My Tiny House on Wheels

Two years ago, Debra and her family lived in a nearly 2000 square foot home on an acre and a half of land. Then her husband lost his job and they began to work 4 jobs between them to pay the mortgage, until one day they remembered they had a choice.

Before having their son, Debra and her husband Gary had spent 9 years living in very tiny homes in South America. Living small hadn't felt like a sacrifice, but a way to stay focused on what is important. They decided they wanted to get back to that.

They stopped working so hard, sold or gave away all of their extra stuff and began looking for the perfect tiny home.

Debra had always liked the Mississippi shotgun style homes, and one day, while browsing craigslist, they noticed an ad for a local Arkansas company custom building tiny homes for a price that could mean an end to house payments.
Six weeks and $15,000 later they had their own fully paid-off dwelling. Today, Debra, her husband and 13-year-old son live in a 320-square foot home that is not a sacrifice, but exactly what they need.


Home designed and built by Slabtown Customs: [link to slabtowncustoms.com]
Debra & Gary's home business: [link to www.etsy.com]

[link to www.youtube.com]

Jay Shafer of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company gives us a tour of his 89-square-foot home on wheels parked in Sebastapol, California. He sells plans for the Epu model for $859. Ready made: $45,997 Build it yourself: $19,950
Original story here: [link to faircompanies.com]

great thread. I'm planning on building something like this soon. I don't mind living in a small space, so long as I'm debt free :) thanks, OP.

The "wheels" thing is laughable.
Not like the house on wheels can be licensed. Maybe you could build it as a home-made trailer, but I'm thinking these are built on mobile-home type frames and those require a permit to transport and a licensed transporting company to move them. The permit is probably a one trip valid item and pretty expensive.

So, you got wheels; but you aren't really "mobile".

You either need sewer, electric and water connections if putting your tiny home on a lot, or if out in the boonies you need all the same or have to provide for yourself.

Out in the boonies, cost of bringing electric and phone can be staggering; like tens of thousands if possible at all. A septic is a $10k minimum thing. If you can't get a rural water connection, a well can cost $25 a foot to drill.

As far as living cheap, seems like you'd be ahead of the game if you bought an older house and demolished it; salvaging as much as you might to recycle or resell.

This happy-shit about tiny homes costing tens of thousands is just stupid. To be halfway self-sufficient requires space and places to do work processing the stuff that you take sustenance and life from.

plenty of young people are converting secondhand 8 ton or 12 ton boxtrucks to legally-registered motorhomes. alternative types have been doing it since the sixties. look up the travellers' movement in new zealand or the united kingdom. since the nineties, it is usually the fringe scene of festival-traveller, street artists, the free tek scene and some other obscure crowds.

in europe, it is cheap living: in most countries you pay taxes for being on the road (usually dependant on weight and horsepower), and that's where it ends. spring water or public tap water is free anywhere if you are not too dense (every cemetary has a faucet for flowers). most old diesel trucks are perfect for conversion to pure plantbased oil, which makes for cheaper driving. prices for diesel are a bitch these days though, especially if your truck guzzles 15 or 20 litres per 100 kilometers...

you can't officially be registered as 'on the road', anywhere in europe (except for germany, but that might have changed), but there are plenty of cheap mailbox-type addresses that let you legally register there anyway.

true.

Self-sufficient means solar for electricity and water catchment which can be collected from the roof (rain water) into a storage tank. The trailer beds these tiny houses are built on have 4 wheels. In addition, water can be obtained at most gas stations. We use a Big Berkey for water filtration.

One can also use the following items to make this work.


Koolatron 29 Quart 12V Cooler

solar composting toilet

EZ 101 Tankless Water Heater - Propane

solar panels and energy converter

Sundanzer Solar-Powered Chest Freezer

If staying in one location a
Sunforce 44444 12-Volt 400-Watt Windmill as a back-up energy source

satellite receiver for internet - cell phone

vertical garden can be installed on the sides
[link to www.plantsonwalls.com]

This link is for simple solar homesteading.
[link to www.simplesolarhomesteading.com]

He built his cabin for under $2,000

Since we have 5 acres we plan on building one of these as back-up for emergency and can be used as a guest house or even rental.

Last Edited by Proud American Supporter on 07/18/2012 11:38 AM

Nice little hobby for fags.

