Trailersteading: How to Find, Buy, Retrofit, and Live Large in a Mobile Home (Modern Simplicity Book 2)
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All the advantages of a tiny house at a fraction of the cost! Imagine what you could do with your time if you didn't have to spend $16,000 a year on rent or a mortgage. Old single-wide mobile homes can often be found for free (and installed for a couple of thousand dollars) in rural areas, so trailersteading is akin to dumpster-diving. A trailer allows you to live without debt, to keep your ecological footprint to a minimum with energy bills at or below the national average, and even to blend right in alongside traditional-house dwellers after a few years. Trailersteading profiles thirteen mobile-home dwellers who have used trailers as a stepping stone toward achieving their dreams. Some have spent the cash saved to expedite renovations involving extra insulation, pitched roofs, classy interiors, and even basements, while the found money has allowed others to go off the grid. Many also took advantage of a low-cost housing option to pursue their passions, becoming full-time homemakers or homesteaders. In addition to the case studies, this book presents easy methods of minimizing the negative sides of trailer life and accentuating the positive. For example, did you know a single-wide is easy to retrofit for passive solar heating? That a simple plant-covered trellis can break up the blockiness of the trailer's external appearance? Learn which parts of installing and upgrading your trailer are easy for a DIYer and which parts should be left to the experts, along with how to cheaply heat and cool a mobile home. Read more
Publisher : Wetknee Books
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : December 19, 2012
Edition : Second
Language : English
File size : 33.6 MB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
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Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Kindle
This book is a wonderful resource for those who are intrigued by the idea of getting back to the land, embracing a simpler life and thrive while doing so. The narrative reads in part like a conversation between close friends; each discussing the pros and cons of choosing a recycled home as the anchor to which you moor your homesteading dreams, and the author sharing with the reader the highlights of her own journey to personal independence and the fruits of a successful experiment in self-sufficiency. This account reads as a very entertaining study of modern homesteading pragmatism, versus the materialism advocated by modern culture. It will provide inspiration to young and old alike, although I feel it is of most value to those young adults who have discovered early on that the rat race of American modern society is nothing but a jail cell with padded walls and shiny trinkets. The author is a very real success story, accomplished through hard work, education, persistence and creativity. This is not your typical account of the Mother Earth News retiree with lots of money to finance the back-to-the-land retirement lifestyle. No white-washed accounts of well-off ex-hippies trying to atone for the sins of their past money-making ways. Nor is this book the product of a fly-by-night blogger looking for a quick buck in e-book sales. All the information contained in the book is from real people doing real advances towards independence, in a realistic, attainable fashion. The author makes a full frontal attack on the first, and biggest, challenge of choosing to live in a recycled home: the term ‘trailer’ and all its connotations. The author makes a very convincing case debunking the associated conceptions to the term, and even explains to the reader how some of the disadvantages are not really disadvantages at all. The book candidly and honestly shares what has worked and has not worked for the past 9 years of independence. Neither crazy ex-hippies nor fringe idealist need apply here. The narrative shows you how you can blend modern day technical advances with old-timey folk knowledge that gets things done in an efficient, sustainable way. You might not agree on 100% with the author’s approach to the challenges encountered, but herein lays the beauty of this book: The author is not selling you an idea, nor trying to brainwash you into the lifestyle: The intent seemed to be to clearly inform and offer a different point of view with experience that backs it up. The read itself is easygoing, with plenty of beautiful pictures and a well thought structure. If you are someone who’s just looking to carve a place of your own in this earth, then this book will provide you with an insider’s view of what is possible today.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2015 by Pedrules
Format: Kindle
I came across TRAILERSTEADING: HOW TO FIND, BUY, RETROFIT, AND LIVE LARGE IN A MOBILE HOME by Anna Hess while researching mobile home repair. It did provide some information for the Do-It-Yourselfer, but even more pleasing is that it answered a question I have had for a while: What ever happened to the “back to earth” movement of the hippies/pioneers from the 1960s to 1980s? This was of interest to me because my parents retired to the country during that time, and, while not radical about it, raised much of their own produce and livestock for a very good life. For them it was a lifestyle choice and connection to when they grew up on farms. I was lucky enough to participate in a limited way. For me it was a nod to a lifestyle choice and connection with my heritage. We enjoyed reading about similar adventures from others in such periodicals as Mother Earth News. Many of us were much younger then and that lifestyle requires the stamina and enthusiasm of either youth or stubborn traditionalists. Where would they be now? Hess provides at least a partial answer: A new generation is carrying on the noble experiment of turning their backs on high-paying but empty jobs on the rat race to buy