Home is Where you Park it

A fun fact about me is that I have always wanted to live in a trailer or RV. I recently found out about the "Tiny House" movement and although we didn't build our house from scratch, it seems Jonny and I now fit their profile. Here is the story about our first home:

After Jonny proposed in October, we started thinking and praying about what our life would look like as a married couple. You see, he is from North Carolina and I am from San Diego, we met in New Zealand, we worked in Alaska, and we eventually want to serve full-time overseas. We realize we don't fit into the category of "normal Americans." With our nomadic circumstances, there was not a location suitable for us to settle and purchase a house, but on the other hand, we didn't feel like renting an apartment was the best use of our finances. So, we figured we would purchase a house on wheels so we can live anywhere in the continental US when we are State-side and park it at a family member's house when we are abroad. It would also limit our accumulation of "stuff" to only the essentials and we get to continue with our nomadic lives while having a familiar and comfortable space of our own, in-tow.
Jonny went to work researching the local RV dealers and Craigslist. After seeing many options, God lead us to a used truck and fifth-wheel trailer combo both year 2000 with very light wear and tear from occasional family camping trip use. It was an amazing deal and even though the interior design was a bit out-dated, we could see the potential, plus it had our ideal floor plan! Thankfully, our upcoming wedding gifts would help us to make the purchase without taking any loans. So, we purchased our first house and a truck for $12,000 and began the process of home-making. Jonny worked for the next month and a half on resealing the roof and all the outside seams with the help of my dad. Together we painted the inside walls, replaced all the hardware/hinges/light fixtures, and I sewed curtains and covered the couch. We renovated and updated our trailer and moved all our stuff into it. After the wedding and honeymoon we drove our house cross-country and parked it in Jonny's brother's driveway in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I must say, it was the best way to road-trip pulling over at rest-stops and sleeping for free in our own cozy bed every night!
Now we have been living in our tiny house for a couple of months and it has perfectly suited all our needs. It has kept us warm through the winter months and forced organization with simply the basics while costing us very little to maintain.

Here are some before and after pictures for your enjoyment:

From the outside

Before-Kitchen and dining room

After!

Before-Bedroom

After!

Updated kitchen