Nomadic housing

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stuartcnz
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Nomadic housing

Post by stuartcnz »

I'm checking out this forum because I am into various forms of mobile housing. I grew up living on boats and see many similarities between living on them and in trucks, buses etc.. I also blog about it, see my signature at the bottom.
Sharkey
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Post by Sharkey »

Hi Stuart, welcome to the forum.

Interesting blog, I'm looking forward to reading the £200 Millionaire series in greater detail. There's something to be said about living well on a small income and making use of necessities as luxuries rather than the other way around.

Last week I got some newspaper from work for fire lighting. There was a feature article about how the "homeless" people living in old RV's and travel trailers were "becoming a problem" in the big city over in the Valley. I was standing in the kitchen of my Housetruck, holding the paper in front of me, looking at a half-page photograph of a fellow named "Pappy", sitting inside his travel trailer. There on his cluttered kitchen counter was a loaf of bread, various wrappers and kitchen utensils, and a jug of water. The article went on to describe how the local law enforcement had been forcing these people to move along, and encouraging them to leave the city entirely (throwing the "problem" onto the County government, which is basically bankrupt).

"Why can't they leave these people alone in their dignity", I wondered aloud, lowering the paper. I was struck to see that my own kitchen counter didn't really look any different, a bit more spacious, perhaps.

Nomadic peoples have always gotten a bad rap it seems. Unless you arrive in town in a $350,000 or better late-model coach and can spend $$$ at the local businesses, you are looked down upon as a "problem".

Some years back, I had many friends living on the street in their trucks and buses in the same neighborhood. The neighbors all not only tolerated it, but actually encouraged them. As my friend Johan (who owned and lived in a "regular" house) said: "Having someone living in a step van at the curb in front of my house is the best security system I could hope for."

Once or twice a year, the police would come around and tell the housetruckers that they would have to remove their vehicles by a certain date, at which time the watch commander was going to tour the neighborhood. Everyone would move away for a couple of days, then come occupy their old parking spots, and things would settle back to normal for another six months. It didn't used to be a crime to have a warm, secure home without a mortgage.

Oh, well, not to start a rant on your introduction post, I'm just glad to see another resource for alternate living that understands my lifestyle choices.
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stuartcnz
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Post by stuartcnz »

Thanks for the welcome Sharkey,
I agree totally with all of those points. While I don't particularly consider people living on boats in a marina to be liveaboards; they tend to be discriminated against in the same way that you describe people in house trucks, parked on the road. The marinas who do allow people to liveaboard, often do so, because it does improve security for the rest of the boats.

p.s. I read yours posts relating to your beginnings in house trucking from '75 last night. good stuff! are you still in the same truck, or was that just your first one?
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Post by Sharkey »

Just reading about Kevin's housetruck. I have to agree, built-in furniture may allow you to have storage under the cushions, but it's impossible to comfortably slouch on anything less than a proper couch! Also have to agree (and I say so somewhere else on this site, perhaps the F.Q.A), that making everything turn into a bed is idiotic unless you have an entire family to put to sleep on the once-a-year outing.

Yes, I'm still in the same h.t. that I started in all those years ago. It's about done in, this will have to be it's last winter. I simply *must* get the new bus (1963 Crown) in livable condition and get moved in before the weather changes for the worse next year. I have a small fortune tied up in the construction so far and it's bonkers to not be taking advantage of those nice, insulated glass windows with wood frames that don't sweat, doors with actual weather stripping, and double wall and ceiling insulation. Having indoor sanitary plumbing would also be a big first. The old h.t. is getting kind of mouldy around the edges, and last time I was underneath it, I found that the sub-flooring is beginning to rot at the edges where water is coming in through all the rust holes in the walls (!). I guess I got my $1,000 worth out of this truck. Time to start the next 34 years in the bus.
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