Rolling Homes by Lloyd Kahn

Rolling Homes by Lloyd Kahn

If there's not a nomadic revolution going on today, there's certainly a nomadic movement. In the last few years, either for reasons of practicality (high costs of rent or mortgages), change in lifestyle, or the search for adventure, people are customizing all sorts of vehicles for travel.

If you search for "van" on Instagram, you find scores of accounts such as #projectvanlife, with 1.2 million followers; #vanlifecamper; 472,000 followers, or #fosterhunting, 930,000 followers.

This book focuses on DIY vehicles, with most of the 80 or so shown here fitted out for the road by their owners, similar to the way that the homes in all of Shelter's building books were built by hand, by the owners. There are vans, sedans, trucks, buses, and trailers with a wide array of designs and styles. A number of the units are 4-wheel drive for off-road travel.

The book is not only fun to browse through, but is full of practical information (such as stoves, heaters, battery charging, solar power, refrigerators, and kitchens designed for the road) -- for anyone wanting to create their own movable home. These owner builders describe their homes, provide photos and share their secrets. There are dozens of floor plans, all sorts of sleeping arrangements, and some unique "stealth vehicles" -- designed to be under the radar, so that passers-by have no idea that someone is sleeping in a parked vehicle.

There is a European minivan outfitted by a young German woman who just graduated from architectural school and took a sabbatical to go surfing. There are a number of camper truck shells, all completely different. There's a converted school bus that is used in both cold weather for skiing, and in warm climates (such as Baja California) for surfing. A $200,000 Land Rover and a $300 pickup truck camper shell. There's a converted horse trailer furnished with Victorian antiques that is used at Burning Man. A tiny Geo Metro (3-cylinder sedan) that is ingeniously designed for sleeping, cooking, and eating in the stealth mode.

This is the the latest addition to The Shelter Library of Building Books, which started with Shelter in 1973 and includes Home Work, Builders of the Pacific Coast, Tiny Homes, and more.

This book couldn't be more timely.

I began building about 50 years ago and have lived in a home that I constructed myself ever since. I might not have started building if I had been able to find a great historic house with a good vibe. Yet it was always cheaper to create than to buy, and by doing so, I was able to design exactly what I desired and utilize the materials I wanted. In 1960, I embarked on a journey to study the craft of construction. The entire procedure was quite enjoyable for me.

Nail hammering Delineating space is what framing is all about. The sub-floor and roof decking are nailed down. When you first tread on the floor you've just made, it's a rush.

I wish I could have spent more time learning the basics from a master carpenter, but there was never enough time. I learnt from friends and literature, as well as by blundering my way into a procedure that required some expertise. My viewpoint was that of a beginner, a homeowner, rather than a professional. As I gained experience, I began to believe that I could teach people how to construct, or at the very least get them started on the road to building their own homes.

I've gone from post and beam to geodesic domes to stud frame building throughout the years. It's been a never-ending learning process, and it's lead me to investigate a variety of construction approaches, all of which I'm interested in. I created geodesic domes for five years, from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. Domebook One and Domebook 2 were my first two books as a publisher, released in 1970 and 1971, respectively.

In 1973, I abandoned domes (as dwellings) and released our namesake Shelter. Over the years, we've released books on a wide range of topics, including Home Work: Handbuilt Shelter in 2004, Builders of the Pacific Coast and The Barefoot Architect in 2008, and Small Houses in 2012. My favorite subject is construction. Even in today's world, building a house with your own hands may save you a lot of money (I've never had a mortgage) and allow you to have exactly what you want in a home if you follow through.

Lloyd Kahn is a well-known architect.