MiniHouse: An Eco Mobile Home
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 08.23.05
Lately, mobile homes are being considered by those seeking affordable eco-effective housing. Lightweight use of building materials, more relaxed building codes, and flexibility of siting are cited as some of the reasons. But often the most compelling reason is the price: mobile homes are cheap to purchase and retrofit. However, many mobile homes are poorly constructed in the first place and have a lot of toxic materials inside.
In contrast to this, Andy Thompson of Sustain Studio in Toronto has designed the MiniHouse — a self-sufficient mobile dwelling that uses solar and wind energy, non-toxic materials and green roofs. To build, he uses SIPs (structural insulated panels, aluminum windows and wheat-straw-board cabinets). He says mobile home codes allow for more creativity in how you heat, cool, handle water, and filter graywater. :: MiniHouse on Sustain.Ca
"However, many mobile homes are poorly constructed in the first place and have a lot of toxic materials inside." No kidding - you should see them burn. Not a lot of people getting out of a trailer fire. While the space still looks fairly cramped, at least the smoke would be a lot less toxic, you might have a shot..
Sure, I live in a mobile home. 28 x 40 paid for and very comfortable. I WANTED to build a tiny little victorian two storey cottage, but got this AND two lots AND built a 24 x 36 pole building instead. It has been a good home, and I feel that we could get out of it easily as I have retrofitted all new windows and 3 new doors. A 40 foot covered back porch aint a bad place to sit and watch the sunset and enjoy my wife's flower gardens, eh?
Is this something that should be considered for hurricane cleanup and post disaster housing for the hundreds of thousands of people that are now homeless. Can this be produced in an affordable way in order to directly help those in need. The disaster cleanup and rebuild can become a case study in how sustainable design and energy efficiancy can become part of urban planning for everyone...not just those who can afford to be "modern".
Used to live in a 7k foot home PLUS full walk in attic and basement which I owned in full. Then I moved into a 16x80.
These mobile homes are a masterwork of efficiency. True, fire burns though the walls quick and gets all the oxygen it needs to fry you in minutes so you need great smoke detecters ect.
My mobile home cost a tiny fraction of the price of conventional and are easier to insulate ect. They cost LOTS less to buy, they cost LOTS less to live in. For 270 a month I get a community swimming pool with life guard, 10 acre park with playground and tobaggon hill and two tornado shelters and I think it's heaven at bargin rates.
And one more thing. Nobody gets assulted or killed here. Someone was murdered in my yard at the big house, someone was stoned to death 100 feet away in the street. Ahhh city living, where the jobs pay really good. Not like here, us poor folks suffering ha.
A comment on toxic materials in mobile homes. A hermatically sealed vapor barrier solves this in normal living conditions. Good new ones have it. It's carpet that will kill ya. It's a cesspool of germ infested filth.
And a final comment on this Eco Mobile Home. Too fancy, not worth it and personal production of electricity costs a fortune. Get DC aplliances and lighting instead. KISS
I'm in northern Ohio. Can't the solar radiation come threw the clouds, I thought it could.
I'm a handicap dreaming of a home and land. If I had a Duplex trailor with nothing but solar devices, would it work in the East. Could I live safe?