Tag: vardo

Yet Another Sheepherder…

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

(from the Paleotool vault)

I love these things.  I saw quite a few parked on ranches from Colorado to Idaho last week.  I know they aren’t highway capable but it seems they could provide a real housing alternative for low-income minimalists.  Way better than a housing complex or apartment for sure.  The photos link to Ken Griswold’s Tiny House Blog.  If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a fan of his site.

I took a fair amount of design inspiration from these wagons but added a bit of class along the way.  I wouldn’t mind having a cook stove like this one though.

Off-the-shelf or build it yourself?  I love these details in hand-built structures.  This looks way better to me than the local hardware store option.

Have a look at Lorna’s old wagon here.

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A Guest Vardo

~ George Crawford ~ 3 Comments

I always appreciate getting mail and comments on the blog; especially when someone is able to take information away and create something of their own.  I recently received some fine photos from Kevin with his own Vardo build.  I emailed back for more information but haven’t heard anything yet.

The wagon is a lovely and familiar design and it’s great to see it out in public alongside the more normal modern camp setting.Kevin also builds beautiful coolers that I hope to see more of in the near future.  One is visible next to the vardo in the image above. Here’s the email I received and I hope to hear (and see) more from Kevin soon:

George:
Hello.  I have been following your blog for a few years.  I’m writing to you directly as I want to share some photos of the Vardo that I built, using yours (and a few others) for much of the inspiration.  I wasn’t sure how to go about posting the photos to your blog, so I figured I would send them directly to you.
I live near Houston and own property in Buffalo Wyoming, home to a historical population of Basque sheepherders, and many currently rolling sheep wagons.  Living in two extremes, I have had some issues with changes in humidity affecting the performance of the wagon and would likely do a few things differently, if I were to do it all over again (but wouldn’t we all).
I haven’t seen any updates on your Vardo-make-over in quite a while.  Hopefully there’s more coming.  I know the work on mine is never done.  There are always items hanging around on the list of future improvements.
Let me know if you have any questions about the construction and performance of the wagon.  I’m happy to carry on a discussion if your interested, and willing to send more photos if you request. You’ll notice in the photos some glimpses of one of my hand made coolers.  They’re marine fiberglass coated wood on the inside, and out; built sort of like a cedar strip canoe. I built the chuck-box in the first photo as well.  It travels in the rear of the wagon to be set out for camp cooking. I figured these were both items that might interest you.
Kevin

It looks great Kevin.  I can’t wait to see more.

~GTC

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Growing Up on the Range…

~ George Crawford ~ 2 Comments

(from the Paleotool vault)

Here’s 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.

Nice layout sketch of a sheep camp.

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

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Wyoming Sheepherders Again

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

 (from the Paleotool vault)

Sheep camps from Wyoming from the Wyoming Tales and Trails webpage.  Great photos and some good information concerning everything “western.”

I could spend much of my life like this!

A self-contained base camp in a sheep wagon provides a cozy home on the prairie.

A beautiful culmination of cultures a innovations created this iconic American living arrangement.  We can learn a lot from these designs today.

The Wyoming Tails and Trails website contains a lot of other information about western history along with more than 100 photos.  Have a look around and get a feel for the old west.

http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/

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More of The Beautiful Japanese Vardo

~ George Crawford ~ 6 Comments

This is a follow-up to the previous post.

I say Vardo because that’s really what it is.  You can sense that the presenter of this show isn’t too familiar with true rolling homes, caravans, vardos, or whatever you want to label them but his enthusiasm is real.  I like this home a lot but there is too much gymnastic restructuring for my taste.  I’m probably just lazy.  I’m not knocking his aesthetic or design though; they are spot-on.  Mr. Tagami fit a lot of useful ideas together to create a wonderful living space.  Several of these innovations are being integrated into my future plans.

If you haven’t seen this yet, here’s a video detailing one of his creations and the happy owners who inhabit it.

Let me know what you think…

Tiny House Japan; who knew?

~ George Crawford ~ 2 Comments

The original link was sent to me by Chris Beneke.  Thanks Chris.

TINY HOUSE JAPAN: Some serious innovation at work.

