Wooden houses on wheels are compact and comfortable. Do-it-yourself motorhome: design photos, step-by-step work process Wooden motorhomes production

Is it difficult to build a motor home on the basis of a conventional car trailer? What materials can this trailer house-cottage be built from? What are its minimum dimensions? What interior layout will allow the most efficient use of the interior space? Let's try to find answers to this list of questions.

Goals

A small country dacha is probably the most common hobby in the post-Soviet space over the past half century. The area of ​​cities is growing every year, and the sites naturally move away from the center of settlements. Distances are sometimes measured in tens of kilometers; The most comfortable way to overcome them is to drive your own car.

At the same time, turning a small area into a place permanent residence not all summer residents are ready. The maximum that an average urban family can do is to spend the night on their site once a week. Building a capital house for the sake of this overnight stay is a dubious undertaking; Sleeping in a car is very uncomfortable...

For summer residents who have basic skills in working with power tools, home-made trailers are often the way out.

We have to study one of these structures, having become acquainted with the materials used and constructive solutions.

Acknowledgment: The photos used in this article were kindly posted by one of the regulars of the League of Caravaners forum.
The work of the author was reduced only to the clarification of some technical subtleties.

Material selection

In most cases, a single-axle trailer with a maximum load of no more than a ton becomes the basis on which a compact trailer-cottage-caravan is built. Taking into account the weight of household items and a couple of people, our choice is a cottage trailer up to 750 kg in weight.

The weight limit leaves its mark on the choice of material.

• We will make the frame of the building from a pine bar with a section of 50 mm.
• Walls - from 10 mm plywood (moisture resistant or impregnated, which reduces the hygroscopicity of the material and prevents it from rotting); floor - from 12 mm. It is also used for building inside.
• The outer skin is galvanized steel. The sheets are hemmed to the frame bar with self-tapping screws; overlaps are additionally sealed with silicone sealant. Reinforced outer corners aluminum corner- again sealed with silicone.

• What to choose as a heater laid between the inner and outer layers of plywood - let the reader decide. Here is a comparative thermal conductivity of popular heaters:

Nuance: glass wool will inevitably caking over time.
It is better to use hard insulation.

Dimensions

A reasonable minimum size of the trailer required for our purposes is 2300x1600 mm. Such dimensions will allow you to build a fairly comfortable sleeping place for two people inside and leave some space for a table under the washbasin and / or gas stove.

A two-axle trailer-dacha will provide much more comfort; however, the price of such a trailer will be twice - three times more. Its dimensions (up to 4.5 meters in length) allow you to build a full-fledged toilet room.

A reasonable minimum height of a structure is generally 2 meters. The height can be adjusted depending on the dimensions of the owners: it is clear that a person of very tall stature does not want to constantly cling to the ceiling with the top of his head.

Construction

So let's get started. How to build a cottage from a trailer with your own hands?

Floor, bottom rail

1. Boards are completely dismantled. From the trailer there is only a flat platform. If the horizontal base has sufficient rigidity, the floor logs and strapping can be attached directly to it; it is better to scald a thin flexible sheet with a frame made of a professional pipe with a section of 50x25 mm.
2. Then, the bottom strapping from the bar, laid along the perimeter, is bolted to the base; side bars are connected by lags with a step of 20 cm (for 12 mm plywood).

As an option, the entire structure can be assembled at the stand and only then pulled to the base of the trailer.

1. The logs are attached to the harness with a galvanized corner; the bar must be soaked with hot drying oil twice.

Tip: instead of drying oil heated in a water bath, you can use cold drying oil.
In this case, after applying each layer, the bar is heated with a building hair dryer.

1. A heater is laid between the lags; then the floor is covered with plywood, which is attracted by self-tapping screws.

frame

The instructions for assembling the frame are no different from the construction of the lower trim: the bar is connected by corners to self-tapping screws. Before or after assembly, the tree is impregnated with drying oil. Do not be afraid that the frame will not be rigid enough: the sheathing will add structural strength.

Sheathing, insulation

The finished frame begins to be sheathed from the inside. Plywood is attracted by self-tapping screws 32 mm long with a pitch of about 25 cm. Self-tapping screws are only galvanized: in wet weather, black steel will inevitably decorate the walls with untidy rusty streaks.

Three nuances:

1. Holes for self-tapping screws are pre-drilled and countersunk so that the caps do not cling to clothing. An alternative is to use self-tapping screws with semi-secret heads.

