Full-Time RVing

Driving around with your home pulled behind you, seeing the country, leaving if it's toxic or noisy, and living the life of a gypsy...what's not to like about that?

 

I'm tormented with the fact I don't know WHERE to move. Northern Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, and Maine have been on the top of my list. What about all the locations that might be great and I might never know? Am I limiting myself to what I know at the risk of missing out on the most perfect place? Will I settle for second best because I stopped looking? The problem is I've never been to any of these places and I'm having a difficult time figuring out how to visit without taking weeks to drive there. So maybe that's what I need to do? Be nomadic. Look around. With my house behind me?

I considered full-time RVing as a future housing plan a few years ago. After visiting several dealerships I was pretty much limited to looking at one RV per day because of the very strong chemical smells that would knock me on my ass with one inhale. Most of the time I'd leave running for my life before I even reached the RV due to all the cologne the shifty salesmen were wearing.

Many of these mobile home manufacturers use the cheapest, most toxic materials possible such as Styrofoam, plywood, fiberglass insulation, caulking, plastics, adhesives, vinyl, laminates, and particle board. These materials are lighter weight which is very important in designing a trailer to be pulled by a vehicle. The problem with lightweight, modern materials is they are all created and then treated with various types of highly toxic chemicals and VOCs, formaldehyde being the most problematic. Propane, a convenient and cheap method of energy for small spaces and commonly used in RVs and camper-trailers, is often toxic to MCSers as well. Unfortunately, many RV owners, even those not chemically sensitive, negatively react to these offgassing chemicals in their tiny mobile homes so this is an industry issue. It stands to reason companies would want to improve the health standards of their products.

There are RV/trailer brands that claim to be "green" with an official TRA Green Certification or LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) approval such as Evergreen, Earthbound, Jayco, Coachman, and Airstream. Unfortunately, this doesn't necessarily mean their products are free of all offgassing chemicals nor healthy for the chemically sensitive, but they are headed in the right direction. RVs can also be custom designed to your personal specifications, but finding a company that understands chemical sensitivity might be a challenge.

During my initial investigation I also projected financial costs of full-time RVing. With camping costs, dumping fees, vehicle and trailer maintenance, insurance, high-tech Internet, and gas, it seemed RVing would cost more than living in my house. I also tested some campgrounds one summer and found them to be filled with insecticide-bathed campers, campfires, and free-roaming, free-crapping, barking dogs. Frustrated, I shelved that idea...

...until this week. I discovered Taylor Design Healthy Homes, a manufacturing company in New York that takes old Airstream trailers and converts them to non-toxic mobile homes for the chemically sensitive. Check out their website HERE.

I could live in a high-tech, non-toxic trailer like that! Some of the designs are as big if not bigger than the tiny houses and with the same efficient layout principles. The designers at Taylor Design use non-toxic materials like aluminum, wood, stainless steel and ceramic tiles. Very exciting. Whether or not they are truly non-toxic for me personally I have yet to discover. They will send you a sample of their materials for $25.00 so you can do the sniff test, but I don't know if I feel comfortable trusting this process. These trailers aren't cheap. It would be horrifying to invest all my money in one and then find I couldn't use it.

Assuming this trailer style or another would be healthy enough to live in 24/7, where will I put it? Could I avoid overpopulated, over-stinky campsites? There are remote and free camping options, but would those be safe enough? Would it be possible to find a caravan of MCS RVers to hang out with? I am discovering many full-time RV bloggers who claim it is less expensive than home ownership, but you have to know the secrets. They also say they would never go back to living in a house. It's very encouraging.

So my new idea...I can't move to Canada to join a MCS eco-village because Canada won't let me be a resident, but I wonder if they'd let me visit temporarily for six months with my gypsy trailer? Or I could zip down to Arizona and check out Snowflake to see if it's really a bad idea? Traverse over to Colorado and see if the air quality is as good as they say? Down to New Mexico for the winter. Keep going to Maine, the state with the least amount of chemical pollutants? Up to Novia Scotia where they don't even allow perfume. Over to England, Ireland and France on the ferry from Greenland just for fun. I can see myself living in France.... I've wanted to travel more, but getting on an airplane is out of the question. As I criss-cross around the country, if I find a place I really, really like, I'd stop. I wouldn't have to worry about renting or buying a [toxic] house nor dealing with the hassle (HASSLE!) of searching for something suitable because my safe home is with me!

The various websites on full-time RVing claim some of the more difficult aspects of a nomadic life are: selling your house (I can't wait!), leaving your community (good riddance, Rathole!), leaving your friends and family (I rarely see anyone anyway), and getting rid of stuff (hmmmm...). It's the getting rid of stuff I've had my whole life that will be a problem. Stuff makes me feel grounded and secure. I worry if I'll change my mind after a while, long for some stability, desire to find a real house, and regret getting rid of things. I have antiques my grandparents owned,  a library of beautiful books I've collected over the years, ceramics I've made, furniture I've painted...STUFF I'm rather attached to and couldn't easily replace. I don't even have a lot of stuff, but much more than will fit in a pint-sized trailer. I'll need storage until I can somehow detach myself from it. Living simply and lightweight has always been the ideal, but can I really do it?  (BE BRAVE, the goddess whispered.)

Is this dream possible?

