And on to the next weekend…

Posted September 4, 2015 by Laurel Wanrow in My non-writing life, Writing / 2 Comments

I wanted to share a few photos of my adventure with helping on the construction of a gypsy trailer…or tiny house, as they are being called. But the week has flown by with the pics off the camera at least, but not into the world. I have however, gotten through my copy edits on Volume Two of The Luminated Threads, and seen the second mock-ups of the cover art!  So exciting week for me.

Here’s the short version on the gypsy wagon… and the photos if anyone is interested in the step-by-step process of construction, like I am. A group from church is working on two of these tiny houses on a lovely river property.

gypsy wagon

interior of tiny house

One gypsy wagon purchased by the landowners is already on the floodplain property. It’s a nice way to ‘camp’ at short notice and still be close to nature.

Katydid

The property floods, so the solution to having sleeping ‘cabins’ available for a few folks who might not be able to tent, is to have portable structures that can be moved when–when, not if–a flood event occurs.

floodplain property

This was not the first workday. The army surplus wagons are already set up and a deck built between them. The flooring was laid down last spring with hardware cloth rodent prevention and foam insulation.

marking the flooring for studslaurelwanrow.com

Our goal for the one workday was to frame in the three sides of the beds with studs on 16 inch centers, and prepare a level surface for an overhanging edge to widen the inner dimensions a bit. The trailers still have to be a width to be transported on the highway to higher ground.

 

sawing

 

jigsawing

One wagon had side supports that needed to be worked around by cutting notches with a jigsaw–a little detail which required a lot more measurign and cutting. Something to keep in mind if you have the option to choose a wagon style.

laurelwanrow.com

 

The extension boards fit nicely around.

edge boards

We finished mid afternoon and were able to enjoy the evening on the river.

sharing meals

We have a creative crowd, both for construction and meals!

laurelwanrow.com

Hope I’ve given you a few takeaway hints!

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2 responses to “And on to the next weekend…

  1. I’m fascinated by tiny houses! These gypsy wagons seem like a wonderful solution to wanting to provide a place to stay in a flood plain. What a great project–it looks like it was lots of fun.

    • It was, though clearly a project one needs to dedicate time to–and that’s just the construction. Decorating would be an project all its own, especially to get that gypsy vibe!

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