1. Plywood from the inside must be sanded before varnishing and after applying the first layer. Any moisture will raise the pile on the top layer of veneer, which will make the surface rough.
   The amount of work will be quite large, so it is better to use a grinder - even the simplest, vibrating. If there is no electricity where you are building, there is always a way out: renting a diesel generator for a summer residence costs from 1,000 rubles a day.
2. The outer side and ends of plywood also need protective impregnation. And in this case, the cheapest and most practical option is two layers of hot drying oil.
   The insulation is fixed in the grooves formed by the frame and the inner lining, after which it is sheathed on the outside with plywood proliferated on both sides.

The door is assembled similarly to the walls and hung on galvanized hinges; as a constipation, an ordinary door lock or a pair of latches is used - inside and out.

Final stage - exterior finish galvanized. It is fixed with self-tapping screws 25 mm long in increments of 10 cm along all the bars of the frame; then the corners are closed with a corner. Do not forget about the sealant: it will protect the corners and joints from water leakage.

In the photo - the lining is ready for painting.

Window

If you want your miniature house to have skylights, no problem.

1. The opening is provided at the stage of frame construction. It is surrounded by a bar with a section of the same 50x50 mm.
2. As an external glazing bead, a duralumin corner is used, screwed flush with the outer skin with self-tapping screws. The seat under the corner is pre-coated with sealant.
3. A piece of plexiglass cut to the size of the opening sits on the sealant and is fixed from the inside with a glazing bead from the same duralumin corner.

Internal layout

Our choice is a convertible bed-seat and folding table. The transformation mechanism will make clear pictures.

Useful little things

• An alternative to galvanized plywood - profiled sheeting. According to a similar scheme are often built country houses from block containers.
• Do-it-yourself cottage trailer repair usually comes down to periodic painting of galvanizing. old paint removed with washes. In those few cases where the wheels, fenders or suspension of the trailer are damaged, spare parts for the trailer are bought at the nearest auto shop.

• The easiest way to organize ventilation is to provide a pair of hatches closed with a mosquito net in the door (bottom and top).

Conclusion

Sweet Pea is a cozy wooden house on wheels.
Architectural firm PAD Tiny Houses (Portland, USA) presented a project of an unusual compact cottage. He looks like cozy country house, made of wood, but in fact this is a car camping for a young family.

house, car, review, transportation, camping, motorhome
The Sweet Pea Tiny House is a mobile home designed specifically for a single woman who is often on the road. But she hopes one day to find her soul mate, to give birth to a child, and this is provided for in the project. This is a great option for economical housing with its own style. It will also look good on a small suburban area. All that is needed is to receive instructions and assemble the building. That is exactly what its owner did, and on her own.

Spacious porch of Sweet Pea Tiny House.

Inside the Sweet Pea Tiny House campsite.
Double French doors lead into the main living space. Through the skylights and windows, a lot of sunlight enters the interior of the house, which creates a feeling of spaciousness. There are several large wardrobes and many shelves for small items.

Double bed under the roof.
A sliding ladder leads to the upper level. The bed under the attic is designed for two adults. For the child there is a cozy bed near the front door.

Shower cubicle with a deep tray.
The combined bathroom is designed so that it compactly combines a bath and a shower. Unlike traditional models, this allows you to bathe a small child.

View from the kitchen to the living area.

The house has a lot of cabinets and shelves.
Sweet Pea Tiny House camping area - 12.6 square meters living area, not including the sleeping loft. Almost everyone can make such a house on wheels. Finished project drawings and technical documentation can be purchased for just $79. Inexpensive timber, boards, plywood are needed for construction. All elements of the house are made of environmentally friendly materials.

Full kitchen equipped with everything you need.

Sweet Pea Tiny House mobile home.
Sweet Pea Tiny House is being built on a 4.9-meter-long two-axle trailer with a load capacity of 3,400 kilograms. Depending on the finish and equipment used, camping weighs up to 3000 kilograms.

A mobile home on wheels is a great way to always have a roof over your head for people who, on duty or at the behest of their hearts, are constantly moving from place to place. And if in our country they are practically not common, then America and Europe have been using campsites for a long time and with pleasure. The bulk of such structures has a rectangular shape and a flat or streamlined roof. However, there are companies that prefer to build real campers, more like compact cottages than for vans.

