By Tom Dare
MEET THE FAMILY of five who say they’ve never been happier after selling their five-bedroom house and everything inside it in order to move into a 180 square foot $3,500 (£2,570) boutique-style trailer.
Images show the incredibly modern inside of the family’s stunning RV, which the couple fitted out with all the fixtures and fittings, complete with bathroom, kitchen, microwave, luxury living room area, an enviable double bed and a three-story bunkbed all on a shoestring budget.
Further images from the collection show the family relaxing around their very own fire pit, where they spend most of their evening, while others show them enjoying every day life in their new ‘tiny home.
Dad Dino, 36, Mum Ashley, 32 and sons Gabe, 8, Gavin, 7 and Quinn, 4, had what many would consider an ‘ordinary’ life in Ventura County, California. They had a five-bedroom house, a mortgage, and were on the hunt for a new house when Ashley came across a piece of land for sale nearby.
“We had no intentions or desire to build a house, but I stumbled upon land and it was just perfect, says Ashley, a blogger and designer who works from home in order to look after the children.
“We sold our five- bedroom house pretty quickly, and while we built our new place we needed a place to live. Renting an apartment or house just seemed out of the question because the rent for a one-bedroom apartment was more than our mortgage.
“We also looked into tiny houses but, again, they were more money. So we found our trailer, it had three bunk beds and was only $8,000.
“So we thought, let’s get crazy and go on a once in a life time adventure.
“We just knew we wanted a different life experience and this was gonna be it. The idea of living so small and on our land where our kids could run free pretty much sold us. We could save money and have so much fun doing it. The kids enjoy this life, they use their imagination now to play.
So the family bought the trailer and moved into their new home in April 2017. The next step was renovating it, something which Ashley said they were able to do in a remarkably short period of time.
“What I love about RVs and trailers is their straight lines,” says Ashley.
“They really follow closely to a house. In here it was all just minor cosmetic touch ups, and we renovated the whole RV in 3 weeks.
“We spent about $3,000 on renovations, and then later painted the outside ourselves for another $500. We live on our land and hook up to our neighbours utilities so we are able to stay stationary. We do travel a lot, but we do it outside of the RV.
So how has converting from a five-bedroom home to a five-bed trailer affected this young family’s lives?
“Our lives are so different,” says Ashley.
“We are all different. We’ve definitely changed in this last year as well as our perspective on life. I think we all appreciate the sweet simplicities of life we take for granted. Like your own bedroom, a washing machine, trash service. Those would also be included in the things we miss!
“But because there is nowhere to hide, all of your problems are kind of out there, which has been good for us. We definitely feel stronger.
“People are always blown away that we even do this and of course people are blown away that it’s actually an RV. It’s only 180 square foot, so not very big.
“But I love this life! Mostly for what it’s taught our family and how it’s changed us. I always tell people to go in with less. You think you need way more than you actually do but living inside is way more doable if you don’t crowd yourself with a lot of stuff.
“Whether you go tiny by choice or you’re forced into it, what I’ve learned this year is to find joy in the in between, in the uncomfortable or different situations. There is so much beauty right where we are now, and we so often are in a rush to get to the next step in our lives. So, if you’re going small, soak it all in!”
You can follow the adventures of Ashley and her family at their Instagram account
here: https://www.instagram.com/arrowsandbow/
For more information see www.mediadrumworld.com
