When I finally make my move to Terlingua I will be going solo and I do not have any building skills to fall back on and there is no hope I will learn any before then either. I have therefore been looking into ready-made housing such as 5th wheelers, trailers and pre-fabricated structures.
The problem with 5th wheelers and trailers is that I would need a truck to take them out there. However with the strong winds that are prevalent in the area I am afraid they might topple over with me in them :D
I found these cute cedar cabins that would be perfect for me and the price is not too bad either. Here is a link
I think it would be a great business opportunity for someone with building skills to offer these little cottages and cabins in the Terlingua area. I know I for one would be interested.
Hello Ms B..they do make hold-down kits for trailers. I have one on my 24' travel trailer parked in TR, been there 5 yrs....no problems.
ReplyDeleteSteel banding that goes over chassis rails and connects to racheting end with 2 opposing steel rods driven into the ground.
Used travel trailer is a good and affordable option, and I bet you could find someone to haul it for you.?
Good luck to you.!
Bigfoot
Thank you the info Bigfoot did not know about the hold-down kits.
ReplyDeleteDo you know if Tffnguy has his tied down? During the winter months he often wrote how his trailer kept rocking and rolling. I thus put myself in his place and I could just see me inside the flipped trailer :-)
Tffnguy is not tied down..he feels his trailer is heavy enough to not be blown over. I hope he's right, but I've heard different from locals in times past.
ReplyDeleteWe had some scary times in the cabin a couple of years ago with 6 hours of 60 mph, with the cabin west wall bowing in a couple of inches. I fixed that with a temp 2x4 brace, and later added a storage loft to beef up that big wall area from future wind issues.
HIgh winds are what made John Wells of TFL fame give up on his wind gennies....too many damages from high winds, so he went 100% solar.
FYI
Bigfoot
Wow Bigfoot, you have a pretty sturdy cabin from the pictures I have seen on your blog. If the wind can bow your wall, imagine what it can do to an untied trailer.
ReplyDeleteI have been following JW since Ara from The Oasis of My Soul fame did a post on TFL. I remember all the problems he had so when his pictures no longer showed the wind gennies I figured he gave up on that source.
From all the blogs that I read of the people already living there, solar seems to be the way to go.