Mobile Home

Meet John and Carol. They are two native kiwis who decided to retire early and partake in another New Zealand tradition: travel by house bus. While grand sounding from the outset, the process to get to their goal was long and arduous. You see, they literally built a house on the bed of an old flatbed truck. If only I had copies of the pictures to show you this transformation. Instead I will do my best via verbal description.

Five years ago, this couple embarked on the adventure of a lifetime. They purchased an old flatbed truck and began building, and building, and building. It started as a simple house construction with framing and walls and evolved into an incredibly compact, fully equipped home. What you see above in only a small glimpse of this amazing structure. There's a small porch that invites guests up to the front door. There's a full size bathroom at the rear. The kitchen is equipped with a full size fridge, small oven, and wood burning stove (pictured on the left, above) that also serves as the heat source and dryer (note clothes hanging above the stove). They have a queen size bed up the stairs, with a full-length closest alongside the stairs (undoubtedly only something I would notice). There's even a hand crank washer hanging off the back end. Everything has been thought of.

For additional room, John constructed two extensions that stretch out from either side of the house on automated cranks. These house the dining nook on one side and sofa on the other, providing plenty of room to spread out the sofa bed for overnight guests! When it's time to head out on the open road, they simple wheel in the rooms.

Every bit of this compact home was built by hand, down to the leveling system that guarantees a flat surface when they're parked at their temporary location.

At each new locale, they bargain with locals for sewage dumping rights, water hook-ups, and email access (currently through the fire department located right across the carpark). Their tactics are ingenious, not unlike the home in which they're living.

Certainly gives a whole new name to traveling in style.