On October 12, Stremmel Auctions will be selling a tiny home modeled after a train through the online auction of Northeast Masonry. Bidding will start at $5 and it will be sold regardless of price. If the high bid is $1,000, then it sells for $1,000.
The inspiration for the train tiny home came from Virginia City and the V&T Railway.
- It was built on a 28-foot triple axle trailer from Iron Eagle Trailers.
- The pop-up roofline that the home has was chosen for its spacious feel and abundant natural light and ventilation.
- The inside of the home is divided into three zones: the living/office area, the kitchen/dining portion, and the bedroom/bath end.
- Oak flooring runs throughout.
- The bathroom has a 32” shower and 16” wall-mounted porcelain sink.
- The house also has a 42-gallon water tank.
- The kitchen has a 9 cubic foot Dometic refrigerator, a 24”
- Five Star stove, and a Takagi on-demand water heater.
- The front of the train is built with office space, surround sound, and a fireplace surrounded by stone.
- Lighting is almost all LED with 2” recessed spots and indirect strip lighting above.
The home was meticulously crafted and built to last. Due to a change in plans for retirement, the owner has decided to sell.
Bidding will close October 22. More information can be found online at stremmelauctions.com
The following story is from an article previously published in the Tiny House Magazine.
Take a Train Ride
We’ve been building homes along our ridge for the past fifty years. We’ve built big ones and small ones, but this one—we call it Trainride—is our first tiny house on wheels.
My grandpa left southern California fifty years ago, seeking a more authentic life. Our family settled down on 80 remote acres in the backcountry of Mendocino County and we’ve been working together ever since, creating sustainable homesteads and building homes for our neighbors. When the opportunity came along to build an 8.5×28 foot tiny house on wheels, we decided to take the leap. An old family friend, a stonemason from Nevada, commissioned us to build him a new home, and he made it clear that this was to be our baby—we would design it, build it, and furnish it.
The client had a few simple conditions for his new home: no stairs or lofts, wood heat with
a stone surround, and plenty of good lighting, day and night. He also wanted a desk for office work and a great sound system. With this minimal input, we went to work designing Trainride.
We began with a 28-foot triple axle trailer from Iron Eagle trailers, with a GVWR of 21,000 pounds. Inspired by the classic railcars of the past century, we chose the pop- up roof line for its spacious feel and abundant natural light and ventilation. The bump out at the front of the house proved to be ideal for the 21k BTU wood stove, and the chimney added to the fantasy that this was, in fact, an old railcar. We chose the 24 gauge metal siding and cement board trim for their look, durability and fireproof nature. We especially liked the way Iron Eagle sealed the bottom of the unit with sheet metal, keeping out wildlife, rodents and insects, which are abundant in the Nevada desert.
The house is divided into three zones: the living/office area, the kitchen/dining portion, and the bedroom/bath at the end of the central corridor. The long horizontal lines of the 3/4” oak flooring complement the lines of 1×4 cedar above, giving a feeling of spaciousness; one can lay in bed and watch the dancing flames of the wood stove.
The bathroom has a 32” shower, 16” wall mount porcelain sink and a composting toilet from Nature’s Head. The house has a 42 gallon water tank, 33 gallons of gray water storage, and a propane tank housed in the spacious ‘trunk’ under the raised bed platform, with outside access. In keeping with the train ambiance, we selected counter stools from American Chair Company and set them at our dining table for two. Naturally, our appliances are propane, featuring a 9 cubic foot Dometic refrigerator, a 24” Five Star stove, and a Takagi on-demand water heater.
Lighting is almost all LED, with 2’’ recessed spots and indirect strip lighting above. There are also sconces above the fireplace, task lighting in the bathroom, and two old-school propane lamps, for lighting sans electricity as well as for warmth and ambiance.
Living in the northern California forest has its advantages. We were able to use local oak, and locust wood for our desk, table and kitchen counter while the utility room door is made of madrone, all of which we milled ourselves. The custom quilting is all done by my sister, Acorn Hollow Quilts.
So, how does building a tiny house compare to constructing more traditional homes? They’re not so different to build, but you learn pretty quickly that you’d better plan ahead, to avoid unexpected problems. In a conventional home, there’s always another way to get that ABS drain, or iron pipe, or vent where it has to go. Not so with a house built upon a trailer, with a sealed joist space. You often get just one way to do it, and you have to create that chase with your design. There’s no drilling through the 1/4” plate steel under the 2×4 stud walls, no moving the wheel wells that run along the middle 8 feet of your home.
With an open design like Trainride’s, there are no interior walls or wide open spaces for Romex or speaker wire. You have to fully anticipate your utility needs well in advance, and ensure that you’ve got a way to get them installed according to code and good building practices. But when it all comes together, as it will with good planning, you’re in for quite a ride. Happy travels!
