Living in a Dollhouse

The first Steps!

Well, here it is!  The foundation for my tiny house!  It is a 1983 Great Divide 28 foot trailer.  I have never bought anything like this before.  But, there it is.  A proto-house.  All hulking and hideous and begging for transformation. 

It comes with lots of salvageable stuff.  Although I do hope the former owner got that bicycle out of it before he delivered it. 

Fake wood panelling galore.  It is going to take a fantastic amount of work to strip this down and rebuild it.  I don't think I'll be finished any time soon.  But it is wonderful to know I am working toward a future, and that I'm doing it without waiting for things beyond my control.  The next step will be to begin stripping it and to really start figuring out the design.  I didn't want to start finalizing anything until I knew what I would be working with.  This weekend, I will pick up some work gloves that fit me. 

Welcome to the Dollhouse

For a long time, I have been trying to figure out how to drop out of this messed up industrial, capitalistic society we've gotten ourselves into.  I have been hampered by the necessity of having a secure place to live.  I require enough stability that taking a backpack and hitting the road is not a good option for me.  But, I have been following the tiny house movement for a while and now I am in a position to begin building one.  And I am lucky enough to have a father who is knowledgeable and willing to help me.  Indeed, he is excited.  So the time has come.  The year of the end shall be the year of my beginning.

Currently, the plan is to buy a hideous camper trailer from the 70s or 80s, strip everything out of it, remove the walls, and build something from that foundation.  We will salvage whatever we can from the mechanics of the original trailer.  This will probably be cheaper than buying an empty tow trailer, especially in the size I would like.  I am building for both myself and my partner, so the more space I can manage, the better.  I don't know why I have not found anyone else who has taken a 70s camper trailer and stripped it, the way I'm going to.  It is a good idea.

I plan on being as energy independent as possible.  I will use solar panels and a compost toilet.  My goal is to be able to tell the owner of the land where I will park it that I need access to their hose occasionally, but that is all.   I hope to be in a fairly urban area since I cannot drive myself and walking is my primary mode of transportation.  Also, it is easier for me to make and keep friends in the city.

My dad and my partner also have access to this blog and I hope they will post here sometimes as well.  I am so excited to begin this project!