Creating a New Home, Phase 1

Reanna and I moved from Eugene to Joshua Tree in early November. We were there about a month before leaving to visit her family, and our primary project was starting to set up a new living space: an early-1960s Kenskill travel trailer. We will see how this arrangement suits our needs in real life, but the idea of living in a trailer suits the idea of our needs quite well for the time being. I have lived in trailers off and on throughout my life, and while I found nothing glamorous about it, I really appreciate how cheap and mobile they are. Cheap is very appealing now, with large student loans to pay off. Reanna has been interested in the tiny home movement and travel-trailer renovation for years (check out Tumbleweed Tiny Homes, Tiny House Blog, and a couple of trailers), so her vision is the engine for this project.

The first phase was creating a space for the trailer and a little yard for us. We did this in the “north 40” of my parent’s property. Here are some before, during and after shots (all photography and editing by Reanna):

Before, Looking Northwest: From left to right you see the sauna/bath house, our trailer in its old spot, Uncle Bill's shed (to be moved), Grandpa Bob's workshop (to be made into sewing palace), and the old goat pen.

Before, Looking Northeast: In between the fence and the structures, you can see a pile of 2,500 pounds of plywood and other stuff, the remains of an 8' vert ramp. Then left to right, an 8' trailer, Uncle Bill's shed, our 24' trailer, and the sauna/bath house.

During, Looking Southwest: Behind me you can see the 8' travel trailer that served as my bedroom in high school. We gave it away to a local a few days later. It actually made me quite sad to watch it limp away.

During, Looking North: The pile of plywood on the right was the last third or so of the landfill.

After, Looking Northwest: The plywood is gone, 24' trailer in its new place. You can see we'll have a nice little yard in between the trailer and the bath house, once we move Uncle Bill's shed.

After, Looking Northeast

After, Looking West

After, Looking North: Here's the best shot of the trailer. My friend John lived in it while he did his undergrad. It had been his grandparents' and parents'. He gave it to me in the late 90s, when I lived in it for two years. It's got an unusually nice layout, with big windows on the kitchen/dining room side (the right), bedroom in the middle, and bathroom in the back.