Trailerwrap: Converting Trailers into Liveable Spaces
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.19.06
TrailerWrap "explores the potential for providing affordable housing through the adaptive re-use of existing mobile homes". And a lovely design it is, with deep overhangs and clean modernist design. What it is not is "an adaptive re-use of an existing mobile home"- it is like those "renovations" where one bit of wall or foundation is retained to keep it from being classed as new construction but everything is new. All they keep is the chassis (which looks like a rusty wreck) and build new on top of it. And it is not a trailer- it appears to exceed the height and the width rules that would permit it to be transported on the roads,which kind of defines the word "trailer". We also suspect that it is not "simple, affordable kit that can be assembled easily by just a few people". We worry about the pictures of the demolition- old trailers are full of toxic mould and mousecrap and they are doing it in the middle of a park without masks or googles. Surely one of the benefits of it being a trailer is that you can haul it somewhere where its materials can be recycled or dealt with safely. If the original point of trailers is that they can be built efficiently in a factory, why would you renovate it in a park? We are impressed by the initiative of the students and faculty at University of Colorado at Boulder College of Architecture and Planning and the sponsors who helped, but wish it was a more realistic solution.....::TrailerWrap via ::MocoLoco and ::Josh Spear
I agree.
LOL, you're kidding, right?! The post should read: Converting Liveable Spaces into Yuppie Liveable Spaces. Very unTH.
I live in a trailer in Boulder, CO. I'll bet none of those students do though. Students here are generally very rich and wouldn't consider "slumming it" in a trailer park. As you point out this idea is totally unrealistic. Putting money into a trailer is always a bad investment, unless you are going to live there and the amount is small ($5000 or less). You lose money when you put it into a trailer. Some of my neighbors sunk over $20,000 into a trailer, rebuilding it from the ground up like this, expecting to sell it for a lot, and of course lost $10,000 or so.
Jesus-God!!! What a bunch of whining. You've missed the point entirely. This is about recycling, reuse, and affordable housing. It's not perfect, but it's a good idea. Build on the concept and adapt it to something YOU like. I applaud the idea and the work that went into it. Lead on...
Agreed. This is a great reuse of something that might be wasted. Anyone know how these homes are disposed of? The cycle seems to be people 'trading in' old trailers for new ones. I suppose the manufacturers reuse the parts they can (frame) and recycle the rest as scrap.. Anyone one know the typical fate of an old, worn out mobile home?
its awesome and a brilliant idea. love it.
This is a little late but i saw one in a landfill on dirty jobs. I was actually looking on here for an idea of what to do with one I own in a nudist camp. Hell maybe i will renovate it and move in. It couldn't hurt my tan and it would save me a grand a month.