Sweet Pea Tiny House Mobile Home

Sweet peas or peas - this is the name of this car camping in the form wooden house, designed by the US architectural firm PAD Tiny Houses.

This particular project was designed for a single woman who dreams of a husband and child. Since the customer is constantly on the road, she needed compact and comfortable mobile housing, with an eye on the accommodation of two adults and a child. Gina received technical documentation from the firm and detailed instructions for the assembly of a house kit from a bar and a board, according to frame technology. The assembly technology was calculated in such a way that independent construction She didn't have any trouble at home. The area of ​​the house is about 13 m², not counting the second light, on which there is a double bed for adults, it can be reached by a sliding wooden staircase.

At the first level - all the nodes necessary for a comfortable existence: a full-fledged kitchen, a bathroom, storage systems and shelving.

Also in the entrance area under the window there is a sofa, which will later be used as a sleeping place for a child.

The bathroom has a shower with a deep tray, in which you can bathe the child, like in a bathtub.

If our interiors are now dominated by plastic and composite, the Americans, on the contrary, prefer natural materials. facade, all interior decoration in the house and the furniture is made of wood. Natural lighting for most of the day is provided by glazed double doors and windows not only in the walls, but also in the roof and in the pediment.

To build such a house, you will need a two-axle trailer about five meters long and with a carrying capacity of about 3.5 tons. The house itself, depending on the type of finish and functionality, weighs about three tons.

Motorhome Ostara

French architects from Baluchon also specialize in compact mobile homes and prefer natural materials. For their house, designed by Ostara, they used wood for the frame and sheathing, and as a heat insulator, sheep wool, cotton; hemp and linen for sealing.

As in the previous project - the classic form with gable roof and the second light. The first level is reserved for the kitchen, living room and bathroom, the second is the bedroom.

Making your own camper is not too difficult a task for experienced craftsman. But the terms of such construction can be greatly delayed due to the constant improvement of the design. In order not to get into such a situation, you should think over the interior in advance, abandoning obviously unnecessary elements. This is especially important when equipping small cars, for example, when creating a do-it-yourself home on wheels from a GAZelle.

The mobile home has undeniable advantages - comfort, coziness and mobility. Moscow is a noisy city, from which you sometimes want to leave. Trailer owners do not have to look for a place to sleep, and travel becomes very economical. If earlier it was not possible to use this original housing, you should first familiarize yourself with their classification.

Types of motorhomes and their classification

When choosing the type of future mobile housing, you can be guided by its division according to:

• mind - there are trailed, van or motorhomes combined with a car;
• class - there are three classes of comfort for motorhomes;
• type of trailer - there are trailer trailers, hybrid and fifth-wheel trailers.

If everything is clear with the trailer type of a mobile home, then the difference between a van and a combined motorhome is not immediately visible. In the first version, the living quarters are located in the van of the car and are separated from the driver's seat.

This option is suitable when traveling together, when no one stays in the "house" for the duration of the journey. Thanks to this design, it is possible to fit more functional furniture using a blank front wall.

Motorhomes converted from GAZelles or minibuses are just combined.

The comfort class can be called conditional. So, class “A” motorhomes include spacious trailers made on the chassis of large trucks. Outwardly, they resemble a bus, they can have folding structures, but inside they do not differ in functionality from a small-sized apartment.

It should be borne in mind that the driver must have category "C" rights to drive this transport.

There is much less space in it, but it is still convenient to travel in them. Importantly, you can drive such a car with category B rights if the weight of the car or the total weight of the car with the trailer does not exceed 3.5 tons.

Class "C" indicates the simplest motorhomes. It can be a small trailer or a minibus converted into a camper. There is no separate bed- its function is performed by folding sofas or armchairs. But by equipping such a mini camper with a trunk-tent, a folding canopy and a set of camping furniture, you can get a comfortable stay at a minimum cost.

Such construction trailers are also called hybrid trailers to distinguish them from simple trailers. Separately, it should be noted fivsvill-trailers, the shape of which is designed to be used in conjunction with pickups. Thanks to this, it is possible to reduce the length of the entire caravan, because part of the trailer hangs over the car body.

Mistakes when building houses on wheels with your own hands

Prices for mobile homes significantly "bite". No wonder the desire of skilled heads of families to save the budget and do everything themselves. It is important to be wise and learn from the mistakes of others:

• you should not do everything from improvised materials - you will have to live in the house for at least a week and you want to spend your vacation in comfort;





• a serious revision of the body, heating system, wiring will be required - one cannot do without the skills of an auto mechanic;



• if you still managed to fit the shower and toilet, do not forget about the drain tank - pour it out dirty water on asphalt or lawn is extremely unethical;
• it's better not to forget to make a connector for connecting 220V at campsites, and a converter for 12V from the car battery.