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I do not read or speak Japanese so I’m at a loss over many details but the photos and videos exhibit a world of real innovation in design and construction.  The builder, Haruhiko Tagami (製作担当　田上晴彦) has a spectacular web page highlighting some of his designs that are already giving me much food for thought for future constructions.

One of the first things that really caught my attention was the pop-up mollycroft which adds and enormous amount of light and circulation but folds flat for travel.

He has designs from the truly tiny (on par with my original design space-wise) to a very substantial house on wheels with pop-out rooms that are incredible works of engineering.

The smallest Baske-T.
Roll down canvas curtains block the large windows for the night.
Roll down canvas curtains block the large windows for the night.

One of the problems with covering the extended space is having roll-up roofs along the lines of an old roll-top desk.

rolluproofThis allows for the modest-sized trailer to become a spacious palace; a big advantage when sharing with others.

metamophasisThis more than triples the available living space and in some of the photos there is even a third room extended as well.  This would suit a lot of people as a truly long-term living solution that could be pulled by a relatively small vehicle; not the enormous white aluminum fifth-wheel monsters that haunt the freeways.

Enjoy this small overview of the design and please check out more of his work by clicking the LINKS.

Many more photos of his work are available on his Instagram Page as well.  There is much to explore for the budding builder so be prepared to take notes!

Baske-T
Click to see the large and beautiful Baske-T.

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A Quick Update…

~ George Crawford ~ 8 Comments

A beautiful, dark, wintery day spent in the Vardo, getting things in shape and spending some quality time reading led me to thinking about shooting a few photos. The place is a bit unkempt but I think it shows how the space is used in real life.

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The hearth corner with miscellaneous junk piled on the surfaces. This is the view from where my head lies on the bed.
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A lot of wood types were used throughout the build as some was recycled and some was purchased based on availability. We are out beyond the end of the realm so supplies are limited. The small photo over the door is my grandparents who played a major role in my upbringing.
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The samovar corner with sink in place. The wood for this built-in comes mostly from an old (pre-war) desk that had seen better days. They used excellent materials that I really didn’t want to discard so I’ve been hanging onto them for several years now. The mirror is more useful that I would have ever thought and fits the space perfectly. The Samovar is strapped in by a belt connected to the wall and Stacey provided a cute octopus hook for wash cloths and other things. I’m just finishing the windows so they have yet to be varnished.
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Copper sink made from a french mixing bowl (thanks to Mick for the idea).
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A view aft from seated on the bed. I won’t lie, cutting all the cedar was not pleasant to conform to the arc but it ultimately turned out fairly successful. Apparently, I was trained well back in my life as a carpenter.
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My view of the stained glass window from bed with a small candle lantern next to it.
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Cluttered corner. Things are slowly finding their homes.
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The dog, trying to figure out what I’m up to but staying close to the heater. She climbs underneath the master bed when it’s time to sleep for the night.

 

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Tony’s Trailer

~ George Crawford ~ 2 Comments

A home-built camper with a old-fashioned Mail Coach theme.

Tony passed on his links to me to share with the vardo community.  When I first saw the giant wooden wheels I thought it was a stationary sculpture piece for the back garden.  These actually remove for travel and are really just for show.

img_06231I’m always glad to see someone’s concept sketches as I have filled notebooks with these myself over the years.

side-view-door-openTony’s web page guides you through the entire process in photos (newest to oldest) so you can learn from his build.

stem-walls-and-ledge-placementNote the “dead” space in the ledges as it becomes important storage later.

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Straight forward off-the-shelf hardware is used throughout including things like Simpson Strong Ties for the rafter connections.

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first-test-drive-iiIt’s a pretty whimsical design and I think this photo sums that up nicely.

pan-box-doorStorage door closed.

pan-box-drawer-outDoor open to reveal a very long drawer.

aft-ditty-shelvesA simple rustic look inside fills the bill and looks quite functional.

stove-installedThe little stove removes and stores in it’s own locker for travel.

If you are looking to build your own camper, vardo, or other living wagon, you can’t have enough great ideas so get over to Tony’s website and have a look:

https://trailercoach.wordpress.com/

There are tons of photos and some great ideas there.

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