Home in a Can: When Trailers Offered a Compact Version of the American Dream(collectorsweekly.com)
collectorsweekly.com
Home in a Can: When Trailers Offered a Compact Version of the American Dream
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/home-in-a-can/
50 comments
Just watched the video on your site and this is by far my favorite Tiny House project I've seen yet. It's the first one I've seen that I felt like I could actually live in that with two kids. Great job! Thanks for taking the time to document the experience and share it with all of us!
Thanks, I couldn't have done it without others who shared their ideas.
Building energy-efficient, non-toxic homes is important. Many of the ideas I used for this Tiny House I plan on implementing on more traditional housing structures.
Regular homes are supper-sloppy when it comes to conserving energy and there is a lot of room for improvement (with little added cost) if the ideas are implemented during the initial construction.
Building energy-efficient, non-toxic homes is important. Many of the ideas I used for this Tiny House I plan on implementing on more traditional housing structures.
Regular homes are supper-sloppy when it comes to conserving energy and there is a lot of room for improvement (with little added cost) if the ideas are implemented during the initial construction.
Trailer living is stigmatized because it's what poor people can afford. With poverty, come all it's correlated afflictions: substance abuse, limited employment, low education and family planning, lack of role models, each determining the other and trapping multiple generation into the same cycle. I.e "trash" people, those who just don't seem to get ahead.
Trailer trash is a largely american stereotype because US had a car-centric culture and early economic development that allowed even the poor to buy an RV, while locking them out of the traditional property market. But the stereotyping is against poor people and it's practiced in any society that values material gain.
Trailer trash is a largely american stereotype because US had a car-centric culture and early economic development that allowed even the poor to buy an RV, while locking them out of the traditional property market. But the stereotyping is against poor people and it's practiced in any society that values material gain.
What a $300k trailer looks like in Mountain View:
https://www.trulia.com/property/5033711929-325-Sylvan-Ave-28...
https://www.trulia.com/property/5033711929-325-Sylvan-Ave-28...
You'll have to be 55+ to buy it though (I think.. it's in a 55+ park).
There's an odd moment in Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, his book about a 1960 roadtrip across the US, where he encounters a couple living in a mobile home and sings the praises of it. Modern, mobile, allows the inhabitants the freedom to follow their dreams and the job market. Truly another time.
https://schlemielintheory.com/2014/06/18/the-restless-ones-a...
https://schlemielintheory.com/2014/06/18/the-restless-ones-a...
Trailer living used to be a lot less stigmatized than it is now. Even as recently as the late 70’s, the officers in “CHiPs” lived in trailers; something you never see heroic television leads do anymore.
Also Jim Rockford.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rockford_Files
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rockford_Files
Also Mel Gibson's character in Lethal Weapon (1987)...
When I was young living in South Carolina there were the trashy trailer parks, but there were also nice tidy trailer parks for working class families.
It was probably a bit nicer than this 30 years ago
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.897915,-82.4379351,3a,68y,28...
It was probably a bit nicer than this 30 years ago
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.897915,-82.4379351,3a,68y,28...
I didn't really do the math when I replied before, but if you lived in or near that mobile home park and were a kid ~30 years ago, we almost certainly went to the same schools at around the same time, which is pretty surreal. I don't really run into many folks from my hometown in nerd circles (or anywhere, really).
Lakeview, probably in '88 I didnt go there long, we moved around a lot when I was a kid.
OK, nope, mine was Berea; same era, though. I knew a girl who lived on Longforest Drive who went to Lakeview, and everyone who lived on Plano Drive went to Berea, so I guess the line was somewhere in between the two. That's wild as hell. Howdy, distant-past-teenage-neighbor.
I did go to Berea high school for a short time. 9ths grade I guess. I hung out with the nerds :D
I only went to Berea for middle school, but lots of my friends from middle and elementary school went to Berea for high school (as did my older sister...the line moved in the interim). A dude named Mark...whose last name I now cannot remember, is the only nerd I can think of who went to Berea. Most of my friends who went there were ag kids in 4A ansd the horticulture program. We both had C64 BBSes and ran warez and did various illegal shit with phones. And, later, I think we both had Amigas (I know I did, but I think Mark got one, too...but we'd drifted apart a bit by that time).