"We The Tiny House People" Documentary
[link to faircompanies.com]

I will add this. When first married we lived in a 600 sq ft house for the first 5 years with two children so small is something I learned to enjoy. We've also lived in an RV traveling around for a year and that was nice too. Since we still have one child in school we decided to stay put and focus on creating a small farm which is also satisfying.

I like the idea of the tiny house on wheels just as much as owning a Rialta or camper van as the mobility has great appeal.

Last Edited by Proud American Supporter on 07/18/2012 11:57 AM

adopt clearly defined codes

You are the definition of FUBAR

alternative homes of most types are tough to insure.
many locals have building codes and requirements that would make building one in some places impossible

think tptb want you free and debtless?

These are people who made it work.


[link to www.youtube.com]
Habitats Hawaii ~ incredible self contained sustainable homes on wheels!
The mission of Habitats Hawai'i is to assist people to expand their vision of what could be...by simplifying and living in a blended environment of indoor/outdoors. The habitats on wheels are simply a seed ready to plant wherever you choose. Their mobility offers you greater freedom and flexibility, ready to be placed wherever one has access to a small piece of earth...the carbon footprint is negligible while possibilities are immense. habitats are a self contained living space which offer all of the basic necessities which one can then expand exponentially by way of arbors, plants, stone and water. you can plan the rest of the vision in harmony with natural surroundings. Each is wired for 110 volts and are solar ready. Each have metal roofs with gutters to capture the rain water. All of this to support us all to live lightly on the earth. For more information, visit our website at:

[link to www.habitatshawaii.com]

[link to www.youtube.com]
[link to www.tinyhousedesign.com]

Image: [link to www.tinyhousedesign.com]

To setup one of these structures you simple unroll it, inflate with a fan, and literally spray it with water. The structure will cure quickly and is usable in 12 to 24 hours depending on the size. The structure can then be bermed and/or buried for added protection from the elements.

Concrete Canvas even offers a tiny house size dome. The 16 square meter (172 square feet) version can be setup by two people in 40 minutes and can be ready to use in 12 hours.

"Concrete Canvas Shelters are rapidly deployable hardened shelters that require only water and air for construction. Visit www.concretecanvas.co.uk for further information. The key to CCS is the use of inflation to create a surface that is optimised for compressive loading. This allows thin walled concrete structures to be formed which are both robust and lightweight. CCS consist of a cement impregnated fabric (Concrete Cloth) bonded to the outer surface of a plastic inner which forms a Nissen-Hut shaped structure once inflated. Visit www.concretecanvas.co.uk for further information."

Last Edited by Proud American Supporter on 08/05/2012 10:39 PM

For, give or take, $3,000, I am going to buy a travel trailer thats about 8 x 28 = 224 sq feet. I can hook up the wagon to my 04 expedition and go where I wanna go like walmart parking lots and hang out picking up walmart chicks.

I will have a champion remote electric start gen pushing 3500 watts for my air and frig and lights when in deep campin mode.

When I get sick of the chicks here, I can go there.

I also have the option to check into camp grounds for 30 bucks a day and suck off their water and power.

But what I really like is the year round living in one a these things. Insurance is cheap and the diggs is where's its at baby.

How is your asshole feeling about now genius?

Interesting about the concrete canvas, I hadn't heard of that.

Isn't a steel building the cheapest building available? I would live in a steel building and be happy.

The problem is that you are trying to fit your current way of live to this tiny house and does not work you have to change the way you live first to be happy living in a tiny house.

See my threat to understand these peoples perspective
Thread: Free your mind, reduce stress, make some money and Get ready for SHTF

The arguments for small houses are valid.

I have a huge mansion (ap. 33x23m which is ap. 99x69ft) and most of my income and time is drained away by keeping that thing up and running.


I have not decided yet because of economical bleak outlook but i already have the plans to just bulldoze it (if authorities allow me as that thing is old and massive) and replace it with something like this:

[link to www.everyday-feng-shui.de]

No roof to worry about in storms, no side walls to keep up.

So cool! Already done though. RV's?

For what? so you can stuff it with more nick nacks and keep on consuming and consuming. Look around your house and ask yourself if all pack rat stuff you have surrounding you is necessary and how it enriches your life. Living in a tiny house or an RV is not for everyone but I can accept it and see the benefits those of you who think this is just terrible are closed minded and don't get out of your house much and enjoy life. Spending all day on GLP

I may buy a tiny house.

