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A Retired Couple Spent Five Years And $180,000 Converting A Dilapidated Semitrailer Into A ‘monster’ Mobile Home With A Library, Spiral Staircase, And Hot Tub. Take A Look Inside.

As they approached retirement, Clayton Balabanov and his wife, Teresa, dreamt of a nomadic lifestyle wandering among the picturesque landscapes of the United States and Canada. The couple’s ambitions were stymied as they struggled to find a mobile home or recreational vehicle that suited their needs and met their quality standards.

He also knew the limitations of what standard manufacturers’ units would provide and was not too pleased. “They just didn’t seem like they would stand up to the year-round use, rather than just vacation use,” he said.

Eager to realize their dream, the couple soon embarked on a special mission: building their wheeled shelter alone. Not content with obvious options, they refurbished a used semi-truck, turning it into an imaginary bare living space with some sustainably-minded design.

Their business venture was the epitome of more than a personal quest for fulfillment it was also a testament to their inventiveness and resourcefulness. For the Balabanovs, this entailed countless hours of planning and single-minded determination to set out and prove that mobile living could mean freedom, adventure, and self-sufficiency.

Sustainable Living on the Road

mobile home

Balabanov wanted much more than just living in a converted semi truck. He was after the same comfort and sustainability of their Vancouver Island home in British Columbia. A vital part of the plan is ensuring it’s as ecologically friendly as possible, combining solar power concepts with water recycling to reduce environmental impact.

Balabanov explained, “We needed solar, recycling water, and things like that, which would leave a smaller carbon footprint, making up for the fuel the truck uses.”.

Five years ago, Balabanov bought a “real mess” of a truck and started work on it. He also bought a trailer on eBay. That was the beginning of their ambitious project, led by the firm belief that comfort, functionality, and sustainability on the road can and should be combined.

Balabanov is resourceful in achieving his dream of mobile living, so he settled on an older truck after considering budget constraints. “So I bought an older one and then spent the next year rebuilding it,” he said, listing all his work on it: overhauling brakes and engine components.

In parallel to buying the truck, Balabanov also got his hands on a used trailer listed on eBay. To him, it was a blank canvas and, therefore, just perfect for what he had in mind for the tailoring. “It was empty, and I just decided to go at it,” he comments on the trailer and his iterative process of planning and execution.

His planning tool was a whiteboard, where Balabanov meticulously detailed the layout and constantly improved his design as the project progressed. “As I built, things changed as well,” he notes to underscore that it was always a dynamic task.

DIY Transformation into a Mobile Home

Making the Dilapidated Semitrailer fit for living was time-consuming, much of which the couple had done by themselves. Their active involvement in the whole process showed their dedication and determined attitude toward creating the mobile home that would serve the purpose they wished to achieve, leading a life of sustainability on the go.

Over nearly five years of work, Balabanov toiled interminable, painful hours, turning the Dilapidated semitrailer into a place to live. He remembered he often worked around the clock. “Most of it I did myself,” he said, emphasizing his work with his own hands. Balabanov would make curtains of this kind of thing himself, sew them up, and underline his attitude toward each change.

mobile home

Since the project was unique, Balabanov realized it would be easier to implement the designs himself than to explain them to a third party. “It would take longer to explain than to do it,” he said. He realized that he would waste time and not transfer the concept of the elaborate work.

Meanwhile, Teresa handled the sourcing of materials, which presented more challenges than most in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It all adds up to quite an investment,” he says, estimating the total price was around $180,000. He hasn’t yet detailed his expenses but estimated that he spent about CA$250,000, or about $181,100.

Compact Living with Creative Design

The couple converted it to something more homey than usual, with a seating section and a kitchenette with basics like a microwave oven and a refrigerator. A loft bed above the seating area added functionality to this compact and comfortable living space.

They then converted the trailer, which presented the challenge of fitting numerous liveable areas into a tiny space. One cool part was the spiral staircase the couple designed for both looks and practicality in saving space. “It looks awesome, and it takes up less space than if I put regular stairs in,” said Balabanov, underlining the witty part of their design approach.

