was born in 1973,LOL! I love this too,I love the style,the sizing,the “look” of cozy about it,gunna sare in on FB 🙂
It s very nice, simple and functional.
Well, wow, this is a stunner. LOVE the interior…
This is very much of the 1970s. The old lumber, the rough lines, the lack of pretense, the funky look. Thanks for the memories
Glad it brought back pleasant memories!
Classic !
This is beautiful; I really like the impression of strength and age that a plastered finish creates. So many tiny homes feel flimsy and insubstantial. However, just what is the ‘plaster’ composed of? Is it rigid or brittle, or does it have some sort of component that would protect it from cracking from the vibration of moving the entire structure?
I appreciate your question. I’m pretty sure I would choose a similar look if I were to build, but hadn’t considered that the plaster might crack. So I asked about it and as it turns out the caravan was re-plastered in 1982, twelve years after it was built.
They wrote, “That plaster (Spackle or something like it) would probably crack if the caravan were moved anywhere – which it never will be again…It was a very long time ago now. And since then there are so many new-improved products on the market – I wouldn’t use what I used then without some investigation into what is currently available.
I vaguely remember that we attached plastic window screen to the walls with a staple gun so that the plaster would have something to cling to. It seems to have anchored the plaster pretty well, since there has never been a problem with plaster falling off in chunks.”
How many Hobbits fit in the bed?
Looks like a gnome home.
Hi Deborah,
I will be moving from Ottawa to Vancouver Island next year. Do you think Lloyd House might be available to help me build a tiny house there? I’d like to discuss my project with him. Do you know how to reach him?
I am guessing he is retired but it is worth a try. I read that he used to live near Courtenay on Van. Island. You could try contacting Lloyd Kahn (His blog is Lloydkahn-ongoing.blogspot.com.) I hope it works out. Lucky you!
An update:
Friends informed me he lives on Hornby Island.
“Everybody knows him there. I’m sure a letter addressed to Lloyd House, Hornby Island V0R 1Z0 would reach him.”
Oh, I so love that. Thanks for sharing. : )
You’re so welcome. Glad you like it.
I am with HGTB
nice caravan..