The Authentic Eclectic
Introduction to My Tiny Home Living
Forced Out of A Rental and Simplifying My Life
What Led to Today
I was forced out of my rental home in March 2020. The living conditions before I left were terrible. We had a neglectful, uncaring, and ruthless landlord. We didn’t have a working toilet so we had to defecate into a cat litter box, which confused our cat at times.
The globe was in the midst of a looming pandemic. I was feeling emotionally drained and my neighbors had already turned on me before that point. I had little to no backup options. I had no family in the area. The only family my partner had in the area had kicked us out of their place back in May 2019.
At A Crossroads
It was just me and my partner. I had previously transferred for work from my call center at Verizon Wireless once to Chicago from California in November 2016 and then again to a Verizon retail store in Erie in July 2018. I moved again to be closer to his family. This turned out to be a miscalculation and we found ourselves in a difficult situation. Luckily, we had the box truck that we’d converted into a tiny home as a backup plan in case Erie didn’t work out.
Our Backup Plan
Unfortunately for us, before his dad kicked us out the truck stopped working. With limited income and limited opportunities, we were stuck. We decided to invest the time and money to get the truck working again. I had to take out all of the retirement savings I’d earned from Verizon Wireless. My mindset was to get out of here one way or another. All we had now was what we had with us and the box truck we had purchased for 1,200 dollars and drove from Chicago to Erie to start a new life.
From One Bad Landlord to Another
We needed to get it running. We had it parked in an industrial lot for a couple of years while it was non-operational for 50 dollars a month. We really just wanted to get it running and stop paying another sketchy landlord.
Getting Out Again
We finally decided to get the truck out of the lot in June 2021 when the landlord decided to raise the rent and price us out of there. We still didn’t have it running at the time but we were desperate so we rented a Penske and found a way to get the truck somewhere safer. In September 2021, we were finally able to get a new engine and get the truck running again. Our plan is to stay where we can and travel around enough to where we can live within our means.
The Box Truck/Tiny Home
Our box truck is a 14 foot truck with a cab in front. If you saw it on the road, you wouldn’t be able to tell it from any other box truck like a U-Haul or a Penske. We have solar panels and a generator attached to it to charge the 12,160 wH of LifePo4 batteries attached to the power we are able to generate inside the box.
Also, inside the box, we have a diesel heater and air conditioner to regulate temperature. For technology, we have an antenna for Wi-Fi internet and both of our computers attached to the power.
We also have a television, speakers, subwoofers for music, and a Google Dot.
For cooking purposes, we have an induction stovetop, a coffee maker, and a Samsung all-in-one oven to cook food in. We’ve also attached a mini-refrigerator to store cold and frozen food in.
Investing in this truck made us cash poor but it guaranteed that we wouldn’t be completely homeless from the fallout of a terrible situation.
The bed, which was completely constructed by my partner, is made of durable plywood and built to the dimensions of a regular-sized king bed with enough space underneath to store most of our boxes and other possessions. We also have a sheet spread over it and 14 inches (35.5 cm) of memory foam mattress on top of the wood.
Still, Some Work to Do
Since both of us are limited physically, this has been a long, drawn-out process for us. It has taken us months and months to get stuff organized and finished in the truck to make it fully functional and livable.
At this point, even though we are currently staying inside the truck, we still need insulation around the walls. The roof is metal and when it gets very cold and moist, so does the ceiling. I’ve had water droplets hit me at the most random of times at night and even while writing.
We also need to clear out the clutter that is still in here from when we moved our truck out of the lot. There is stuff in here that needs to be thrown away and organized so that we can have more room to live in and not feel so cluttered in by stuff we don’t need.
Thank Goodness for Motels
Luckily, in the meantime we’ve found a cheap motel to park at that we’d been renting a room at for a little while that we can keep camp at while we are figuring everything out. We’re currently charging our batteries from the room to justify paying a little more extra than just using the generator or solar power while we are biding our time. Having a place to stay and get our stuff organized will help both of us greatly especially considering the state of our health and the winter season.
Health Permitting and Au Revoir to Old Memories
As long as my partner’s multiple sclerosis stays at bay and my medical conditions will permit me to help finish, we could be done with the rest of the work we need to be done within a week. This would be a huge relief to us and would make living in this truck even more bearable at this point.
I just want to get out of Erie and travel the country as we need to. Not having to pay rent has been less stressful and has been a freeing experience. The only stress I feel these days is where we’re going to be a day, a week, or a month from now. I’m still just looking forward to the next chapter in our lives that we are about to embark on. And for now, I can’t say it yet, but when I do, I’ll say that I’m a proud tiny home dweller instead of just saying that I’m houseless and living in a box truck plugged into a motel room.
