Melissa + Carson + Costello + Elsie
IN LIVING COLOR One of the coziest tiny houses on the road was actually built the same year a manned spacecraft first orbited the moon. Melissa and Carson’s 1968 FAN travel trailer, Elsie, is not heading into space, but she and her owners have seen a fair amount of this planet on their Local Color XC tour.
Contrary to what was shown on the TV show, Melissa and Carson actually purchased Elsie on Craigslist for $1,300 from a seller in Stuart, Iowa. Carson wrote about the purchase and how he, Mel and his father lovingly brought the trailer back to life in Travel + Leisure.
Melissa (Mel) Dohmen and Carson Vaughan (and their goldendoodle, Costello) made a splash with their industrial chic camper on the HGTV show “Tiny House Hunters.” On the program the couple were shown three tiny houses to choose from for their new home on the road. Carson is a writer who wanted to freelance remotely, and both he and Melissa (an entrepreneur) wanted to get out of their home state of Nebraska for a while.
The couple spent about a year and another $3,500 renovating Elsie. They added a new water heater, water pump and water lines, retro decor, a toaster oven and a new backsplash in the kitchen. Their home has a dinette they retain as a comfortable bed, a work station, bathroom, closet and shelving made from the trailer’s old copper wiring. After nearly a year on the road, the couple know intimately what it’s like to live in 120 retro square feet with a large canine. They were kind to answer a few questions about their life in Elsie:
By Christina Nellemann | Photos by Local Color XC
“Because you can't bring possessions along that don't serve an actual need in your life, there's less clutter.” Can you tell our readers the pros and cons of living in a 120 square foot trailer? There are a lot of benefits and challenges to living in such a small space, so we'll try to list some of the less obvious pros and cons. A big pro is that life is a lot more streamlined. Because you can't bring possessions along that don't serve an actual need in your life, there's less clutter. Along with that, you learn to pretty much cut shopping out of your life because you don't have the space for it. This lifestyle makes you really question what's important. It's a trade off you think will be hard at first, but is easier than you think.
The cons are that you can kiss personal space goodbye. Sure, you can put up the facade of privacy by adding a dividing curtain like we did or working on opposite ends of the trailer, but it's not really the same as having a whole separate room to yourself. The other con of tiny living is that you get used to picking up a lot and often. There's not space to spread out or "hide" things. Finally—and this is a big one—get used to bumping your head. In such a tight space, it's inevitable that you'll acquire some bumps and bruises along the way.
If you could change three things about living on the road, what would they be and why? The main thing I would change about living on the road is access to reliable cell and internet service. As connected as the world is, you wouldn't think this is such a problem, but there's a reason why campsite reviews list whether or not they got a cell signal. When we don't have cell service, we can't use our MiFi wireless internet from our cell provider, and that makes working from the road pretty difficult. Next up would be set up and take down. Knowing the list of things to check and double check every time you park somewhere and leave gets easier over time; we used to keep a checklist on the dashboard when we started to make sure we didn't drive away with the electric still plugged in or the propane on. But what doesn't change is that it still takes a lot of precious time to get settled and pack up.
Finally, I wish that researching campsites and where to park wasn't so time consuming. Finding a place to stay, figuring out how to get there, and making sure it's got all the resources we need can feel like a full-time job. The longer you do it the easier it does get, but it simply takes time. And, as we've learned the hard way, you have to do it; campgrounds fill up faster than you think, so playing it by ear is pretty much always a bad idea.
“The main thing I would change about living on the road is access to reliable cell and internet service.�
What was your first reaction(s) to the trailer when you first stepped inside it? What is your reaction to the trailer now? We'd spent a good six months researching different trailers and THOW options, so we were actually pretty pleased that our trailer had a lot of the amenities we were looking for in such a tiny package. Most 16-foot THOWs do not have bathrooms with both a toilet and shower, or a full size closet. So I'd say from a practical perspective, we were really happy with the layout. Mel did have her heart set on a lofted bed to save space, but overall we were happy that it met a lot of our needs. After 10 months on the road, our first reaction to the trailer is, quite honestly, that we're just so happy everything still works! Our trailer is remodeled pretty much from top to bottom, but it is still nearly a 50-year-old trailer, and you assume that things will inevitably break or go wrong. But Elsie has really held up. Sure, little things break and our all-white cabinets look dingy if we don't give them a good scrubbing, but we are just so surprised at how comfortable and homey the space feels. We were both sure we'd be sick of it by now!
What are your three favorite things to have with you on the road and why? People will probably think this is a cop out, but our favorite "thing" we brought with us is our goldendoodle, Costello. A lot of people were shocked when we said we were bringing him with us, mostly because he is a big dog and takes up a lot of space. But as Carson always says, he's the one real piece of home that we brought with us. He's brought us a lot of joy on the trip and other campers love him! We're going to go completely practical on our second answer and say the coffee maker! We thought that in such a tiny space we'd have to settle for a 4-cup machine or the French press. But we made room for our 12-cup Mr. Coffee and we credit it with pretty much keeping us sane (!) F i n a l l y, b e f o r e w e l e f t w e purchased an awning to fit the original track we had on our '68 trailer. It was handmade by Marti’s Awnings—she makes them for pretty much any vintage trailer. At first we didn't use it much because we left in the middle of winter, but over the summer we put it up a lot and it extended our living space by about 50 square feet. We've spent a lot of time outside under that awning!
Now that you've been on the road for a while, what other campers/trailers are you interested in? Vintage trailers are still our favorite! We've seen a few other really good remodels on the road, and they always catch our eye first. Of course, we've gotten a little bit of motor coach envy. When you see a huge class A with a big screen TV in it, it's hard not to think that they're living in the lap of luxury! We see a lot of little A-frame trailers and R-pods with slide outs and teardrop trailers. There are a lot more small-space options out there than we ever thought, and they are very cleverly designed.
“There are a lot more small-space options out there than we ever thought, and they are very cleverly designed.�
Costello, what has been your favorite place to visit and why? :-) Well, I love all the attention I get on the road; people really like to pet me and tell me how cute I am. My favorite places are when I get to run around off-leash, like during our hikes in the Appalachians and the Rockies and the hills of Tennessee. But by far my favorite place we've visited so far is Lake Umbagog in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Carson and Mel rented a canoe and let me swim all afternoon in the big lake —with my lifejacket on, of course.
Christina Nellemann writes for the Tiny House Blog, the Tiny House Magazine and her own camping blog, Tiny Yellow Teardrop. www.tinyyellowteardrop.blogspot.com