They're fascinating. :)

That's the key and what most people here don't understand they are a slave to their big home full of pointless posesions. So proud of all the Nick nacks and garbage they have yet they live sad lives and don't get out much. When we die all we take and leave is memories all that garbage that pile up in a home gets sold on estate sales and forgotten.

I rather spend my money,my time outside the home living life and forging memories.

They can keep their mega giant TV screen, Massaging recliner couches 10 people dinning room table, grandfather clock

You actually get out to the billard and have a couple of pints and enjoy meeting other people

Does anyone here own a tiny home or has anyone ever been inside of one?

I'm curious as to whether I'd be able to handle it or not.

I've checked out the tumbleweed site numerous times over the last year or so and although I'm intrigued I have a big problem with tiny spaces, I don't handle them well at all.

Rent a small rv or camper and do it for a week if you can't handle that than stay away from tiny homes and just stick to your giant place and keep on drinking the kool aid, consuming and filling your place with walmart garbage

Chip on your shoulder?

Fucks sake, I asked a simple question, one that didn't require you to give me a lecture about kool-aid, Walmart and my big house.

Not at all what you need to realize is that to make a move like this you need to do a major lifestyle change. You need to get rid off 90% of your posetions and detach yourself from all of that. Is not the small space that affects you but having space full of shit that makes it look cramp, cluttered and stressing.

I would have no issue getting rid of shit to move into one of the smaller homes. Not at all.

I would love to have a tiny house.

The only possessions that I have that mean anything to me are my books. Everything else is just crap that I'd be happy to give away.

My question was reference to my claustrophobia. I know the homes are tiny but I noticed a lot of them are built in a way that the small spaces feel wide open. Not restrictive at all. I was just curious if anyone here had been in one or lived in one.

Last Edited by Debauchery on 08/06/2012 02:06 AM

The canvas concrete mode is very interesting.

The guy with the travel trailer and Expedition though has the right idea. Except... Really the ticket is a crewcab one ton diesel for a daily driver and tow vehicle. Probably get about 20mpg even when loaded. The truck holds its value better, especially with diesel. Truck will pull a gooseneck or 5th wheel trailer with much greater ease than a standard receiver hitch will. Of course, an Airstream is The Classic travel trailer. Very cool to restore, lasts a lifetime with aluminum body.

Even more compact and mobile is the one-ton or heavier truck with a custom chasis camper. Might even build one yourself using a HD flat utility bed. Lots of Euro-campers built this way. Wouldn't really need a generator, just have another 160 amp alternator installed to charge a 350 Amp Hour battery and use an inverter. A decent genset will weigh about 400lbs and cost $7500+. Adding another alternator costs $200 and the HD battery weighs 200lb, with a quality inverter you are done for under $1500 and your engine serves dual duty.

Impossible to beat a motorhome or truck-camper for immediate ready to go and good MPG (if diesel). The little 4cyl Toyota trucks were mated with a Winnebago chasis camper back in the early 80s. About as cool as a VW Kombi-Camper, but a better camper setup and likely a better highway cruiser.


Thinking about the tiny-house concept, really hard for me to see the value. Maybe a 1200ft energy efficient 2 story place, more with a basement; but to pursue self-sufficiency you really need space for gear, especially a decent kitchen layout and work area. Blowing the money on custom carpentry and all sorts of finish extras is just stupid. If you're gonna capture water from your roof for cistern use, you best not have anything but a slate or metal roof. Asphalt shingles and roll roofing etc could poison you or even ruin your drip filter candles. Look at the shit that is in a rain barrel or collector after a heavy rain. You'll find gravel from the shingles and oil in the water. Not Good...

Might even look at the Med size cargo carrying box trucks. Something like a 28' U-Haul (diesel preferred) and convert the box into your camper. Those trucks can go just about anywhere, but there's always the GI 6x6 awd cargo trucks which can also be converted.

I have towed 8500 utility trailers with 4x4 diesel. Hard to beat this for a bugout vehicle. Carry everything you need, like building materials, a yurt or 16x32 GI Tent and all your gear. When you get where you're going unload & erect the tent, store your gear in the tent and then convert the trailer for living quarters.

For sure, in these times, I would not blow the kind of money these "tiny-houses" cost unless it was immediately mobile; and that's just not possible with what these guys build...