Versatile Spaces with a Grand Spiral Staircase

The rooms comprise an office, kitchen, garage, living room, bedroom, library, and bathroom, all of which are furnished to suit their likes and whims. One of the prom trailer’s most prominent and noticeable features is a grand-looking spiral staircase, which also acts as an attention grabber and uses space to its fullest.

Special attention was also paid to the kitchen, where the couple tried to create a space that was as comfortable and convenient as possible for mobile living. The fully appointed kitchen is spacious, light, and powered by the sun, and it comes with all the standard facilities you would expect in a typical household. As Balabanov humorously puts it, “At 75, I’m not going to cram myself into a little, tiny kitchen trying to make beans on toast,” underpinning their resolve to ensure comfort and pleasure from residence.

Besides their inventive living space design, Balabanov included a bit of luxury in their moveable life and built a “movie theater” into the trailer. Comfortably styled with a 75-inch 4K TV and a surround-sound system, the snug environment is ideal for kicking back with the latest Netflix offering. With the unlimited satellite internet service, the couple can now stream countless series and movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video through Starlink, a company founded by Elon Musk under SpaceX.

Hence, while Balabanov savors his movie nights, Teresa Davies is comforted by the onboard reading room, which is situated near the top of the staircase, almost hidden out of sight. A comfortable chair and a well-stocked bookshelf have turned the library into her sanctuary, where she has already devoured 42 books since September, when they moved into the Dilapidated semitrailer mobile home. He said of his wife’s reading habit: “Teresa likes books. She decided that that’s going to be her main entertainment.” Another added feature of their mobile living is the Dilapidated semitrailer, which has a luxurious hot tub installation.

Luxury Meets Practicality in Mobile Home

Inside the finely finished borders of their Dilapidated semitrailer, Clayton Balabanov and Teresa Davies have formed a retreat that hints at comfort and welcome. Their bathroom enclosure hosts a sumptuous, deep jetted tub, hinting they intend to mix luxury with practicality. For Balabanov, the desire to include this particular fixture came from needing to meet his relaxation requirements in a way that wasted neither space nor versatility.

Another point of their nomadic lifestyle is hospitality. The couple sometimes gathers their small friends in the small but functional dining room. Balabanov calls it compact and says, “The dining room isn’t spacious, but it does the job.” He warmly remembers the recent small parties and says that due to the atmosphere, he had the opportunity to enjoy and discuss things of a personal nature. According to Balabanov, dining together cements the bonds between fellow nomads, and its significance is beyond the socializing process.

Their journey has not been without issues, though. Roof leaks, solar battery malfunctions, and even melting wires have pushed their adventure during the maiden voyage. But Balabanov has never been daunted, always seeing those challenges as a chance to improve. “We’ll change things that didn’t work, enhance things that did work, and polish up,” he says.

Reflecting on the grueling five-year construction process, Balabanov confessed he was sometimes ambivalent. Creatively, the work means much to him, but he realizes it also wastes a lot of time and energy. “This was five years of my life where I could have just gone out and bought something smaller,” he says, considering the tradeoffs. He adds, though, the satisfaction of realizing the vision outweighs any regret. “But on the other hand, I enjoyed doing it,” he confesses, a testament to the intrinsic rewards of their labor of love.

Balabanov’s Advice for Nomadic Homeowners

Balabanov is doling out sage advice to budding nomadic homeowners and advocates wisdom and practicality. “Start small and grow,” he cautions against over-ambition. He admits this project is very demanding and only for those very talented and with too much money in their pockets. It just takes a lot of time out of your life,” he said, driving the mobile home to the point of having realistic expectations.

Yet, though it was difficult, the couple wandered about the world. They sold their family house and the taxi company to give in to the adventures that would await them in the future. ‘You only live so long,’ Balabanov reflects on their philosophy to make the most of the moment. And so they set out with determination that was unshakeable on this journey through the US and Canada, where the mobile home is the “Nomad Monster,” and the open road is an epitome of freedom full of possibilities.

A Retired Couple Spent Five Years And $180,000 Converting A Dilapidated Semitrailer Into A ‘monster’ Mobile Home With A Library, Spiral Staircase, And Hot Tub. Take A Look Inside.
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