The big news is that there is now a home front. The tiny house has arrived, and after a bit of trouble getting it there, it’s sitting comfortably where the van and trailer used to be. I’m slowly getting used to this actually being real. A tiny house on a piece of land had always been a stretch goal for me. Melissa already had the land, and I saved up enough by living cheap on the road to spend on the building, with enough leftover to turn it from an empty shed into a cozy home for us.
We’ve framed in a few walls to separate the living area and the bedroom, plus a closet-sized bathroom. Sliding barn doors will cover the doorways, saving precious interior space from traditional swinging doors. The next step is electrical, one of the few things we’ll have to outsource. We’ve already figured out where we want additional outlets (the “electrical package” included four, plus a breaker box), switches, lights, and the mini-split. We’ll replace the single light at the top center of the roof with a ceiling fan. But for now, we’re in the “wait” phase of “hurry up and wait” while we contact electricians, get quotes, and get the work done. After that, the insulation, paneling, and flooring should go pretty quickly.
Since this is a van life website, I don’t plan to go into great detail about the tiny house here. Unless you want me to? If you do, let me know in the comments and change my mind. It won’t take much.
Before the tiny house arrived, a particularly windy day destroyed our already damaged carport, blowing it end over end and knocking motorcycles over in the process. We had to run outside and remove the walls and roof as fast as we could before it tumbled down the road. It’s a complete loss, but it didn’t cost very much, and we definitely got our use out of it. It knocked the V-Strom and KLR over as it flew away, but neither bike suffered any significant damage. The KLR’s crash bars took the worst of it, and that’s exactly what they’re for. After a little sanding and fresh paint, I can hardly tell the difference.
The bikes now live here instead. It only took the neighbor about two weeks, on and off, to build, mostly out of recycled materials he already had lying around. Melissa had to put her aesthetic touch on it, but we’ll be leaving it looking fairly rustic. We have some old signs and license plates to decorate it. We couldn’t resist picking up some Vault-Tec and Nuka Cola signs, since it does look like something straight out of Fallout.
The three bikes are cozy inside, but they all fit. With a little jockeying for position, I can take any of them out at any time. The lights you see here are temporary, and were more of a test to see if they still worked after taking a ride on the carport frame when it blew away. We grabbed a workbench that Melissa wasn’t using out of storage, and I’ve moved many of my tools in here. Unlike the house, the bike shed will not be wired for power, but I’ve moved my BougeRV power station in here to charge tools and run lights once I install them. Eventually, I’d like to install a solar panel on the roof to keep the power station continuously charged, but that’s a project for after the house is done.
So is the interior rebuild of the van. That’s still next on the list after building the house. We still want to hit the road for a little while this winter, and we have about seven months to make both projects happen, which should be possible. Worst case, we can put the van back together the way it was for the trip, save some money, and rebuild it the way we want to next year.
I was having a beer on my porch after work yesterday, and from where I was sitting, I noticed the reflection of my new home in the back windows of my old home, the van. I got the shot. It’s oddly representative of my journey these past several years. And it wouldn’t have been possible without living on the road for a few years to save up for what I hope will be the last home I ever buy. Travel is great, but I’m ready for a home base, and that’s what we’re building here.
Smokey Da Van 