Unusual Lifestyle Option #1: The Tiny Mobile House

[Oskar]

When most people think of mobile homes, they think of something like this: http://www.internetslacker.com/wp-conte ... erhome.jpg. But there are many other options out there that can be cheaper and potentially more desirable as a place to live than even a mansion, let alone one of these mobile eyesoars. I see homes kind of like shoes -- you don't want the biggest pair, you want a pair that fits.

Here are some examples of homes that suit my current and mid-term projected lifestyle well:
http://tinyhousetalk.com/couple-build-m ... iny-house/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbRvsWuWNUM

What some people do is they buy a property with a house on it, live in one of these on that property, and then rent out the house, perhaps even make a profit from their living situation. This would be a great way to cut down distractions in your life, not to mention to increase your mobility. You'd be like a hermit crab, carrying your home with you wherever you go. And it also just so happens that your home would be awesome.

I've begun weighing whether or not I should move to Europe, build one of these, and then just park it outside friends' places or fields outside of city limits (if you ask enough people someone is bound to say yes -- especially since it's not an eyesoar, like most trailer homes) for a few months at a time, and then move on to another city/country. Maybe make my way across to China -- who knows. Cheaper than renting in the long term, and I'd be able to build up a good bit of reference points to boot, and in a relatively short period of time.

Some things that I'm still ironing out involve the vehicle that'll pull it (registration, insurance, minimizing gasoline costs) and how long I'd need to live in it to financially break even (comparing it to typical renting prices), while of course minimizing the construction costs as much as possible. It'd also take a while to build too, which is fine, but'd take some money saved up first. But the cool thing about this is that, even if I don't do it, just knowing that it's an option for me frees me up to concentrate better on building greater agency into my life and the lives of those around me right now.

Your home is an essential element of your lifestyle, it's your most intimate environment and also where you probably spend a good bit of your time (even if you only sleep there). Yet a lot of us are forced to bend our lifestyle to around where we live, with the amenities society has built for us. But, in our mobile times, this is more or less avoidable.

-Oskar

P.S. Anyone have any other unusual ideas for managing a mobile lifestyle?

 

[Amadeaus]

I love this kind of stuff. I find myself looking at container houses and tree houses and stuff quite a bit. If you ever did want to settle down, you would be hard pressed find a girl that would be cool with living in one of those and would most likely have to choose the lifestyle or her. My 2nd year in college, I decided that I didn't really like spending a third of my monthly income on rent/utilities. I was considering getting a tent and just putting it out in the woods near my parents home. My GF at the time got pretty bitchy and said she would never stay over.

There are a lot of logistics involved in this lifestyle though. If you go with a house on wheels, you would most likely need some 4 wheel drive vehicle. If you do have to park in the outskirts of town, gas prices could offset your rent savings. This past year, I moved out to a suburb area b/c my rent would be $300/mo cheaper. I went from having a 15min walk to class to having to drive 15-20min and then walk a little. My truck ate through so much gas that I don't know if it was really worth it. Just be careful that your one huge bill doesn't turn into a bunch of small ones. IE: cheaper rent, longer drive... or no cable bill, but spending more at coffee shops.

My biggest concern that turned me away from something like this recently is security. Being in the Army for a while has probably made me a little more paranoid than the average person. I keep a huge lug wrench under my drivers seat, so if anyone walks up on me, I can bash in their skull. Living in one of these would leave you in a bit of a vulnerable position for getting robbed.

Besides the logistical and security concerns, you just gotta watch out for fajita night in your 100 sqft home. But yeah, those are my 3 concerns with living spaces: Getting laid, logistics and security.

 

[TheWiseFool]

I love the simplicity and elegance so that mobile home built by the couple is my dream home! I find no point in having a huge spacious home that I probably won't be spending too much time in cos I hope to be traveling or being outdoors. Only downside I'd see to a place like this is certainly security and raising a family. But things have a way of working themselves out so I would definitely opt for doing something like this!

 

[Oskar]

...those are my 3 concerns with living spaces: Getting laid, logistics and security.

Excellent points, Amadeaus. Of your three concerns, I think logistics would be by far the most difficult to plan for. However, a way you could really up your odds of things going smoothly across the board would be knowing, or befriending, some locals. One way you could do this is by sending out couch requests on couchsurfing, or a similar website where people are looking primarily to meet cool foreigners like yourself before you arrive to a new place. You could then, if you wanted, stay at their place for a few days (if you're sick of sleeping in your tiny house all the time) or just get a drink with them and learn about the area and talk about what you're both up to in life. If you include a picture of your awesome place you'll probably get an excellent reception in most places too, as it's an unusual and cool way to travel. Ask them about where they think would be a good (i.e. legal, near where you want to be, and ideally free) place to park, how long you can park there, what the laws of the area might be, places to avoid, etc. This would also work as a good screen for adventurous travel types, if you've got a mind to bring a girl with you for a while.

One way to really reduce gas would be 1) stay in places for at least a few months at a time and 2) rely on public transportation, carpooling, bicycling, or hitch-hiking when you're traveling locally. Many cities in Europe were built before advanced highway systems so urban sprawl is less pronounced in them, and many of those cities' public transportation systems are far more convenient than US ones.

On being secure, I think the best way would be 1) know where safe places to park are, 2) build/buy a place that's not ostentatious and won't stand out too much, 3) avoid tourist areas or areas where there are a lot of poor people, and 4) use your head.

The biggest drawback I see in living in this kind of home is that it will make you stand out in both positive and negative ways and also, as you mentioned, you risk exchanging one big payment for a bunch of smaller ones, as well as exchanging some of the conveniences of stationary houses for your mobile lifestyle, which could take up some time you might rather spend doing something else.

Another problem is that the only people who build/use these that I've seen live in the U.S., so you will almost definitely come upon some unexpected snags if you take one abroad (which, unless you build it on the continent you want to use it in, would also cost a good bit to transport across the ocean).

TWF: Yeah, their place is amazing. Here's a video tour of it I stumbled upon the other day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSzgh3D7-Q0

What's stopping me from making this a reality today is the energy it would take to set everything up. From my position right now it would be a major distraction from other agency building projects, so I am postponing my tiny house dreams in favor of those endeavors for now, because the only way anyone has ever made progress is one step at a time.

Cheers,
Oskar

 

[TheWiseFool]

Definitely take on the project when you have the time to do so. It is more beneficial to devote your time to one thing than multiple things. Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters."

A little trick that I use since I have an extremely difficult time with multitasking is allocating a small amount of time to a side project everyday.

Example: I wanted to learn Spanish but I couldn't find time in the day due to my course work and other responsibilities. So I decided, "Alright, at least 30 minutes everyday I will devote to this skill." And here I am now pretty decent in Spanish.

In your case, maybe 30 minutes a day working on your tiny house project. No more no less. You'll start off researching, then planning what you want in your house, designing the look, eventually planning materials needed, etc.

The idea follows this quote:

"You don't set out to build a wall. You don't say 'I'm going to build the biggest, baddest, greatest wall that's ever been built.' You don't start there. You say, 'I'm going to lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid. You do that every single day. And soon you have a wall."

-- Will Smith on Charlie Rose

But do what works best for you man! Hopefully it all works out