Adventures of an Imperfect Man In Search of a Handmade Life
Hal in Oregon sent me some photos of his stick-built vardo. It is sheathed in house wrap and wood-sided with a metal roof. Sturdy looking simple design. So far, he’s spent about two weeks on it and the shell appears to be nearly complete. This is a link to the album with more photos but I’m not sure it’s public yet. Please let me know through the comments if this link does NOT work for you. In the meantime, here are some photos posted by his sister Jodie:
Here is an excellent example of minimalist housing design. A bicycle pulled miniature vardo that can collapse into a low-profile trailer for the road if needed.
It’s an admirable design that appears to have gone through a couple design changes from two wheeled to four wheeled. It could be a very inexpensive shelter that is dry and off the ground. Clearly this guy is a fan of human power and innovative design.
Click any photo above to see more at his website.
He also has a build page for his impressive Velomobile here.
Here’s a nice open lot from Ireland.
Beautiful…all of it.
Derek Diedricksen at Relaxshacks.com is always good for some inspirational offbeat home ideas. Here’s a shot of the interior of a sheep wagon with a promise of more to come.
Click the photo for the original post.
Mike is finishing up his remarkable vardo in the great white north. He included a mollycroft in the roof which not only looks cool but should add a lot of light and headroom. The front storage is accessible from the outside like a sheepherder and it will have an enormous bay window in the front. As it comes along I hope he’ll write up more about the design and construction of the wagon. With this wagon and Jack’s build last year, I think I’ll add a page to the header bar for “other vardos” so that they are easy to find on the blog.
Enjoy! Hopefully more to come…
A great story I read years ago about being raised in a family of six in a sheep camp measuring about 7 x 8′! (I think that’s the floor space). I recently relocated the article in Mother Earth News.
Here’s an excerpt:
“The canvas-covered sheep wagon was roughly about seven feet wide by eight feet long. On the front end a door opened out of the middle and you stepped down onto the wagon tongue and thence to the ground. From the inside looking out, the stove was on the left of the door. On the right was a small wash stand with several wooden drawers for storage of linens, towels and socks. A bucket of water and washbasin were on the oil cloth covered top and a small mirror hung above the basin for shaving. Soap, toothbrush, razor and essentials rested on top of the stand when in location or were stowed in a drawer when moving.”
Read more here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-community/sheepherders-wagon-zmaz70mjzkin.aspx
Another good sheep camp image. I’d like to see more inside.
The original link is here:
http://www.talkingtree.org/2011/03/31/welcome-to-the-sheepherders-home/
Built with a class not seen on most modern RVs. The mollycroft roof must make it seem very airy and light inside.
Beautiful and well-loved sheepherder photographed by Roger Wade Studio.
I really like the cupola on top.
Preindustrial Craftsmanship 