Tiny Steampunk House Built by Film Set Designer and Movie Stylist

Having access to leftover movie sets would be like being a kid in a candy store. For Brandon Batchelder, a set designer, and Chloe Barcelou, a stylist — it’s part of their every day lives. Working in the film industry has given them access to various film sets and the materials (and a steamer trunk) inspired their whimsical tiny house on wheels.

The couple periodically move for their work and have lived in various apartments and even a 20×20 shed, but Chloe had the idea for a tiny house made with recycled materials they scrounged during their various jobs. The 300 square foot home, built on a $1,000 trailer from Craigslist, took the couple about a year to build and cost about $10,000.

What makes this home unique (and seemingly from the mystical Steampunk world) is the mechanical capabilities. The home’s roof hoists up via a wooden ship’s wheel and a pulley system. The walls fold out to reveal two offices. The rest of the house contains a loft bedroom, a guest loft, an elegant $200 kitchen, bathroom and even a hutch for the couple’s rabbit. Future additions include a rain barrel system and a retractable front porch.

Other salvaged materials include the blue front door from an old restaurant, all the kitchen items and even the loft ladder, which was made from the wooden siding of the Craigslist trailer. The house is currently parked at Brandon and Chloe’s friend’s backyard on Long Island, New York, but the home will soon be attached to a five-ton military truck that will match the style of the house.

Photos by Hannah Dubois, Sean Hurley/New Hampshire Public Radio and Chloe Barcelou