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Woman Living Simply in Off Grid Tiny Home on Wheels


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I’m excited to show you an updated tour (and new video tour and interview) with Vina and her tiny home on wheels (of Sol Haus Design) thanks to the amazing Joshua and Natsuko of Chibi Moku. They’re a husband and wife couple who live and travel in their RV throughout the United States (and beyond?).

Right now I’d like to share with you their video and photo tour of Vina’s amazing tiny house on a trailer that she lives simply in full time. And it truly begs the question, would you rather stay put and live simply in a tiny house on wheels or live and travel full time in an RV like Joshua and Natsuko? A tough question for you, I might imagine, as it is for me. Enjoy the tour (and video) below and let me know your preferred way of living simply in the comments at the bottom. Thanks!

Vina’s Tiny Home on Wheels… Or RV/Travel Full Time?

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Images © Chibi Moku

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Images © Chibi Moku

Video: Vina’s Simple Life in her Tiny House on a Trailer

Video: Life on the Road (500+ Days Traveling and Living in a Travel Trailer)

Our biggest thanks to Joshua and Natsuko of Chibi Moku and Vina at Sol Haus Design.

The video and images in this post were brought to you by Chibi Moku. Thank you!

Subscribe to Chibi Moku on YouTube.

“Like” their Page on Facebook.

If you enjoyed Vina’s off grid tiny house story you’ll absolutely LOVE our free daily tiny house newsletter with even more! Thank you!

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 32 comments… add one }
  • Martha
    September 23, 2014, 3:52 pm

    I like it very much. I’d love it if I could see a bathroom! I particularly like the way it is furnished.

  • Brian
    September 23, 2014, 4:15 pm

    Love your TH Vina and thankyou for staging it for the video. This gave us an uncluttered view of the interior. You are obviously a happy soul and love your life on the road. Thankyou for sharing. Cheers from Australia

    • Alex
      September 23, 2014, 7:32 pm

      Cheers Brian! Glad you liked it too!

    • September 28, 2014, 11:21 pm

      Thank you Brian! Admittedly, I have another small storage space (5×7) for my outdoor gear, art supplies and other books. I also rent a small office space in downtown so my desk is not cluttered in my tiny house. Yes I do love living in my teeny tiny!

  • Sandi B
    September 23, 2014, 4:24 pm

    A great tiny house — well thought out! I am building my own tiny house on wheels that will be easily moveable — not so much because I want to be on the road constantly, but more so to be able to move away from annoying neighbors that might crop up here and there — though I do plan on traveling in it some as well. I have been living “small” for 1 years now and enjoy the freedom it brings — you find you do not need all the trappings.

    • Alex
      September 23, 2014, 7:32 pm

      Thanks Sandi! Wishing you the best in your build and look forward to hearing more sometime!

  • Gerry
    September 23, 2014, 5:07 pm

    I think this is one of the nicest tiny homes I have seen. I particularly like the use of space and wood to make it both roomy and warm.

    • Alex
      September 23, 2014, 7:31 pm

      I agree Gerry this is one of the best out there. But dang, I’ve said that a lot! LOL

  • Michael
    September 23, 2014, 6:42 pm

    I guess there is no bathroom – or?

    • Alex
      September 23, 2014, 7:24 pm

      Pretty sure if you watch the video you can take a look at the bathroom- and- you can also see a photo of it on this post: https://tinyhousetalk.com/vinas-tiny-house/

      Thanks!

      • lisa robertson
        January 2, 2015, 6:09 pm

        can you give me an itemize list of prices for each item to build the house please? i want to build one, i dont have any money. so if i had a list of how many screws, nuts and bolts boards…i could buy little by little each month and store them away and then when i get everything then hire someone to build it for me. please reply by my personal email with a phone number i can call and ask questions. thanks

  • zenLoki
    September 23, 2014, 7:35 pm

    I can see living in a house like this. The build is impressive but the bath design was maybe the best I’ve seen in a house of comparable size.

    • September 28, 2014, 11:29 pm

      Thank you for your comment Zen! The bathroom design was probably one of the most challenging, especially the shower. But I’m very happy the way it turned out, despite the teeny tiny space. It’s about providing lots of natural light (like in the shower and art glass in pocket door) and white walls to make it feel bigger.

  • Maria
    September 24, 2014, 7:24 am

    Love her home except for the big black heater. I have seen a house almost like this call the shepherds watch. Thanks for share all these tiny houses with us Alex.

    • September 28, 2014, 11:35 pm

      Thanks for your comment Maria. The gas fireplace/ stove actually feels smaller in the space. But I do love the Shepherds Watch tiny house!

  • Rhonda
    October 1, 2014, 3:48 pm

    I loved how warm, peaceful and serene your home looks! Thank you for sharing it!

  • Gail
    December 8, 2014, 12:46 pm

    I really like the interior wall material. Is it a type of plywood?

