An enclosed passive solar trailer home can provide temporary living space while your main home is under construction. When the enclosure is complete, you can drive or tow the trailer out if you wish. While you might not want to use the exact method described in the following article, they do provide some interesting ideas to think about. A key benefit is living and working at the jobsite to reduce costs.
“Like a lot of folks who set out to build their own homes, my partner and I decided to park a trailer home on our property (a remote site in northern New Mexico) and use it for shelter until our permanent abode was completed. The advantages of using such a ready-made dwelling are many (“instant” plumbing, a built-in kitchen, a watertight roof, and the like) . . . but so, unfortunately, are the disadvantages. Not the least of these is a form of domestic claustrophobia with the main symptom best characterized as “If I’m stuck in this box another week, I’ll go crazy!”
Some owner-builders, in fact, succumb to “trailer twitch” by prematurely moving into their still-under-construction homes or (what’s even worse) by taking shortcuts to finish their houses quickly. I’m happy to report, though, that there’s a much better solution to the problem . . . one that has allowed us to live in relatively roomy (and inexpensive) comfort while building our home exactly as we want it at a sensible pace. The secret? An insulated, sun-catching, heat-retaining “solar envelope” built around our trailer!”
Read more at the source: Mother Earth News