Making a trailer on your own

If the difficulties do not frighten, and the desire for action is unstoppable, you can try your hand at building a house. And to remake a GAZelle or build a trailer from scratch - the choice is strictly individual!

Do-it-yourself house on wheels from a GAZelle

For work you need a grinder, welding machine, hand saw on wood and a lot of patience. The phased modernization of the car looks like this:

1. The seats are taken out of the passenger compartment, removed old cladding. All metal parts are treated with a special solution to prevent rust. The walls and ceiling are insulated with polyethylene foam, plywood sheets are laid on the floor. All wiring runs under the floor and wall sheathing, this should be thought out in advance.



2. A frame for furniture is welded directly in the body. If it is impossible to set the car evenly, you can use a pipe rested with the ends against the lower edge as a level window openings. After rough welding, the frame is removed and everything is welded, cleaned and again brought inside.



3. Window openings are glued with carpet. Ceiling panels glued with carpet are also installed. After completing the upholstery of the cabin, you can fasten the slats under the mezzanine and mount the furniture frames.



4. For the front seats, you can make a swivel mechanism. To do this, you need a front hub, for example, from a VAZ and part of a swivel rack. The circuit is pretty simple.





5. The final stage is the installation of furniture on the frame, the connection of lighting, the installation of a pump for the kitchen washstand, the lining of the mezzanines and minor interior improvements. For cooking, you can put a small gas stove on one burner.



6. Instead of welding the furniture frame, you can use ready-made sets, reinforcing them from the inside with corners and additional screws. You also need to attach the kitchen to everything - the floor, the sofa, the wall. This is done to protect furniture from loosening while driving on bumpy roads.

We should not forget that such a modification of the car requires registration in the REO. To do this, you need to write an application and get a resolution from the technical department of the traffic police and a protocol from an authorized organization.

Stylish plywood trailer house

If the car has a towbar, it’s a sin not to take advantage of the situation and not make a nice “drop” trailer for spending the night outside the city. For this:

1. The side walls of the future van are cut and attached to the base. All holes for doors and windows, as well as for lightening the frame, must be cut in advance, so it is better to think over the drawing well.



2. From furniture board shelves are assembled and installed on the base. The same shelves will serve as the front and rear walls of the van.



3. According to the shape of the van, a plywood sheet is bent over the shelves on both sides, and a power frame made of timber is fixed on top. One side is liftable, giving access to the kitchen.





4. Cut out the top hatch and skylight. The entire frame is insulated, wiring is laid.



5. Everything is glued on top with veneer sheets. When the door and window openings are cut out, you can proceed to the exterior painting and varnishing.





6. Doors, an upper hatch and supply and exhaust ventilation are installed. After fixing all the fittings, side lights and fenders for the wheels, you can safely go on a trip!

And the video shows a detailed assembly of a motorhome with the installation of solar panels:

architectural firm P.A.D. Tiny Houses(Portland, USA) presented a project of an unusual compact cottage. It looks like a cozy country house made of wood, but in fact it is a car camping for a young family.

The Sweet Pea Tiny House is a mobile home designed specifically for a single woman who is often on the road. But she hopes one day to find her soul mate, to give birth to a child, and this is provided for in the project. This is a great option for economical housing with its own style. It will also look good in a small suburban area. All that is needed is to receive instructions and assemble the building. That is exactly what its owner did, and on her own.

Double French doors lead into the main living space. Through the skylights and windows, a lot of sunlight enters the interior of the house, which creates a feeling of spaciousness. There are several large wardrobes and many shelves for small items.

A sliding ladder leads to the upper level. The bed under the attic is designed for two adults. For the child there is a cozy bed near the front door.

The combined bathroom is designed so that it compactly combines a bath and a shower. Unlike traditional models, this allows you to bathe a small child.

Sweet Pea Tiny House Campsite has 12.6 square meters of living space, not including the sleeping loft. Almost everyone can make such a house on wheels. Ready draft drawings and technical documentation can be purchased for as little as $79. Inexpensive timber, boards, plywood are needed for construction. All elements of the house are made of environmentally friendly materials.