  • barbara wolf
    December 19, 2014, 4:00 pm

    I’ve converted a two car garage ((18×18) into a charming guest house behind a house I own and rent to others, It’a got a peaked roof, knotty pine interior, French doors, windows all around, except f0r one wall of mirrored sliding closet doors which reflect house and gardens, Also triangular high windows
    through one can watch the trees dance in the wind from a loft for leeping.
    It’s a gem and I did it 25 years ago. Oh, it has a kitchen with Mexican floral tiles and a full bathroom. I spend winters here in this warm climate (CA)
    and in the spring I go to WA State where it’s green, luscious. I’m building another ‘guest house’ there too.

    • Jane
      December 23, 2014, 9:35 pm

      Barbara, where are you living in WA? I’m just finishing my tiny house on Whidbey Island, and am dreaming of hosting a tiny house community for snowbirds. The name of my house is Ozmyrrah. Google me as Ida and that name.

  • Julianne
    December 20, 2014, 10:21 am

    I was wondering who built Vena’s gorgeous home. I am having difficulty finding a builder. I live in MA and will be ready in the Spring ! Any suggestions
    Thanks

  • Jane
    December 23, 2014, 9:45 pm

    Julianne, I checked out several builders before I found mine in OR. Vina’s was built in CA, and I doubt you’d want to pay to transport a THOW across the country. My delivery and set-up for about 200 miles is about a thousand dollars. (I do live on an island, but that adds only about $50.) Think about mileage, (extremely low when towing), hotels, etc. added to gas and time. It’s very pricey to move across country.
    Although the West Coast is a hotbed for THOW builders, there must be someone nearer to you who’s been in the business for a while, and has satisfied customers. Ask to see their houses and speak to them frankly.

  • Kathy
    December 25, 2014, 2:33 am

    I volunteer fulltime as a host in a California State Park. I have living in my trailer for 10 years now and would never go back to living in a house or God forbid an apartment. My only problem is if I’m not at a park the only other place to park is in a trailer park and their just terrible to live in. Since most State and county laws restrict the use of travel trailers as a permanent residence. It really limits were I can live. But volunteering has it’s good side, I get to live in beautiful surroundings in trade for 25 hours work. And the work is really easy. I’ve looked buying property but run into building codes that won’t let me use my trailer. And it’s really hard to find a county without strict laws.

    • May 9, 2015, 6:51 pm

      I would love to talk with you as a single woman thinking of doing a trailer/RV/tiny house… and was wondering just this. Where to park it when traveling that’s safe and not outrageously expensive.
      408-899-2139 Call if you can.
      Thanks!! Alison N Ca.

  • Stela
    January 8, 2015, 3:32 am

    I love this house and it would be so liberating to live this way.

    I would love to see her wardrobe. Where does it all go?

    How much would a project like this cost?

  • DessA slaughter
    January 22, 2015, 1:31 pm

    want to get some information would like to do this but live in cold arealiving off the grid what do you do for heat in these besides a wood burnerare there wall furnaces that use propane and these small kir chen units can they use the propane?

  • tracy
    January 27, 2015, 4:38 pm

    Are you serious!!!! $40,000 with free labor!!! You can buy something way bigger for that price!

    • Debra VS
      May 9, 2015, 7:02 pm

      Not in California, you can’t, Tracy.

    • Kathy
      December 6, 2015, 12:58 am

      Tracy, I second that comment about what one cannot have for $40k in CA (I live in the Bay Area where median house price is something like half a million, and 15 sq ft apartments in the City go for $300k). iI am thinking that you probably can’t get it in a lot of other places either!! $40k is not out of line for such a carefully designed and well constructed THOW. I watched the video on Tiny House Swoon, and no offense to those that made this video, the Swoon video gave Vena more time to talk about all the special components of this house, and to say that she did in fact pay her friends for their work (don’t know about the boyfriend carpentry though), so the $40k DID include labor to some degree. Then consider the following special costs: the propane firebox and flue is “double insulated” which allowed placement right next to flammable walls without metal or tile protection. And it cost $3k. The job of heating this space could surely be done for less if you wanted to. The large shower was hand tiled to allow for use of flexible grout to avoid cracks from being in tow. The huge skylight window and fire egress in the loft opens bottom out OR swivels at the center and it cost $1000. Again, probably one could be had for less. The furniture, like the bed/sofa and kitchen cabinetry, armoire and pantry, were all custom built for the spot they went into. There is an on demand water heater, which I am guessing was about $750 to $1000. There are solar panels on the roof and the special electrical doodads that that requires. Definitely NOT cheap.

      The video also goes into special features of the build of the structure itself, like the precise joinery required to avoid having ugly window and door flashing spoil her vision, and the extra height of the side walls, and 40 degree slope on the roof, allowing for more head space in the loft. And an expensive set of french doors, not to mention that 8×12 lovely deck. All that costs much green!! There are also several art works made for this house by Vena’s friends, like gorgeous handpainted doors on her armoire, and hand made reeded glass with leaves within the glass. Folks, I consider the home a BARGAIN for $40k. And would give a lot to own it myself for that price. It is very special and quite beautiful for my money!!

  • Carlos
    May 9, 2015, 7:50 pm

    I saw Vina’s house a couple of months ago and saved it because of how connected with nature everything is. I decided at that point to buy my own piece of land so that I could place my house in nature like hers. I am in the process of looking for a piece of property to start the process although I already started downsizing and saving. I would like to create a tiny home community if I can buy a few acres.

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