Since my husband and I moved into a 40 ft. long 5th wheel to expedite the process of remodeling our house, I've come to learn a few things about living in a trailer. We had decided that the extent of our remodel required us to move out of the house, but we didn’t want to be too far or throw money away into an apartment. So… we settled on the backyard! The last few months of trailer living have taught me a few things and I feel compelled to share what I've learned.
Trailers are small. Even the big ones. Ours is fairly comfortable to live in, and I love the kitchen! It has a double bowl sink on the island with prep space on either end, and a three burner gas stove atop a decent sized oven on the opposite counter. There is a good amount of storage space for a trailer kitchen, and small cabinets all around the living area. We had previously been living in the torn apart house (with no kitchen) so the trailer was a bit of an upgrade. However, there really isn't much space for clothes, belongings, food, etc. when you are used to being able to fill a house.
We compensated by using the large shop in our backyard as a storage space. We have certain things placed where they are easy to access and have set up in it a workout area, full size fridge, and dressers for clothes that won't comfortably fit in the trailer. The shop helps us to be able to actually pull this off, although you could almost say it is “cheating.”
I might also add that our two dogs live in the trailer with us. Scooter is a 70+ pound boxer-pit mix and Louie is a 60 pound English bulldog.
Now that you are acquainted with the situation, here is my list of tips, lessons, and insights:
1) You find very strange places to put things. The wine goes above the dog kennel, tupperware is stored under the TV, and even the microwave can be turned into a storage area when not in use.
2) The clingy dogs no longer really want to sleep in the bedroom with us. There's more space to stretch out in the living room!
3) You learn not to freak out too quickly when the gas detector goes off. Every time that has happened, it's because Louie farted on it! He gets very confused when I try to get him to move his butt away from it! I mean, c'mon! It just gets louder when his furry behind is no longer muffling the sound! (hopefully it never actually has to go off because of a gas leak!) So step one when the alarm goes off is to locate the dog.
4) Scooter now thinks that because the gas detector is by the door, the floor mat must be what makes the noise, and it is to be brutally punished by being picked up in one's teeth and shaken. It must be shaken very hard so it learns not to make such loud noises again!
5) It's very easy to set off the fire alarm. In a house, smoke from a slightly well done pizza can diffuse a bit and is less likely to set off an alarm, but a trailer is small enough that a room can go from clear to smoky in about ten seconds!
6) The fire alarm must be the floor mats fault too. More punishment by shaking!
7) When living in a trailer, you will find that you spend a lot more time outdoors. I never used to sit on porches and stare at an empty back yard so much!
8) Trailers are fairly easy to clean, as they are so small. Vacuuming takes about two minutes!
9) Trailers VERY easily become dirty and cluttered, as they are so small!
10) I find I clean very often.
11) Laundry is a constant ordeal, as the washer and dryer are tiny, you can only run one of them at a time, and there are only so many places to put dirty laundry!
12) Be prepared to kick furniture and walls and smack things with your hands if you ever try to do yoga in your trailer!
13) If you have clingy dogs who follow you around the house, don't expect things to be any different when you move into a dwelling that basically requires them to always be in the same room as you. They will still find a way to follow you from one side of the room to the other and situate themselves UNDER your feet while you attempt to perform leg extensions or any exercise or activity that requires you to need to MOVE your legs! And don't think a bulldog can't fit under a chair you want to sit in or inside a cabinet you are trying to access!
14) Smells diffuse across small rooms rather quickly…
15) You find creative ways to cram large amounts of items into very small storage spaces. I bet if I took everything out of the trailer and laid it on the lawn you would NEVER believe it could all fit in there, and yet when everything is squared away it looks strangely uncluttered!
All in all, the trailer life can be very comfortable if you are willing to make it work. When we were looking at trailers, one of the ones we looked at was owned by a retired couple who rented out their house and moved into their trailer. They would stay in a trailer park down South during the winter, and travel farther North during the summer. It was simple and convenient. I don’t think I could survive without some kind of storage as the trailer would have to be easily made mobile for something like that, but I could see it being an attractive option if we ever had the freedom to just travel somewhere else for a month or two.
Of course, it’s been great this summer with the home renovations going on, because I can just step outside and check on progress and take pictures! I don’t have to plan a visit to the house every day, or worry what happens when I’m not there. I just visit the backyard whenever I need to take pictures or check on things!
The dogs have also adjusted quite well, but they also spend as much time in the yard as possible. We built a deck by the door so that Louie has some actual solid steps to walk up and down instead of the trailer steps. He likes it! They’ve also gotten used to being fed in the shop, since it’s hard to find space for a 40 pound bag of dog food in a trailer AND keep the dogs out of it when it’s not supper time!
Well that’s all I have for now. In a few months maybe I’ll be able to post “Lessons of Home Renovations” when we get a little further along!
