This Artisan Home on Wheels Is a Tiny House and Travel Trailer Hybrid You Could Own Today

Tiny houses have enjoyed surprising popularity in recent years, which has allowed them to step out of the niche segment they'd occupied since the early 2000s and into the spotlight. Tiny living or downsizing, which seems to be the preferred term, is today a lifestyle choice that checks several boxes and may even double as a full-time job through online monetization.

Travel trailers have also been seeing a rise in popularity, prompted by the appearance of the so-called digital nomad and the #vanlife trend with all its variations. In short, more people are opting for a more nomadic, scaled-down approach to housing as a way to cut expenses, reduce their carbon footprint, travel more, and maybe even make an honest buck out of it.

This mobile habitat lives at the intersection of these two segments of the mobile housing market, so it's intentionally difficult to classify as either. Functionally, it's a tiny house that can even allow full-time residency, but it's styled more like a travel trailer with a decided teardrop design inspiration.

The hybrid design is no accident, as the builder wanted to combine the advantages of both towables to craft the perfect home on wheels that offered as bonus extra autonomy and extra sustainability.

This particular towable is now offered for sale out of Salem, Oregon. The seller notes that the trailer was delivered in 2021 and was only taken out a handful of times, being kept in sheltered storage the rest of the time. As such, it presents in as-new condition, with sleeping for four people, a full but wet bathroom, a kitchen, and off-grid capabilities.

Even if you're not looking to buy a new towable, the listing makes for a good opportunity to window shop and, in the process, take in the unlikely and highly creative hybrids downsizing has made possible.

As it turns out, the unit offered for sale is a Timberline model from a now-defunct Seattle-based company called Homegrown Trailers. No word on why the builder was forced to shutter, but they were still active as of March 2023, when they were advertising for available inventory, including a 2022 Timberline model in Rosemary finish that looks very much like the trailer offered for sale now.

For the seven years that Homegrown Trailers was active, they worked hard to create a product that was instantly recognizable, put focus on sustainability and comfort, and was a self-sufficient home for the entire family. The flagship Timberline model checked all these boxes, with an all-wood exterior and interior, all the creature comforts of home, off-the-grid autonomy, a "deceptively spacious" layout, and a high degree of towability.

This unit, for example, sits on a dual-axle trailer and weighs 4,350 lbs (1,973 kg). It's 19 feet (5.8 meters) long and 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) wide and packs in a main bedroom with a queen-size bed with integrated storage, a convertible dinette that turns into bunk beds, a full kitchen, and a wet bathroom.

Built with Japanese cypress wood, the unit has cork flooring and wool insulation throughout (except for the floor, which has foam insulation), all treated with non-toxic materials to create a healthy living environment. The total living footprint is of just 140 square (13 square meters) feet but the minimalist, simple styling of the interior creates the illusion of a larger space, while also effectively discouraging clutter.

Storage solutions are either hidden in the furniture or integrated into the walls so there's as little protrusion into the living space as possible. The use of wood throughout, including in the wet bathroom, gives the place a rustic-like vibe that invites coziness.

The unit comes with RV-style hookups for water and electricity, but it's also rigged with 8 rooftop solar panels totaling 800W, a 10.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and an auxiliary 230W Zamp solar panel for reducing reliance on the grid. Appliances run on electricity, not that they're that many in number: there's a portable two-burner induction stove and a small fridge.

The tiny home is also equipped with a 250W ceramic wall heater for heating and cooling, a pair of EcoSmart electric water heaters of 8.5 gallons (32 liters) each, and two Dometic ceiling fans. The Timberline model was designed as a year-round home, and this unit is most likely no exception.

And now for the potentially deal-breaking part. This towable with such distinctive styling is asking $65,000, which is $5,000 more than what a standard Timberline was asking new. Then again, this unit probably features some custom touches here and there, along with the "feature" of being a rarity now because it's no longer in production.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Homegrown Trailers (@homegrowntrailers)