One of my favorite types of tiny house is the kind that can travel with you from place to place.
People can be so creative with their mobile tiny homes. I've seen everything from repurposed school bus homes to living quarters that you can hitch to the back of a bike, like this expandable tiny camper.
And when I saw the amazing mobile tiny house wagon that one woman and her boyfriend were able to create for only $2,000? I knew I had to take a closer look.
I found this incredible tiny home on Instructables from user Hypha. Starting with only an old rusty utility trailer, these brilliant DIYers were able to create a gorgeous two-person residence. They brilliantly saved money by borrowing tools and upcycling plenty of old materials.
When I saw the outside, I was certainly impressed — but when I saw the inside? I couldn't believe what an amazing job they did.
Would you want to live in a DIY tiny house wagon upcycle like this? Let us know in the comments!
Before this project, this brilliant DIYer had never created something so elaborate. With only a rusty utility trailer, some borrowed tools, and the assistance of her boyfriend, she undertook what some would consider a very ambitious project: a mobile wagon tiny house.
She writes on Instructables, "I love to create, make, and invent, and my lack of construction experience (I built a chicken coop once) didn't worry me too much."
She continues, "I trust my ability to reason through problems and engineer things, or know when something is beyond me. Most people have these abilities, they just need to learn to trust themselves." With an immense amount of faith in herself, she put her DIY mind to work, and her new tiny home quickly began to take shape.
Over the solid metal floor of the utility trailer, she added a subfloor of thin plywood. Then, rather than buy manufactured wood that can be $2-5 per square foot, she purchased inexpensive, untreated pine lumber and cut it into floor boards herself. She writes, "I made my own extremely cheap non-toxic stain which turned out a gorgeous honey color."
She continues, "We found two old shipping crates and repurposed them as cabinets."
This brilliant upcycle created one of the nicest features of the wagon's interior, right next to what would soon become a lofted bed area.
With the interior structure complete and the walls in place, she painted the exterior a deep shade of green. She then added the roof which was made of roofing steel on top of wooden rafters. Finally, it was time to step back and look at what she had created.
I couldn't believe how incredible the interior turned out. She created a perfect-sized kitchen using shelves and a movable cast iron stove that she found for cheap online. She also installed a kitchen faucet that hooks up to a water hose to provide water from an outdoor faucet or tank.
She writes that the bed "is a futon I made myself, and it is the best sleep I've ever had. It's a heavy canvas shell with layers of blankets, old foam toppers, mattress pads, etc." And underneath the lofted bed?
There is plenty of storage space to use for clothes, suitcases, and trunks!
A beautifully stained bench and bookcase complete the homey feel of the wagon's interior.
The finished product is a stunning tiny home that can hook right up to the back of a vehicle. This DIYer writes, "We LOVE living in our wagon home."
She continues, "In all, it cost around $2,000 to build, and probably 50-100 hours of time. It was so worth it. With no mortgage, and very little for the space and utilities, it has already paid for itself after only 6 months."
While living the tiny house life isn't for everyone, this mobile residence is the perfect place for those who love DIY projects, upcycling, traveling, and being creative with small spaces.
This inexpensive home is an impressive feat from a beginner DIYer!
Would you want to live in a mobile tiny house like this? Let us know in the comments.
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