Tim Smith contacted me and shared with me his Vardo project that he completed recently. Here is what he had to say. For more details be sure and click on the link at the end of the story. I built a teardrop trailer a while back after seeing a Vistabule camper at the Minneapolis RV show and falling in love. In doing my research, I came across Big Woody Campers website. They offer plans and a manual for how to build a teardrop. I bought …
China Rose and AJ decided on a Vardo-style tiny house to enable them to live nomadically. It’s 24 feet long by 12.5 feet high by 8.5 feet at the highest point, and due to the distinctive bowed roofline of this historic design. Then it narrows down to 7.5 feet at the wheelbase. It comes to about 175 square feet. Fittingly, the decor embraces vintage charm. They worked to create an open, inviting feel with old-world flair. To achieve an airy feel, China Rose and AJ …
A friend recently gave me an example of the crazy prices that RVs are currently going for. A private party sale of a traditional “white box” travel trailer started at around $14,000 and a bidding war bumped up the final price to $40,000. The Gypsy BLISS Wagons* are far removed from the traditional “white box” RV. The high demand for RVs in 2020 have been keeping the prices of these getaway vehicles consistently high in 2021. If the idea of spending that much money on …
When I was a kid, one of my favorite stories was Danny the champion of the world by Roald Dahl. Danny and His dad live in a gypsy wagon. Fast forward 40 years and my wife and I were in a dilemma, she wanted to get a travel trailer and I realized that if we did buy one the first thing I would have to do would be to gut it and redo the interior. I had started out my woodworking career building boat interiors, …
Road Gypsy has recently set up shop in Southern California, building multi-functional, affordable campers in an eye-pleasing, vintage style. Playhouse, garden shed, camper, hauler, spare bedroom: a Road Gypsy wagon can do all these things and do them well. Moving? You can load up your stuff…there’s lots of possibilities here. “In a culture plagued with artificial ingredients and broken promises, Road Gypsy wagons stand out as the real deal.” – Michael Palencar Owner/Visionary Road Gypsy wagons blend the dreamy, colorful gypsy caravan with the practical, …
I’m a self taught builder from the UK. and with help from my father and the internet, I started building shepherds huts while working as a labourer. My first was a studio for my brother, then I got a commission to build a hut for an ancient woodland. After seeing some inspirational ideas and story’s on blogs and sites like yours I decided I could try and build a tiny house for myself. I needed a place of my own as I was living back …
These delightful shepherd huts are already making a splash in the United Kingdom with articles in several magazines, but Plain Huts could also be a wonderful addition to the tiny house communities here in the States. If you have the desire (and funds), these modern takes on the Shepherd’s Hut can become your own tiny house on custom wheels. Plain Huts Shepherd Huts are a family run business in Wiltshire on Salisbury Plain in southern England (10 minutes from Stonehenge). Cath Caesar, her husband Ian, …
We have been following your blogs for some time now and love seeing everyones creations and informative “how to” articles. There are no limits to the imagination when it comes to tiny houses. We noticed that from time to time you feature Shepherd Huts from the UK! I am English and live in Northern Michigan. My husband and I loved Shepherd Huts so much we decided to set up our own business hand building them staying as true to the original design as far as …
For anyone dreaming of their own vardo wagon to sleep in or rent out, this sweet, little red wagon was built by J.M. Labrosse and featured by Instructables. J.M.’s step-by-step guide breaks this project down into manageable parts and a PDF of the project can be downloaded from the Instructables website. The insulated vardo features a classic shape with a Dutch door, stained glass windows, decorative trim and an unusually shaped deck. It contains a full bed with storage underneath, bench seating, a heater and …
If you are thinking of building your own vardo as a tiny house or for camping, Instructables recently featured a collaborative wagon built by Paleotool (author of Building a Gypsy Wagon), PaleoPunk and a friend of theirs, AmericanPikey. The instructions for this tiny, wooden wagon are available as a free download. AmericanPikey recently retired and wanted a mobile retirement home, but not an RV. He also wanted the utility and towing cost to be small. The total cost to build the wagon (including the trailer) …
by Bill Young The Shepherd Hut has been around for hundreds of years and primarily in England, but now they are available in America. They can be used as a guest house, a romantic retreat, a special workplace, a retail space for food service or dry goods. Another interesting use of these huts is to rent them out on a nightly basis, like a bed and breakfast. This particular hut has an exterior dimension of 8 feet wide by 14 feet long. The interior space …
Luxury vintage camping in traditional shepherd’s huts, tucked away in the heart of the South Downs. The double doors really let the outside in and make the hut feel incredibly spacious. Five people can just about squeeze around the table! The hut is fully equipped for up to five people Boundary is named in homage to the local Hambledon Cricket Club, one of the oldest in the country and deserving of it’s page in this Ladybird book. Real woodpeckers can be heard in the woods …