Bought my future off grid cabin today.

[oregano]

Today my uncle and I drove back from Waterford, California, with the RV that will be my future hermit cabin. It's what is called a "toy hauler", an extra strong frame RV that is unpartitioned inside in order to haul off road vehicles like ATV's and go karts. I paid $3700 US for it. The only things I will have to rip out are some cheap cabinets and a elevated bunk meant to be used for sleeping during off road vehicle competitions. The big back door will have to be bolted shut and weatherproofed. And yes, it has a regular door on the side. I hope to have it outfitted by late summer.

It turns out my mom's objection to a wood cabin was that I would be finishing it out myself in a remote area. If I got hurt I may not have been able to call for help. With this I can do all the work here where I live now.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Cool! If I had the money, I'd do that,...solar panels w/storage battery, high efficiency heat pump, super insulated,...the works. The nice thing is that you can literally pick up and go when you want.

Right now, my wife and I are designing one of those homes built under a polycarbonate dome. Basically, build a small home inside a greenhouse. Garden year round. Solar w/battery storage,...maybe a supplemental wind turbine somewhere on the property. Water collection system. I am not paying utility bills while on a retirement fixed income.

My house, right now, is in the suburbs. It's OK. I did put full roof solar panels with a storage battery in the basement. I have 2 electric cars. The solar w/storage pretty much pays for all the electric on the home and powers the cars. The money I save per month is twice the payments on the solar panels. You don't realize how much money you spend on gasoline for 2 cars,...and when you can run the cars for free,...well, it works out real nice.

Good luck on the project!

 

[unperson]

awesome. hope to see some progress photos.

 

[MyLifeAsAnAspie]

Congrats. Keep us up to date on your progress.

 

[Mary Terry]

Since it's a travel trailer, and you can characterize yourself as "traveling" all the time, maybe it won't affect your SSI and other government benefits. You're not "moving" elsewhere; you're just "vacationing" elsewhere.

 

[Gerontius]

All success to you in your project. This sounds like heaven.

 

[oregano]

OK, here are some pix I took of it before I hauled it back to Sacramento, the area depicted is a neighborhood in Waterford which is a small agricultural town about 100 miles south. I found this RV while looking at various Craigslist areas other than my own.

The owner had bought it with the intention of hauling it up to Oregon as storage for his neighbor's mother, who lost her home in the horrific 2020 fires. The little travel trailer behind it was supposed to be her temporary home. But she moved in with her family in California instead and put her charred Oregon lot up for sale. Since the neighbor had contributed half the cost, he wanted his money back. In addition, the neighborhood busybody was threatening to report the trailers to code enforcement despite the fact that numerous travel trailers can be seen lining the streets with extension cords for electricity-living in a trailer parked on a public right of way is illegal.

The trailer is a 1998 according to the title, but the license plate on the back is a style made between 1988 and 1994. I've never heard of "Toy Box", apparently a low output toy hauler maker that was located in Southern California. 7 and a half feet by 23 feet.

The inside looking at the rear. You can see the top cabinets which will be removed. There is a couch, rug, and some sort of medical-type table that I can't figure out what it's used for inside; those are going to the dump.

Here you can see the bunk that will also be removed. The "red paint" is actually some sort of plastic gag decoration similar to the fake "spilled soda" plastic gag gifts that were once popular. The green bars are steel reinforcing braces.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Talk about a "clean slate". Lot's of potential. My imagination is going and it's not even mine.

 

[Mary Terry]

It looks good. That table looks kind of like a massage therapist table but without the hole for the face. I'd keep the table and remove the soft top on it, if possible. You could set it up outside the trailer for outdoor dining, projects, etc. Paint it with maritime paint to withstand the weather.

How are you going to heat it?