I grew up right down the road from you, Spartanburg, SC.
Weird. I grew up literally walking distance from that spot on the map, in this house: https://goo.gl/maps/d2idrNkE3Zw
At least one of my friends lived in that very mobile home park.
At least one of my friends lived in that very mobile home park.
I think a lot of people who would be satisfied with a small, cheap home such as a trailer. I mean, I felt like I had the space of trailer in my first apartment, but it sure as hell wasn't as cheap. It's just a shame they have such a negative connotation (with pretty good reason).
They've been rebranded "tiny homes" and now they're all the rage.
Granted, you are expected to build your own if you want it to be cool, but it has all the hallmarks of a traditional trailer.
I'm not knocking tiny homes nor trailers, to be clear. I think they're a great solution for folks wanting to own a home on a budget.
Granted, you are expected to build your own if you want it to be cool, but it has all the hallmarks of a traditional trailer.
I'm not knocking tiny homes nor trailers, to be clear. I think they're a great solution for folks wanting to own a home on a budget.
I’m sure there are a large range of mobile home building quality but the many that I have ever been in have had thin walls and cheap finishes inside. Maybe it’s because of the price point they need to hit for their target market. Most tiny homes I’ve seen have had high quality materials and finishes. Maybe people convert the cost savings of building themselves to building with higher quality materials (for tiny homes).
It’s also worth mentioning that most tiny homes I’ve looked at were far lower square footage than a typical mobile home.
All this to say tiny homes are not imho rebranded mobile homes. They are a different beast altogether.
It’s also worth mentioning that most tiny homes I’ve looked at were far lower square footage than a typical mobile home.
All this to say tiny homes are not imho rebranded mobile homes. They are a different beast altogether.
The difference in construction is not just quality per se. RVs and mobile homes are often build with non-standard material and fittings, and built such that they are difficult to repair. Tiny homes are typically built using essentially the same construction as a normal stick built home, so they can be maintained and should hold their value better.
It's a house on a trailer, I think that's the essence of a trailer. I'm sure you can buy quality trailers in the same way that you can build quality tiny homes. Likewise, you can build a terrible-quality tiny home.
If you want to compare similar sizes, you can start looking at campers, which are also tiny homes on wheels. Nobody considers them glorious to live in, either. A tiny home might be more comparable to a hand-built camper / towable RV.
If you want to compare similar sizes, you can start looking at campers, which are also tiny homes on wheels. Nobody considers them glorious to live in, either. A tiny home might be more comparable to a hand-built camper / towable RV.
> Maybe people convert the cost savings of building themselves to building with higher quality materials (for tiny homes).
Building your own construction project is generally not a cost savings, in the same way that growing your own food is not a cost savings.
Building your own construction project is generally not a cost savings, in the same way that growing your own food is not a cost savings.
DIY House building can save a lot of money and a higher quality build at least in the uk
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Technology needs to be refocused into making homes more affordable to the working class instead of creating more profitable McMansions.
These days trailer parks are disappearing, because the land is too valuable. I've thought about renting a small trailer in a trailer park, if it saved enough cash, but buying one risks not having anywhere to park it. Times change.
Land isn't too valuable, rather there's very little zoned to allow for trailer parks, which can be very dense and thus a great way to use land that's valuable but not so valuable as to support skyscrapers https://oldurbanist.blogspot.com/2014/05/mobile-home-impedim...
That depends on where you are looking... there are at least six parks, and a number of trailers on their own land within a few miles of me (southeast NH).
Many of the active outdoors people I know (mostly mountain bikers) are superkeen on converted Sprinter vans. I think as more active boomers retire, there will be a resurgence of small RVs.
