City daily life can get boring, especially if it consists only of a range of repetitive chores “work-house-work.” Some of these fed-up people, which we will discuss below, decided to completely change their lifestyle. Because of boring, obsolete, and monotonous life, many decided to move on houses on wheels. People are searching RVs on ZeRVs’ website hoping to find something suitable for their needs.
Imagine living a free life and constantly changing surroundings – all thanks to your own comfortable mobile home. Forget the sterile white plastics and rubbers of commercial vehicles. Many, rather modern nomads travel in style with tinted glass, full bathrooms, wood stoves, and even a porch. Learn about these incredible homes made from trucks, trailers, buses, and even bicycles.
Beautifully hand-crafted travel trailers made from wood are true works of art. Making your own teardrop travel trailer from wood in the 1930s and 1940s was very popular. But since then, mass production of RVs has become the norm. Although the market is not populated with modern RVs, you can still find wooden RVs from time to time at ZeRVs if you take time searching.
But not for these beauties. These wooden travel trailers and RVs are all hand-made with love. Although you can order some of these, especially the new ones, there is always an option to make your own. Below are some of the unique and popular wooden RV then and now.
Contents
1. 1950s Dodge School Bus
This old school bus converted into a house looks really just like a stationary wooden cabin from behind. You can only see a rather narrow little hut with a pretty front porch. But it’s not just a wooden hut – it’s an old 1950s Dodge school bus, dismantled and rebuilt into a small house on wheels with an upstairs bedroom and a wooden stove, darkened glass, and decorative railings on the porch. This bus house is known for being featured on the cover of Jane Leeds’s 1979 book “House on Wheels” (Rolling Homes), which is a collection of photos of various motorhomes and is very popular among fans of such housing.
2. 1969 Ward LaFrance Fire Truck
Is this motorhome not big enough? What about the fire engine? This huge wheeled house was built on the frame of a 1969 Ward LaFrance fire truck. Its owner Damien removed the massive fire equipment, added a steel frame, and covered it with lumber. Inside he placed a huge amount of furniture, decorative items, and other household utensils. “I don’t pay attention to people who say that for the same money you could buy a posh Winnebago,” Damien told MrSharkey.com.
3. The 1960 Bedford TK
It is impossible not to admire the charming nomadic world of the artist Rima Staines, who for several years travels through Scotland in a converted truck-horse Bedford TK. Dark wood, church windows, Dutch doors, separated in the middle by a horizontal line into two halves, oil lamps, and the smell of incense – all this gives the house of Rome an extremely romantic atmosphere. And although its area is small, everything is in its place.
4. The 1950s International Harvester Bus
While many people build houses inside buses completely occupying the cabin, or putting the structure on the wheeled chassis, you can increasingly see hybrids when the attic and porch are added to the bus body. Wooden attachments are located on the roof of the bus and hang from it at the rear.
5. Old Bedford Truck
Old Bedford trucks are really one of the favorites when it comes to DIY RV. Morison’s House of Wheels is a work of art. On the one hand, it is an art project, on the other hand – quite a cozy apartment building. Tales of Space and Time is the work of artists Heather and Ivan Morison at the Base of the Bedford Truck. Its simple interior in the spirit of the 70 somewhat contrasts with the demonstration of apocalyptic fiction. According to the authors, this should symbolize the desire to experience the end of the world.
6. New Zealand Wooden RVs
Some of New Zealand’s most surprisingly sophisticated, large, and cozy mobile homes are found in New Zealand. There is a growing number of residents who choose to travel to great locations while enjoying the comforts of their own home. The balconies, annexes, and roofs of these houses on wheels are well above 13.6 feet (4.15 meters) – the maximum height allowed in some countries. Thus, these homes have more space than you might imagine.
7. 1952 Federal Motors Truck
The owners of some of the most surprisingly complex, large, and cozy motorhomes live in New York, where an ever-increasing number of residents prefer to travel to great places while enjoying the comfort of their own home. The balconies, annexes, and roofs of these houses are well above 13.6 feet (4.15 meters) – the maximum height allowed in some countries. So these houses have more space than you can imagine. Roger Beck’s 5-tonne truck has long been a recognized authority in the case of motorhomes, and Roger Beck has confirmed his reputation as the book “Some Turtles Have Nice Shell” with 400 color photographs of motorhomes and converted buses. Pictured above is Beck’s personal, fourth motoring house, built on the basis of a 5-ton Federal 1952 truck.
8. Wooden Trailers
Small makeshift homes could be called the modern version of the wonderful motorhomes of the past, made cozy by abandoning the plastic interiors of widely used campers, sheathing the outside with wood, and making a sloping roof with a gable. Their area varies from 6 to 12 square meters. Temporary houses can be bought ready-made or made by yourself according to a plan developed by specialists.
9. Horse/vehicle – drawn Trailers
The ancestors of modern mobile homes were the ward – horse-drawn carts of English gypsies. Now fewer and fewer people are nomadic, but motorhomes are becoming more popular every year on almost every continent. A fan of Renaissance fairs, Rey built a moving ward for herself using lifting blocks and a winch.
Wooden RVs are quite popular even now because of their uniqueness and style. If you can’t find a wooden RV that suitable for you on ZeRvs, you can always build your own. There are a number of old campers that you can modify on the website.
