On Living Alternatively...
E2) Well a lot has changed, but one of the most recent things is Taylor! Taylor is my 1989 Toyota Motorhome. I adore her and she is going to take me to Alaska. Also I plan on living in her. Talk about alternative!
Taylor is quite small, only 21 feet, with a V4, yes I know small, but the gas milage is fantastic! She's not very fast, but she is steady. The 22RE engine is one of Toyotas most reliable, especially in the 4 cylinder. She's got a full kitchen, bath, sleeps 4, and has a dinette and couch.
She needed a few upgrades to start, at least for full time living. A full update to the engine, hoses, belts, oil, coolant, new tires. The norm for a vehicle that had been sitting for a while. Other upgrades include solar, generator, bike rack, back rack, and a newly sealed roof, as well as fixing the heater.
I've thought about this quite a bit and researched it for about 2 years. With my new found career as Tour Director, it seems like a good plan to take my house with me. She's been very exciting and full of opportunity and is taking me, my mom, and Korrie, up to Alaska!
My route is above.
April 2nd 2017
E1) Recently I have gone on a quest to try and figure out how to live reasonable in Portland.
My first thought was tiny home which I quickly realized was not a realistic short term goal. So I started stripping down the tiny home idea and realized that for my purposes a trailer would suffice even better. Now how could I even compare these two? The way I see it it the main difference is perspective and bias. Tiny homes are trendy and fun, they are an eco friendly way to live and are all about down sizing. When you tell people you are going to live in a tiny home they are usually excited for you. Trailers on the other hand, while also, fun, eco friendly, and are all about down sizing are not seen in as nice of light. They are only slightly different, as much as we want to think they aren't. Mostly the difference is that a tiny home is designed for each resident specifically where as trailers are not. Tiny homes *may* have nicer materials, but this is also not necessarily true. Finally that tiny homes look nicer. I think they just look more like a standard house.
So why did I decide to go with a trailer instead? Well, quite frankly, one of the reasons I would live in a tiny home is to save money and to build one is still the amount of most house down payments. So with the idea of saving in mind it seemed silly to stay renting in a very expensive area while there were in fact other options. Why not just rent you say? Well I will tell you; I've had many a shared living situation... more than I can even remember at this point and while I do not mind living around others at all, I do mind paying for someone else mortgage. Equally, I find it difficult to take any sort of pride in my place of living when it very clearly isn't mine and when I'm entirely subordinate in the situation. I relish the idea of having something, no matter how small, that I can call my own. I can do what I want to it, when I want to it, entirely at my own will. A trailer/tiny home is of course not my dream, but getting to mine requires saving money, something I cannot do with my salary and my current renting options.
Now I've really fallen hard not this idea which of course is not perfect, but if I can save money and have something that is mine then it will be. I've decided that a dedicated sleeping space is essential. AKA I need a bed, that doesn't fold up and down. My back would just not handle it. Additionally, I have a full time job and so any projects would need to be small and not structural. Painting, sewing, and cosmetic are what is currently reasonable for me. I want one that is in good shape, but isn't already done. Yes, that's right I want to make it my own! A functional kitchen and storage are also critical.
The hardest part is to find a spot to place it. I'd like to live within a mile or so of my work because it would be oh so nice to walk/bike when I can. I desperately miss the times when walking to everything was an option. Granted I know it's not actually that way here, but a short bike ride would be pretty stellar.
I will say that currently the project is on hold so that I may stabilize myself a bit more and get my finances together. New job and such is wearing me out.
April 13th 2015
Also if this idea is appealing to you check this out!
Taylor is quite small, only 21 feet, with a V4, yes I know small, but the gas milage is fantastic! She's not very fast, but she is steady. The 22RE engine is one of Toyotas most reliable, especially in the 4 cylinder. She's got a full kitchen, bath, sleeps 4, and has a dinette and couch.
She needed a few upgrades to start, at least for full time living. A full update to the engine, hoses, belts, oil, coolant, new tires. The norm for a vehicle that had been sitting for a while. Other upgrades include solar, generator, bike rack, back rack, and a newly sealed roof, as well as fixing the heater.
I've thought about this quite a bit and researched it for about 2 years. With my new found career as Tour Director, it seems like a good plan to take my house with me. She's been very exciting and full of opportunity and is taking me, my mom, and Korrie, up to Alaska!
My route is above.
April 2nd 2017
E1) Recently I have gone on a quest to try and figure out how to live reasonable in Portland.
My first thought was tiny home which I quickly realized was not a realistic short term goal. So I started stripping down the tiny home idea and realized that for my purposes a trailer would suffice even better. Now how could I even compare these two? The way I see it it the main difference is perspective and bias. Tiny homes are trendy and fun, they are an eco friendly way to live and are all about down sizing. When you tell people you are going to live in a tiny home they are usually excited for you. Trailers on the other hand, while also, fun, eco friendly, and are all about down sizing are not seen in as nice of light. They are only slightly different, as much as we want to think they aren't. Mostly the difference is that a tiny home is designed for each resident specifically where as trailers are not. Tiny homes *may* have nicer materials, but this is also not necessarily true. Finally that tiny homes look nicer. I think they just look more like a standard house.
So why did I decide to go with a trailer instead? Well, quite frankly, one of the reasons I would live in a tiny home is to save money and to build one is still the amount of most house down payments. So with the idea of saving in mind it seemed silly to stay renting in a very expensive area while there were in fact other options. Why not just rent you say? Well I will tell you; I've had many a shared living situation... more than I can even remember at this point and while I do not mind living around others at all, I do mind paying for someone else mortgage. Equally, I find it difficult to take any sort of pride in my place of living when it very clearly isn't mine and when I'm entirely subordinate in the situation. I relish the idea of having something, no matter how small, that I can call my own. I can do what I want to it, when I want to it, entirely at my own will. A trailer/tiny home is of course not my dream, but getting to mine requires saving money, something I cannot do with my salary and my current renting options.
Now I've really fallen hard not this idea which of course is not perfect, but if I can save money and have something that is mine then it will be. I've decided that a dedicated sleeping space is essential. AKA I need a bed, that doesn't fold up and down. My back would just not handle it. Additionally, I have a full time job and so any projects would need to be small and not structural. Painting, sewing, and cosmetic are what is currently reasonable for me. I want one that is in good shape, but isn't already done. Yes, that's right I want to make it my own! A functional kitchen and storage are also critical.
The hardest part is to find a spot to place it. I'd like to live within a mile or so of my work because it would be oh so nice to walk/bike when I can. I desperately miss the times when walking to everything was an option. Granted I know it's not actually that way here, but a short bike ride would be pretty stellar.
I will say that currently the project is on hold so that I may stabilize myself a bit more and get my finances together. New job and such is wearing me out.
April 13th 2015
Also if this idea is appealing to you check this out!