Well, not with Peter unless I can put him in a mini-trailer pulled behind my trailer. Or on TOP of the trailer with the wind blowing through his long, floppy ears.

 

I don't think he'd like that much. I may need to put this on hold for a little while. In the meantime, I'll be researching.

I've always wanted to be a gypsy. Call me "Yatna, the Gypsy."

Home Sweet Home

Once you determine where you can live, then there is the decision of what kind of housing would be the safest and at the same time affordable. Here are some pros and cons on housing options:

Apartments  I love apartments. They are small which means less cleaning and less stuff.  They are rentals which means less maintenance and cost. All you have to do is pay the rent, your bills and keep the area relatively clean. The main problem with apartments is shared walls which is like living with a bunch of stinky people and you have no control.  Also, landlords can do all kinds of toxic things to your environment, for instance, re-painting, construction, air freshener usage, carpet shampooing, cleaning and you have no control. Also, apartments use public water works with all the chemical additives and you have no control. Bottom line: you have no control. But for those of us with limited finances, living in an apartment is often the only option. Apartments with limited units such as duplexes might be a better choice.

Some urban apartment buildings are implementing smoke and pet free policies which indicates a move toward environmental friendliness, but in most cases this is to protect real estate investments rather than addressing tenant health issues. There are fragrance-free apartments springing up all over and most have long waiting lists. In fact some of the waiting lists are so long they are closed. This indicates a need and a great investment for someone with some capital.

Trailers, Mobile Homes and RVs Although trailers are much like apartments in size and comfort without the shared walls, if located in a trailer court the distance between you and your neighbor might only be ten feet. I don't know if that offers much safety, but I know some MCSers claim it makes all the difference. Be aware of the age of the trailer and the use of cheap construction materials as many offgas toxic chemicals, formaldehyde in particular. RVs are trailers on wheels - nice if you want to be mobile or travel. Some RVs and mobile homes are bigger and more luxurious than homes and cost just as much. My neighbor's RV cost more than my house.

Houses  If located in a neighborhood, your neighbors will be anywhere from five to fifty feet away and you will be sharing air space with them. If on acreage, you might not even see, hear or smell your neighbors!  Hooray!

Rentals: Other than rent and utility payments,  you aren't financially responsible for maintenance other than general cleanliness unless otherwise negotiated in the lease agreement. With a landlord you will have less control over what you are able to do with the house and what the landlord may want to do. Advantages to renting a house: no shared walls, less responsibility and you can move easily.

Home Ownership : Owning your own home isn't financially feasible for many especially those on fixed incomes or disability, but it affords you the luxury of control over what happens within your environment and the option to choose safer alternatives. You are also responsible for maintenance and upkeep which can get very expensive. As the owner you may also renovate the building to create a cleaner environment by adding such things as whole-house water filters, healthier heating systems and/or filters, and air purifiers. Again, these extra costs don't come free so plan on spending some dollars.  It used to be home ownership was a good investment, but with this latest economic recession, I've heard many houses are now valued less than their original market cost. Main disadvantages to owning a house: responsibility and you can't always move whenever you like.

Cottage Cob House

A very inexpensive option if you already have property are cob houses. Built out of dirt, they look like little hobbit cottages. I read about one woman who spent only $5,000 and did all the work herself, finding reclaimed windows and doors for cheap and other second hand supplies for free.

I played with designs a few years ago. Molding a house out of mud is a bit like doing pottery. Hey, I can do that! Here are two of my designs (out of about ten!). One for a cottage style and one for a castle:

Cottage Cob House Plan

Cob Castle Plan

Straw-Bale House

Straw-bale houses are also an option along the same lines but you would need to obtain bales of hay. These are more popular in the warmer climates of the south and they end up looking like adobe houses. I think dirt might be more cost effective...and it's a lot more fun to shape a house and play in mud!

SQUISH!

I love those tiny houses people are building. Some of them are no more than 100 square feet and on wheels so they can be carted around behind a car or truck. It's the latest thing with the minimalist movement as the economic problems are forcing people to re-think their material possessions. I read about a woman who was given a free shipping container and she made a house out of it. Check out the many websites to see designs and watch videos. It inspires me. Here's a photo of a tiny house which is a little scary for anyone with chemical sensitivity issues, but you can see the size comparisons. I visualize a tiny house on LOTS of property!

There are people who dream of building low-cost communities for chemical sensitivity residents. I visualize a plan using a large tract of acreage with multiple tiny homes. Add a centralized recreational center and community gardens and we've got ourselves a chemically-sensitive community providing safety and support yet tenants are still able to maintain a sense of independence. 

Fragrance-Free Community Living

With all the baby boomers nearly ready to retire, this sort of plan would be a nice alternative to convalescent centers, too. Unfortunately, dreams need financing.

Condominiums  This housing option strikes me as the worst. All the exposure disadvantages of an apartment, lack of freedom with condominium contracts and rules, plus you own it so the financial burden of payment and maintenance still rests on your shoulders. If there is a chemically sensitive person reading this who is living in one and can share any advantages, feel free to comment.

Homelessness There are many chemically sensitive people living in cars or tents unable to tolerate modern construction materials but without the funds to build their own green homes. I've read about some who are camping in their carports or backyards unable to live inside their toxic houses and others who live in their cars at parks. As MCS statistics go up, let's hope more chemically-sensitive communities and fragrance-free options will be available to all.