Sawyer and Courtney built a cute tiny house inside of a box truck for just $14k, by using reclaimed materials. They even made a multi-purpose room with an elevator bed and clever have a collapsible table.
They have given the box truck a fun name. Elfie.
Sawer’s first experience with living tiny was in college where he lived in an 8 x 8 room. Courtney got excited about it through van life and wanted to travel.
Sawer was running a 5k and had a heart attack and it really changed his outlook on life. They decided to step up their dream and make this happen sooner rather than later.
Tiny House Giant Journey YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/tinyhousegj/noodlemx
Nomadic Life
They decided to accelerate their plans to live on the road and find a truck and get started as soon as possible.
Found the truck on a local craigslist for $3,500. They were on a very tight budget so needed something cheap and in good condition.
Box Truck Build Time
Two ways to build. Fast and expensive or slow and cheap. They chose slow and cheap as the way to build. Sawer is a carpenter and had experience with reclaimed materials so that is the way they chose to go.
The cost of the build was between $9,000 and $10,000 so the total cost was between $12,000 and $14,000.
A 2003 Isuzu NPR, that is 8 feet wide and 23 feet long. Courtney painted the mural on the side.
Here are a few specs.
- A 45-gallon water tank last about a week if showering
- 4.8 turbo diesel engine
- 247k miles
- 10 miles to the gallon if driving really carefully.
- Tall windows for privacy.
- 2 propane boxes hold 4 standard 5-pound BBQ tanks.
- In the winter they used one 5-gallon tank a month.
It was important to make the box truck feel homey. So they added a cute front door, with symmetrical porch lights, and a small tool shed.
In the tool shed, they keep woodworking tools and necessary tools for the road.
The instant hot water heater is also in the tool shed which is set at a certain temperature and left.
The thin fiberglass roof is only there to keep the rain out. They built the roof up to give it strength so it can easily be walked on and holds the 885 watts of solar panels.
The liftgate came with the truck and it has been really nice as it gives them an extra step to get in and out.
Box Truck Inside
The inside is an open floor plan with a Wave 8 heater.
The bathroom is immediately to the left as you come in. A special door was made from old 1800s barns wood with a unique handle. It has a folding accordion-style door.
With a composting toilet so they purposely put the bathroom near the exit. It has a custom shower pan. Wooden stars add texture and traction to the shower pan.
The full-length mirror was a must and has storage behind it. A medicine cabinet with all the necessities.
The breakfast bar. is a recent addition. it has folding stools. It makes a great place for eating, and a workspace for laptops.
Box Truck Kitchen
- The spice rack is a favorite
- The water tank is 45 gallons
- Trash can behind stove because of the width of the water tank.
- Stove oven combo
Box Truck Living Room
The multipurpose room includes the following:
- Office and study
- Living room
- Bedroom
The living area also includes a special cat’s room if they need to keep her contained. It is fully furnished with water and food and a litter box.
The special countertop comes off and makes a table or desk to work on. The fridge is a slide that also works as a coffee table when needed.
Large drawers for clothing storage under the couch. Batteries fit in the corner of the couch.
The bed is built with a hoist system that goes up to the ceiling and uses a hand crank or a drill to bring it up or down.
In the bedroom, they still have access to the bookshelf which is really nice for reading.
The bedroom also has a separate light with a dimmer. They have a Queen size bed, which is especially nice when it is hot.
It was nice not to have to rush into the building as it took longer with using recycled materials.
Living tiny makes living by enjoying less plus you can have a nomadic lifestyle. Everyone has their own unique way of doing this but you find out what works best for you.
Follow them on IG: https://www.instagram.com/boxtruckliving/
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