Winnebago just introduced a new model - the Revel - for people looking to travel/live like this. I'm not sure how Winnebago is getting enough 4x4 Sprinters to build them, as Mercedes apparently wasn't prepared for how many of them Americans are buying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOQzZo00kYw
I don't really care for the floorplan, but the concept is attractive - being able to travel off the beaten path, irregardless of the weather conditions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOQzZo00kYw
I don't really care for the floorplan, but the concept is attractive - being able to travel off the beaten path, irregardless of the weather conditions.
Trailer, RV, and mobile home living is experiencing a huge resurgence, largely because of the 10k baby boomers a day entering retirement.
Unfortunately, while many of those boomers are just wanting to check out the experience, many have found that their "retirement plans" aren't able to include a regular home. This is partly the subject of this book:
Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st Century
http://a.co/htj0AfR
Unfortunately, while many of those boomers are just wanting to check out the experience, many have found that their "retirement plans" aren't able to include a regular home. This is partly the subject of this book:
Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st Century
http://a.co/htj0AfR
And to comment more on my own post, and make the Amazon link even more ironic(?), there's the whole Amazon "Camper Force"[1] thing, which Wired[2] did an article about a couple of months ago. It seems Camperforce is a combination of retirees just wanting to pick up some spending money in exchange for a (seasonal) job, and near-desperate retirees who live in an RV/camper because it's the only thing they can afford.
[1] http://rvlife.com/camperforce-at-amazon/ [2] https://www.wired.com/story/meet-camperforce-amazons-nomadic...
[1] http://rvlife.com/camperforce-at-amazon/ [2] https://www.wired.com/story/meet-camperforce-amazons-nomadic...
I took one for the team, and clicked. It goes here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/039324931X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_t7...
Interesting that the shortened link is http, while the destination is https. Is that usual?
Ah, and I just noticed that a.co goes directly to amazon.com, so I suppose it's their own shortner. Of course I didn't know that before I clicked.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/039324931X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_t7...
Interesting that the shortened link is http, while the destination is https. Is that usual?
Ah, and I just noticed that a.co goes directly to amazon.com, so I suppose it's their own shortner. Of course I didn't know that before I clicked.
You can also use a URL expander, such as http://urlex.org/
I suppose that's better than clicking, although now I'm leaking information to a fourth party (and keeping it from a third, unless my identity/data is already embedded in the shortened URL).
Sorry, I just used the link from the little email icon Amazon shows. Didn't realize it had an affiliate link (I don't have an affiliate account that I know of).
it's shortner that adds the poster's affiliate link.
Can't have a conversation about trailers without mentioning James Carville's famous double-wammy.
"Drag a hundred-dollar bill through a trailer park, you never know what you'll find."
With that one quote, he smeared one of the victims of Bill Clinton's predatory sexual attacks AND insulted low-income Americans.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Carville
"Drag a hundred-dollar bill through a trailer park, you never know what you'll find."
With that one quote, he smeared one of the victims of Bill Clinton's predatory sexual attacks AND insulted low-income Americans.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Carville
http://kipcaravans.nl/en/model/kip-shelter/
This has been a staple of Dutch stereotypes for decades.
I think about RV/trailer parks a lot, as I live in an RV and travel a lot. It's a really fascinating part of the American experience, and it is pretty uniquely American, as well. There are, of course RVs and trailers and mobile homes in other places, but America's reverance for the "freedom of the road" or whatever gives the whole community around RVs and trailers a different vibe (even compared to Mexico, where a lot of the RV parks are owned by US ex-pats, and Canada).
The part I find maybe most interesting, and most troubling, is the way classism plays out even among the set of people that live in RVs. I've noticed a distinct set of phrases rich/white people who travel in RVs use in reviews to describe parks that are inhabited by poor people or people of color, which is a subtle bit of red-lining among RVers. And, this reinforces the division; parks that want good reviews from the wealthy travelers take steps to prevent poor people from staying in their parks. Imposing a trailer age restriction is the most common and most effective; poor folks can't afford a new RV. It's maybe even more pronounced among RVers because the rich ones don't want to be associated with "trailer trash", even though they have a lot in common with them.
