Just looking at these two-year-old photos makes me chuckle, as back in October 2014, I thought for sure this tinyhouse construction would take no more than three months. Boy was I wrong- a bit more accurate is the total consumption of my weeknights and weekends for exactly one year! Nevertheless, I really can’t believe how time has flown by, but it was SO worth it! Below are photos in a mosaic from the first half of construction as a slideshow in chronological order.

The truth is, there really wasn’t any sort of blueprints or plans, except a simple sketch on a napkin, that I should probably frame. So, I’ll try to give you a very brief explanation of what the photos show. As you’ll see, this tiny house was originally sized for my F350 pickup with an 8 foot long bed. The general idea was to fabricate a cab-over truck camper that was tall enough to standup inside and fit everything I need to survive comfortably, in any sort of weather.

The entire construction experience has been the most challenging and time-consuming task I’ve tackled in my life so far. Yet, as with any goal, I broke it up into steps. Firstly, I procured some “foundation” construction materials and deciding how to attach the Kul Kamper to the truckbed. I literally got started by cutting a piece of plywood to fit over the gooseneck hitch and to fit in the truckbed such that the tailgate could remain attached and be closed. From there, it just seemed like everything simply had-to-be. What I mean is, dimensions were determined by sizing of my truck, efficiency of material use, or by what looked or felt right. Sometimes, a creative eye is a craftsman’s best tool.

One of the most important decisions was what to cover the exterior of the kamper with, since I wanted it to feel like a home but still be weathertight. I went with the mahogany siding to provide log-home visual while coating it with Sikkens sealer, which is the premier coating for actual log homes. I’ve always been a fan of metal roofs, even on regular homes for the durability, weather resistance, and ability to be patched; so, it was a no-brainer to go with powdercoated aluminum sheets and sikaflex caulking for the roof and wrapping around the front and bottom. A huge shoutout to Milton Hershey School for letting me bend the aluminum and create drip edges on their sheet metal break.

For insulation, I went with the best on the market for R-value and moisture vapor barrier for the extreme cold or heat environments I may find myself in. Normally, sheets of polyIso foil-coated on both sides cost more than $50 a sheet at 1-1/2 inches thick. BUT, I was able to find more than enough sheets, brand new but leftovers at a construction auction at a mere $12 a sheet! The same goes for the windows- those are Oceanview double-paned windows that retail over $400, yet I found them new at auction for less than ten percent of that! With those savings, I was able to put more money towards the interior and appliances!

Construction began both inside the screen porch of my apartment and outside on the Ford itself, but after my realization of the project not finishing in a mere three months, I asked the Lin’s if I could commandeer a “small” corner of their garage. They welcomed me as family and I’ll forever be thankful for their help and Dee’s delicious dinners! This construction and my dream of moving West would simply not have been possible without them. While nearly finished with a watertight and insulated camper shell, I came to the realization that the good ole Ford, was not the right tool for the job to carry my tinyhouse across the great USA, due to reliability and mechanical issues. Before too long, I found a buyer who likes to turn a wrench and traded in the Ford, picked up an expensive debt stretched out over 5 years and bought a truly custom truck for a 100% custom life.

I was able to find a decent “deal” on a Ram 4500 chassis cab dually. While most people would outfit this kind of truck with a regular store-bought flatbed, I drew up a custom utility-bed design on graph paper and Eugene of Martin’s steel put his craftsman’s skills to use! These welds are so clean, that I at first had mistaken them for a pile of nickels laid down on the seams! With tremendous underbody lockable storage, a class IV hitch, removable side rails, custom 10 foot long ramps, and a gooseneck hitch, I felt more than ready to load up and see if the kamper construction would hold up to wind, rain, dirt roads, and highway speeds. The only logical next step was: mount the Kul Kamper to the Ram. Let me tell you, this was no tiny task…

If you’ve got a similar project, outfitting your van, or downsizing to the minimalist lifestyle, feel free to give me a shout with any questions or comments!

Cheers,
Kulwhip

I was able to find a decent “deal” on a Ram 4500 chassis cab dually. While most people would outfit this kind of truck with a regular store-bought flatbed, I drew up a custom utility-bed design on graph paper and Eugene of Martin’s steel put his craftsman’s skills to use! These welds are so clean, that I at first had mistaken them for a pile of nickels laid down on the seams! With tremendous underbody lockable storage, a class IV hitch, removable side rails, custom 10 foot long ramps, and a gooseneck hitch, I felt more than ready to load up and see if the kamper construction would hold up to wind, rain, dirt roads, and highway speeds. The only logical next step was: mount the Kul Kamper to the Ram. Let me tell you, this was no tiny task…

If you’ve got a similar project, outfitting your van, or downsizing to the minimalist lifestyle, feel free to give me a shout with any questions or comments!

Cheers,
Kulwhip