things we neither need nor enjoy in order to pursue a more satisfying life of “voluntary simplicity” closer to the land. The pioneers from a few decades ago explored numerous alternative ways to live. Hess and her family continues this trend, and has one up with an interesting variation: Finding old or abandoned mobile homes (sometimes disparagingly called “trailers”) that can be obtained and little or no cost and rehabbed by a Do-It-Yourselfer at a fraction of the cost of a traditional home. She calls this “trailersteading” and in this book shares both her story as well as those of others. Many people may still look down at mobile homes, but those of us who have lived in them know that can be as comfortable and nice as traditional houses. There is the “status” factor from those who look down their noses at the lifestyle. The trade-off is that it is possible to be debt free, live in a rural area away from the rat race, and have a greater chance to succeed more independently than most. Hess will not make a believer out of you if you do not already lean in that direction. But that is not her purpose. Rather, she wants to share her experience and passion to show that the spirit of independence and adventure is still possible. As Hess explained about her family’s choices: “…choosing to sink our savings into land instead of into a fancy house means that everything we see in every direction now belongs to us, with no debt hanging over our heads. We have the freedom to embark on crazy experiments that our neighbors neither know nor care about, and we have the privilege of eschewing off-farm work, simply improving our homestead when extra funds allow. So if, as one of our critics proposed, this makes us uncivilized, lazy, and irresponsible, then I'm all for laziness!”
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Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2019 by Frank Watson - Writer
Format: Paperback
If you are looking into "tiny houses" after reading some article in Sunset magazine about a cute little artisan house that will WOW the neighbors at ONLY $325,000... then this is definitely NOT the book for you! This book is for the down and dirty: those who fully intend to do it themselves and for as little money as possible. This is a book for people whom a 30-year mortgage is NOT an option. This is a book about how to create a homestead on several acres of land for under $50,000 TOTAL in today's money (and, in some cases, WAY under $50,000). This is a book for people who aren't looking at housing as an "investment," but are looking at housing as a place to actually LIVE a DECENT LIFE! This is an important book at this time in our country's history. Lower income people are being squeezed out of the American Dream, as realtors and contractors look to capitalize on giant houses with equally giant mortgages. And the cities are even worse, with places like San Francisco poised to become like Hong Kong - charging thousands of dollars every month to live in a 10x10 ft square (don't laugh - it will happen). Even houses in relatively distant suburban enclaves are going for half-a-mil in California, which is just SICK and WRONG. The many wonderful people profiled in this book live in seriously RURAL areas. You will NOT be able to apply the principles of this book to an urban setting, and in most cases, not even a suburban setting. Indeed... this book is brilliant in the sense that it includes the negatives with the positives... any objections you may have with the trailer life will be addressed! In short, you are going to have to WANT to live in the boonies, where the land is cheap, the air is clean, and the nearest neighbors are a few miles away. Again... if you can't handle that, then keep reading Sunset and dream about that quarter-of-a-million dollar shipping container! The one and only thing that this book is missing (and, if anyone out there can give me any leads, it would be VERY much appreciated) is a chapter on the LEGAL ins and outs of mobile homes/trailers and the tax implications of the semantic differences between "trailers," "mobile homes," and "RV's" - and/or where to find this information. An important, timely, and inspiring book. You can be king of the castle... and the entire estate... no matter what your income is. But you must be willing to compromise on location. And what's so great about that stupid hipster neighborhood you live in anyway? Do you think anyone there would miss you? Think again. Life is short and nature is calling.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2017 by Camperdude
Format: Kindle
I endorse this book if you are thinking about buying a trailer to live in or if you are interested in an off grid lifestyle. Like all of her books, Anna Hess gives straightforward advice in an easy to read fashion that makes you feel like you are talking to a trusted friend or neighbor. The book consists of Ms Hess' personal experience in acquiring and renovating and living in a vintage "junker" trailer and personal accounts from several other people who are living this lifestyle. It includes people who are living in traditional mobile homes and in a travel trailer and on the grid and off grid. It includes practical advice about taxes, siting a trailer on your property for maximum climate control efficiency, septic systems, improvements, etc. It gives first hand, honest, accounts of the benefits and pitfalls of owning and living in a trailer home. It was worth every cent I spent on it for the advice that I probably would never have gotten elsewhere. It gave me lots of food for thought and things to consider when I am ready to downsize from a house to a trailer.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2013 by Diane Gardener
Format: Kindle