But, I think the explosion of housing costs have led to an interesting shakeup in the market. RV manufacturers that historically targeted the high end, where retirees would sell their house (or use the equity in their house) to buy a monster luxury motorhome, a few years ago started making lower end trailers again. Winnebago even makes trailers again, which they didn't do for a couple of decades.
There's also a strong bit of nostalgia in the market that's somewhat new. Manufacturers are looking backward for design ideas; partly to make low-cost options again, and partly because the industry got lost in the woods for a long time just making the biggest and most expensive thing they could because that's where the money was. I'm pleased to see the change because old RVs were often beautiful or charming in ways that modern fiberglass rectangle boxes distinctly are not.
One thing I've also noticed: RV park prices in major cities have gone through the roof, while availability has gone way down, in the ~9 years I've been traveling. I used to be able to arrive in a city and get a spot in a park within a reasonable distance, without a reservation. No longer is that true. Austin is maybe the most pronounced difference. It was always a favorite landing place for me because it's a major city with a couple of RV parks in easy biking distance to downtown. Those parks have doubled their rent and have months-long waiting lists now. It's not as pleasant to travel in an RV as it once was, even just a few years ago, if you like visiting bigger cities. And, I think that's because so many people have been pushed out of houses/apartments and into RVs. That's an alarming trend, I think.
The part I find maybe most interesting, and most troubling, is the way classism plays out even among the set of people that live in RVs. I've noticed a distinct set of phrases rich/white people who travel in RVs use in reviews to describe parks that are inhabited by poor people or people of color, which is a subtle bit of red-lining among RVers. And, this reinforces the division; parks that want good reviews from the wealthy travelers take steps to prevent poor people from staying in their parks. Imposing a trailer age restriction is the most common and most effective; poor folks can't afford a new RV. It's maybe even more pronounced among RVers because the rich ones don't want to be associated with "trailer trash", even though they have a lot in common with them.
But, I think the explosion of housing costs have led to an interesting shakeup in the market. RV manufacturers that historically targeted the high end, where retirees would sell their house (or use the equity in their house) to buy a monster luxury motorhome, a few years ago started making lower end trailers again. Winnebago even makes trailers again, which they didn't do for a couple of decades.
There's also a strong bit of nostalgia in the market that's somewhat new. Manufacturers are looking backward for design ideas; partly to make low-cost options again, and partly because the industry got lost in the woods for a long time just making the biggest and most expensive thing they could because that's where the money was. I'm pleased to see the change because old RVs were often beautiful or charming in ways that modern fiberglass rectangle boxes distinctly are not.
One thing I've also noticed: RV park prices in major cities have gone through the roof, while availability has gone way down, in the ~9 years I've been traveling. I used to be able to arrive in a city and get a spot in a park within a reasonable distance, without a reservation. No longer is that true. Austin is maybe the most pronounced difference. It was always a favorite landing place for me because it's a major city with a couple of RV parks in easy biking distance to downtown. Those parks have doubled their rent and have months-long waiting lists now. It's not as pleasant to travel in an RV as it once was, even just a few years ago, if you like visiting bigger cities. And, I think that's because so many people have been pushed out of houses/apartments and into RVs. That's an alarming trend, I think.
Trailer age restrictions, I haven't heard of that.
We bought a pretty old (1986), small (15') travel trailer that we've been working on in order to explore some bits of California and hopefully other parts of the US we haven't seen. And yes, there is a huge bit of nostalgia in the market: We were shocked at the prices of 'classic', partially-or-fully restored trailers like Shastas and Aristocrats. You can buy used "fiberglass rectangles" with more amenities and generally better construction for far less (but they are, as you say, not in any way charming).
Check out the 5-year history of the stock of Winnebago Industries (NYSE: WGO). I think that's a lot of baby boomers hitting the market.
