RoadtripsAndCampfires said:
I saw maybe that house or a similar one on YouTube. Looked really heavy. Also - taking apart things to make into beds and lots of other uses gets old real fast. My trailer conversion is being made to be the easiest on us two older (and my disabilities) people while being the most fun.
I've been researching tiny houses for over 3 years and I'd love to live in one. Most of the builder sites I've been to show that they use earthquake standards to build the homes. You are driving through hurricane-force winds and experiencing earthquake forces everytime you drive anything. A lot of tiny housers find that commercial RV's are not that well built. I'd like to hear from y'all who have RV's to see how true that is. But I've watched a lot of video from the folks who test hurricane-force winds on structures and read a lot of the science behind earthquake-proofing and weather-proofing. My choice for a tiny house would be one built from shipping containers. You can easily anchor them with concrete pylons and rebar and there are these metal units you implant deep in the concrete [they have long steel bars for this]. Then you bolt them to the concrete pylons. If you want to move, you unbolt. If you want permanent, you weld.
They shot 2' x 4' lumber into unmodified shipping containers. They got dented but didn't break.
That's tiny homes with foundation.
The tiny houses on wheels TOW's are based on the RV model. Most of the major manufacturers [mostly folks who built their own and learned; family businesses] get certified by RVIA, which certifies factory-built RVs. If you build your own, then I don't think you can have RVIA certify it, but I could be wrong. People video every part of their build so they can prove it's up to code, whether residential or RVIA.
There are some out there built from sheds on trailers and built like stick-built houses, but anyone who researches it will overbuild so they last. I agree, that many of them are low and built tall, and I wouldn't want to tow them! But the tiny house industry is still new and there's a whole lot of experimentin' going on.
I like the idea of multipurpose furniture. Some of it, as you said, would be hard for a disabled person to work. But some are easy and don't require a lot of dragging or lifting. Like mirrors that unfold into tables. If it was very lightweight, with a hinge like on children's furniture to slow the folding part, I think even I could do it! I think a Murphy Bed would be too much for me, but there are some pieces of furniture that I'd like to try building if I can get stuff cut for me. I'll have to ask at the ReStore. Our local ReStores have lots of flooring! I think if there is any bamboo that's what I'll put in my van! They get donations from builders and it's 70% off retail. I plan to go up there to get the furring strips to attach my Reflectix to on the metal ribs of my van. Bob said for hot places he might go with just Reflectix. From my research, and from what Bob said, you need the air gap. So I'm going to see if Reflectix alone makes my van ambient temperature. I have a vent for the roof and will add a fan later. The ReStore is run by Habitat For Humanity. If you are disabled, you get a discount on top of the 70% off price that everyone gets. I didn't see much wood there, but I think it just gets gone fast!
I think of my van as my own little tiny house, and I think most tiny housers respect folks who live in vans and cars and skoolies and RVs. At least from forums, I've been on. Which one's better? The One That Pleases You
Personally, I think * all * of us/them should be allowed. Think of how many homeless folk could be saved if they had choices like:
Provide them a tiny house and a tiny mortgage.
Let them build their own place and provide parking or land, and advice to keep it legal to the International Building Code.
Let them get a car or van and be a VanDweller, or help them get a bus for a Skooolie or etc, etc.
Provide parking spaces for overnight camping or simply allow it in public areas that aren't allowed now.
Oops, am I getting political? Better get off the soapbox before I start quoting homeless stats. All I'm saying is, we need a new definition of the word "home". The way most of my friends see my VanLife decision, you'd think I wanted to become a serial killer or something awful like that! [rolls eyes]