This book was as much a review about living in trailers as it was on living a frugal and simple life. I liked the ideas about alternative lifestyles, but some really sickened me, like the family with five kids (hoping to have many more throughout the woman's child-bearing years) that attached two trailers end-to-end: the bunk beds pictured appeared smaller than even a twin-sized bed, with ceiling clearances only 2-3 feet above each bed. . . worse than conditions in many prisons. A "pod" hostel in Japan would be luxurious compared to those living conditions. Worse, that the kids are homeschooled (not really practical for a family with so many kids of so many different age ranges, and not practical in general unless the stay-at-home spouse has a degree in elementary education) and have little hope of getting out of that lifestyle. Others simply didn't make sense: like building a house around a trailer. Some of the people in the book had a misplaced sense of superiority, looking down on those who have to work full-time jobs in order to pay mortgages. As someone who works full time to pay a mortgage and have health insurance and save for retirement and provide a stable future for my family, and to just generally live like a civilized human being, I was struck by how many of the people featured in the book tried to act as if being lazy and irresponsible is a noble feature. . . Would love to see if they can sustain that lifestyle forever (without being a burden on us taxpayers)
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Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2014 by Amazon Customer
Format: Kindle
I'm not a trailer dweller and probably never will be, but I have been interested recently in downsizing and simplifying for the singular goal of quitting my full-time job so that I can do more meaningful pursuits with my time. Living in a trailer in a rural area is one means of obtaining the goal, hence I downloaded this little book to get ideas. I was not disappointed. I suppose to some that the author's ideas seem extreme: finding an abandoned trailer near her land (to save on hauling charges, which are substantial), refurbishing it, and adding on to the original structure over time without loans. But you can't argue with success: who doesn't want to be free of their full-time job? The book is loaded with ideas, and that is its great asset: it makes you think about alternatives. It can even give you hope for a new, freer lifestyle if being in control of your time is what you're looking for. The writing is filled with anecdotes about people who have already made the switch from expensive mortgage in town to mortgage-free mobile home outside of town, and best of all, the vignettes are accompanied by clear color photographs (including before and after) and much useful how-to information. If you're looking for ideas or just need a little encouragement to make a change, this book can be very helpful.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2013 by V. WELCH
Format: Kindle
Took time out from Walden to this, figuring it would be at least thematically sympatico. Since I grabbed this book during a period when it was free on Amazon, I'm probably not the ideal audience and so my grade should be taken with a big ol' grain of salt: it wouldn't surprise me if this book was a perfect fit for the reader who is actively researching using a trailer to enter or transition to the homesteading lifestyle. Hess covers a wide range of questions and considerations for someone contemplating a low-financial investment, and I found a wide range of interesting tidbits about trailer construction (including an eye-opening section on fire safety). And best of all, Hess has an entirely engaging authorial voice, personable and informed. Turning the pages never felt like a chore, at least until some of the more practical DIY projects were explained in detail (and then it was only because I wasn't interested in the actual projects themselves). On the flip side of things, it's possible that the reader with a very definite approach looking for a very definite answer about the best way to convert and utilize trailers might be frustrated with the book? Maybe? Hess is always on point, but she weaves enough examples in and out of her book that she returns to with enough frequently there were times I wasn't sure if and when a topic was going to get covered. It's possible someone would want a book that is more an instruction manual than this book here? Personally, I wouldn't have traded the book's tone for anything but, again, I think I'm probably atypical and barely in Hess' intended audience (if at all!) If I did decide to pursue the homesteading life, I'd make a beeline right to Hess's other books. But as it was, I found Trailersteading to be a pleasant and informative diversion.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2014 by Jeff Lester
Format: Kindle
I found this book very helpful for some decisions I have to make soon. To tell the truth I never in a million years would have considered moving into a mobile home. But this year, I inherited my parents' 1969 Detroiter mobile home. At my age(60), I am finding my original off-the-grid homestead hard to keep up with. The mobile home I now own, has a large addition built on, including a chimney in place for a wood stove. After reading Trailersteading, I have been studying my pictures of it over with a different point of view. To sell it, I either had to owner finance it or sell it very cheap. That would be fine except it is on two acres of land, has a well and septic in place. It also includes a three car garage plus a shed with an underground root cellar. What more could a homesteader want? I now have a vision of remodeling the trailer and addition to suit me and my lifestyle. So with my father's garden area, fruit trees, grape vines and berry bushes, I'd be pretty well set up. Trailersteading has managed to make me excited about a change in my life that will make it possible for me to live without that mortgage bill every month. Thank you Anna Hess, and I hope you will come out with another book on this same subject! I love your term of "Trailersteading" and so many people do it already but don't know it.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2012 by katlupe