Here is a 2020 update on Swedish world sailor Sven Yrvind, whose lifetime of solo sailing was documented in Tiny Homes on the Move (pp. 148-151). Here are a few glimpses of what we referred to as “Sven’s Next Boat” on p. 151, and a 15-minute interview.
“At sea, I can find my youth.”
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This immaculately built sauna on wheels rolled through town 3 weeks ago. Built by Jeremy Tuffli (shown here [in white T‑shirt] seated with Evan Kahn), and Joey Pepper. They use it for events. Stove is from Finland, roof and trim are copper. (I didn’t get a full-on shot of the roof; it’s really beautiful.) Jeremy said he was inspired by our book Tiny Homes on the Move to build a camper, then went on to building saunas. The guys are next headed to Mexico City, financed by Vans to build a skatepark.
Jeremy is among a group of young builders (like Jay Nelson, Foster Huntington, Tucker Gorman) who are carrying on in the tradition of Lloyd House, Louie Frazier, Bruno Atkey — a new wave of carpenter poets.
I’ve probably posted this before, but I just ran across it again. 1983 Toyota 4×4, a few years before they had independent suspension for front wheels. The Baja natives preferred it because the front axle was stronger. Air Camping tent, made in Italy; this was before rooftop tents were even known in the USA. Up off the beach, or desert floor, no worry about snakes or scorpions, breezes blew through mosquito netting. I’d drive 12 miles east of San Jose del Cabo, then down an arroyo to beach, then let air out of tires and go another 2 miles on soft sand to a secluded spot where there was surf, fish and a shipwreck. I’d orient the tent so that I faced the water, put up the 12′ by 14′ flea market tarp (anchored by hanging sand bags), and spend 4-5 days in solitude. No need for clothes.
In summer heat, I’d pretty much stay inside the shade from 11 AM to 5 PM; the sunrises and sunsets were exquisite times of day. Go surfing or paddling or swimming, run on beach, wander in desert. The tropical desert in Los Cabos area (just below Tropic of Cancer) is subtle. When you get to know it, you see all kinds of life and beauty therein.
I’d remove all signs of having visited the beach when I left.
Of course, I hear there’s a house there now, and I’ll bet some gringo has blocked beach access.
Bob Easton did this drawing based on Joaquin’s input.
In the late ’60s, Joaquin de la Luz traded his 1948 Triumph motorcycle for this vintage Chevy flatbed and converted it into a housetruck. Joaquin, his wife Gypsy, and their three kids lived in it for five years while moving around the country and eventually settling in Yreka, California. It had a woodstove and a sewing machine, in addition to beds for all family members, and was built with scrounged materials. There are about a dozen pictures of the rig in our book Shelter.
Spotted this in San Francisco last week. Lots of interior space, sliding doors both sides. 178 hp. 4-cylinder, 9-speed automatic, 24 mpg, about $24k; half the cost of Mercedes Sprinter van (altho the dodge is neither 4 wheel drive nor diesel). Looks like a pretty good base for building your own RV.
Here are some more photos of our tiny house that we just finished building for our family of four, out here in the countryside of central France.
We (my partner and I) started the design process last summer (just before finding out that she was pregnant), started construction in October, and moved in in February, just in time for our baby to be born in the “living room”!
We spent a lot of time working on a design that would be both functional and comfortable, allowing us to meet the needs of our daily life while maintaining enough open space to move around and play without stepping on each other. We achieved this by pushing the kitchen and bathroom to either end of the main level, keeping the rest of the space relatively open, aside from our built-in couch and bench, which cover the wheel wells. High ceilings, large windows, light colors and lots of natural light compliment this design, leaving our main living space feeling light, open and spacious despite its small size.
When we say small, however, we should mention that this house is quite large compared to other tiny houses, at least in France. Since we were designing a space to live in for a minimum of a few years with two small but growing children, we were rather ambitious and really pushed the limits of what is possible size-wise. The house’s large size meant we had to be really careful about the materials we used, so as not to overweigh the 3.5-ton weight limit in France. For this reason, we used lightweight, thin poplar for the floors and wall coverings, and most of the interior furniture, as well as exterior siding, is removable to minimize weight during transport. In other words, it’s not a house that is meant to be moved too frequently. Read More …
