“This is an original U.S. Army WW2 Ben Hur trailer that I purchased from a farmer in Waterville 20 years ago. It’s all original except for whomever painted it orange decades ago. Anyway, it’s all in working condition and has served me faithfully all this time with never a problem. Two Novembers ago I had to come up with a very affordable place to sleep for a few months and building this little cabin into the trailer was my solution. I designed and built it myself and it is solid, insulated and very cozy. Great ventilation thanks to dual roof vents and the opening windows, which are vintage. The interior is all tongue and groove pine. Exterior is all cedar and clear polyurethane coated. The bed deck is Queen mattress size, (mattress in photo not included). It’s basically a super comfortable sleeping space with lots of storage. The trailer bed is 4×8′ and the camper dimensions above the trailer bed side level is 62″x9′. I am 6’1″ and I can stand in the middle at the foot of the bed. It served me very well and has been a great impromptu guest bedroom where I live now. But, I really don’t need it anymore and am lightening my material load in life.” (source: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/rvs/4928871470.html)
Asking price is $2k. I think it’s a great deal if you’re in the market for something like this, you have the money and are in or near the area. It’s listed on Craigslist here in the Seattle area: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/rvs/4928871470.html.
WW2 U.S. Army Ben Hur Trailer With Micro Cabin For Sale
When Matt and I decided we wanted to build a tiny house we weren’t familiar with many designers. In 2009 we bought original Jay Shafer plans for the Tarleton model. Originally designed to be built on a trailer, the Tarleton, like many of Jay’s other designs, featured a loft space for sleeping. Having never built anything before, besides a shower platform which is terminally unsquare, we wanted to follow the plans as closely as possible.
Photo by Laura M. LaVoie
A loft never seemed like a bad idea for us.
Our loft, which is over the kitchen and the bathroom space, is a little bit bigger than the original design. This is because we built our home on a foundation which allowed it to be slightly larger than the footprint of a trailer.
Once the loft was complete we needed to make some choices for the design and functionality.
Our first choice was to add FLOR to the loft. FLOR are modular carpet tiles made of recycled fiber and rubber materials. We had always loved the product but because of the expense waited until we were decorating the tiny house to use it. That way we needed less. We chose a bright spring green to add a pop of color to our space and to match the stain we used on the counter tops. And we liked the idea of a soft surface on the loft floor.
Photo by Laura M. LaVoie
As an added bonus, FLOR is durable and Piglet can use it as a de facto scratcher without harming it in any way. We decided to put it on the storage loft floor, the rungs of our ladder, and on her loft access platforms as well.
