Shopping for trailers

It helps not to be the first person to try something new.  There a few tiny house bloggers and companies out there that have trailer advice (like Tiny r(E)volution, and Portland Alternative Dwellings’ book, Go House Go!).  On top of all this advice, every trailer dealer I went to this week has sold trailers for tiny-home builders.  They each had their opinions and pieces of advice.  It sounds like it won’t be a problem to get the “right” trailer. It just might take a few weeks, and I have to decide which advice to follow.   

What kind of trailer to buy for a Tiny House” and “How to determine trailer weight for your tiny house,” from Tiny r(E)volution, recommend a flatbed with at least a 7,000 lb GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating, or the total weight capacity of the trailer, including the trailer, and its load).  Their estimate is that the house weighs about 6,000 lbs.  My completely uninformed guess is that mine might weigh more.  All I know is that I recently shipped most of my books, gear, clothes, etc. on Amtrak, and they weighed 1,300 lbs.  A small house has to weigh more than 6 times the weight of my belongings, right?  Even if I do own more books than most people.

Other sites recommend looking for a trailer with a 14,000 lb GVWR, but according to the dealers I visited, tiny home builders purchasing their trailers have used 10,000 lb GVWR trailers.  The extra beefy 14,000 lb GBWR trailers require a commercial drivers license, and add about $1,000 to the price tag. 

Some people have even refurbished old travel trailers, which I’ve found online for as low as $375.  They do end up putting a lot of work into them, and I think I would need to hire a welder to shore it up, which could add at least $1,000.  Still cheaper, but this is the foundation for a house, right?  You want to make sure that a trailer is sturdy enough, and I’m concerned that a used trailer is a bit of a gamble.  There’s a balance between trying to build a house with as much salvage as possible, and skimping on safety.

All that said, I think I found a place that will build a trailer for me for about $3,500.  I need to make a couple choices, about length, and whether or not to go with drop axles, but hope to get an order in tomorrow.  

The new trailer will look a bit like this, but longer and wider, with no bumpers, and no wood on the deck.  Basically bare bones.

Side note:

On the latest trailer shopping trip in Sonoma County I ended up running into a few nice surprises.   Sonoma County (and Mendocino) seem to be a hotbed of small to tiny homes.  Check out some of the houses we encountered.           

An office / coffee shack on the side of the road in Hopland, CA.

A tiny house company in Petaluma,
with a couple of their projects on display.

Their model office space/spare room.

A tiny house on display at a trailer dealer’s…. apparently one of their experiments. 

Alaska: the land of the creative small homes

I just took a break from being a responsible working human to visit family in Alaska.  Added to the grandeur and beauty of this sparsely populated landscape is a population with a phenomenal tendency toward individualism.  This tendency is definitely reflected in their houses. 

Inside of the city limits of the few Alaskan towns, there are building codes that regulate engineering, and home sizes and shapes.  Outside of city limits, people build what they think the need and want.  Apparently, Alaskans need and want smaller homes, with more access to the outdoors.   

Here's my sister helping her neighbor Ian to butcher his pig.  His home is the tiny cabin behind them, consisting of a sleeping/living area, and a kitchen area.  

You see it all, except for a tiny bit of his roof.  He's lived in it for about 7 years, and is just now building a 16' x 24' palace. 

Side note: here's the pigs before they ended up on the above picture.

Alaskans think about housing a bit differently than we do in warmer places.  First, winters are a tad colder, so they focus on design for efficient heating, and then on keeping that heat in.  Many Alaskans build exterior walls at least 6 inches thick, often using triple paned windows, and roofs as much as 10-12 inches thick.  Check out Jana, Mark and Jack's 16' x 24' (plus ~ 16' addition) house, with the simple exterior, and thick roof:

They don’t worry as much about the exterior aesthetics.  If you’re house is in the woods, who’s there to impress?  Most people seem to focus on making the interior a place that fits their personal taste and habits, and the exterior tough enough to withstand the weather.  Many houses never get past the plywood siding stage, but they might have entry rooms with two arctic doors (6 inches thick, with foam and cordura to seal them off) before you get into the main house.   The interiors are pleasant and comfortable.

Many interiors probably wouldn’t meet building codes in some places, but make for aesthetically pleasing, functional homes, with character.  This tiered house was build by a ship builder, with a "study" area above, sitting area at the base of the spiral stairs, and a "den" below the kitchen.  The ladder provides access to the lowest floor.  The boat influence is clear with the recessed shelves in lateral support walls, efficient use of every bit of space, and the cozy, rounded shapes where ever possible.   The total sq. footage is around 1000', but if feels bigger. 

It seemed like small houses were everywhere in the Great Land, like this tiny shack on pallets in a driveway.

And this cute, tiny cabin in a "dry" neighborhood (no running water).

Or, one of my cousin's husband's creations - a bulging cabin with about 8 different roof lines. 

That's all for Alaska, tomorrow I go shopping for a trailer for the base of my tiny house.