When Lulu was told she would have to leave her home, one of her friends suggested that she ditch traditional apartment living and make her own place out in the wilderness. At first, Lulu was concerned about the effects that the tiny home living concept would have on her daughter.
But those worries quickly passed and she got started building. Lulu renovated a shipping container and cargo trailer into a tiny home that included everything they needed – and the craziest part was that she only spent about $4,000 for the entire thing.
Lulu spoke to a camera crew about the moment she realized having a modern home didn’t equate to happiness for her daughter. A house isn’t a home without love.
“At one point I was stuffing all of these pink toys into a box and I was like, ‘Since when, in order to have a happy childhood, do you have to have a pink room with pink curtains and pink stuff? This was really a choice about how many hours do we have in our life and how do I want to spend those hours.”
As a single mom who had returned to school, was raising her daughter and didn’t have enough time to work full-time and pay for rent, she felt the remodeled shipping container would work best for her. It took just one month to cut the windows and a door, install insulation and set up a basic kitchen complete with a propane-powered camp stove and on-demand water heater.
In the 8×20-square-foot home, Lulu and her daughter slid in a bed, couch, bookshelf and kitchen cabinets. She created their bedroom atop a used flatbed trailer.
What’s even more amazing is that Lulu used only recycled building materials to create their home. She incorporated floorboards, windows, cabinets, doors, a bathtub, toilet and sinks that were used.
“It’s really mostly built like a shed. It’s a nice looking shed, but it’s really an 8 by 16 shed with windows in it.”
While Lulu admits that her daughter does complain from time to time about little things, the majority of their days are spent bonding and playing in the great outdoors! Lulu says that the absence of worrying about paying rent means that she gets to be a more active mother and reflects the childhood she experienced in Argentina.
This lifestyle definitely isn’t for everyone, but for Lulu and her daughter, it’s the only way they can picture spending their days. Lulu is proof that you don’t need a large home and tons of fancy things to be happy!
All you need is your loved ones, a place to rest your head and lots of time in the sunshine! What an innovative concept that works well for them.
Take a peek at this creative tiny home fit for a family in the video below.
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