We bought a pretty old (1986), small (15') travel trailer that we've been working on in order to explore some bits of California and hopefully other parts of the US we haven't seen. And yes, there is a huge bit of nostalgia in the market: We were shocked at the prices of 'classic', partially-or-fully restored trailers like Shastas and Aristocrats. You can buy used "fiberglass rectangles" with more amenities and generally better construction for far less (but they are, as you say, not in any way charming).
Check out the 5-year history of the stock of Winnebago Industries (NYSE: WGO). I think that's a lot of baby boomers hitting the market.
"Trailer age restrictions, I haven't heard of that."
You will. California is awful. Particularly the bay area. I ended up having to park over an hour and a half away from San Francisco when I visited. I'm in an old Avion travel trailer these days. When I first moved into an RV it was a newish motorhome, and I never ran into the trailer age restriction. But, I think there's actually two things at play: Parks that never had such restrictions in the past have added them in recent years. All the parks I used to stay in in Austin had no such restrictions in the past, and all but one does now. This is, I think, a reflection of the growing class divide among RVers and the growing desire among wealthy RVers, who do it by choice, to not be associated with or share space with poor trailer residents who do it out of necessity.
It is most pronounced in major cities. It's rare to find this restriction at parks that are out in the country. Also, obviously, city, county, state, and national parks have no such restrictions. So, it's usually possible to find a good place to park it, but it's surprisingly difficult to get a spot somewhere close to a major city.
It's been such a frustrating problem for me that come spring, I plan to buy a newer rig just so I don't have this problem anymore. I like to be able to visit major cities with my RV. It pisses me off that I'll have to give my business to parks that participate in ugly classism in order to do it, though. I've also considered going with a big old bus and just putting a gazillion solar panels on the roof and huge water tanks, so I don't need to be in a park at all.
You will. California is awful. Particularly the bay area. I ended up having to park over an hour and a half away from San Francisco when I visited. I'm in an old Avion travel trailer these days. When I first moved into an RV it was a newish motorhome, and I never ran into the trailer age restriction. But, I think there's actually two things at play: Parks that never had such restrictions in the past have added them in recent years. All the parks I used to stay in in Austin had no such restrictions in the past, and all but one does now. This is, I think, a reflection of the growing class divide among RVers and the growing desire among wealthy RVers, who do it by choice, to not be associated with or share space with poor trailer residents who do it out of necessity.
It is most pronounced in major cities. It's rare to find this restriction at parks that are out in the country. Also, obviously, city, county, state, and national parks have no such restrictions. So, it's usually possible to find a good place to park it, but it's surprisingly difficult to get a spot somewhere close to a major city.
It's been such a frustrating problem for me that come spring, I plan to buy a newer rig just so I don't have this problem anymore. I like to be able to visit major cities with my RV. It pisses me off that I'll have to give my business to parks that participate in ugly classism in order to do it, though. I've also considered going with a big old bus and just putting a gazillion solar panels on the roof and huge water tanks, so I don't need to be in a park at all.
800 through 1000 square foot Aladdin or Sears Roebuck-style kit homes would do far more to affordably beautify the typical America neighbourhood than 1960s style trailer homes replete with turn signals up top and flattened tires chocked below. A visit to the outskirts of the average mid-sized American city will soon cure anyone of nostalgia for trailer-laden communities.
IMHO, homes should be smaller and designed by architects rather than efficiency experts and with an eye toward past stylistic precedents (gothic, craftsman, prairie, stick, etc.)
IMHO, homes should be smaller and designed by architects rather than efficiency experts and with an eye toward past stylistic precedents (gothic, craftsman, prairie, stick, etc.)
I filmed a several how-to videos and put them up on youtube. Not the most economical (cost/resale-wise), but a great experiment and real-world break from full-time programing.
My Tiny House is super insulated and energy efficient. The only leaks are from windows. I wrapped the whole thing in rigid foam panels and lifted the metal roof up an inch to keep the roof from ever getting hotter than the ambient air temperature.