Starting A Decade of Alternative Housing

The previous posts relate a brief history on my struggle to secure shelter for myself and my family. Many of my ideas may seem,...distressing to some, but the original intent during those times was survival, while trying to learn how to make it in life. Please consider I had some fun along the way.

I was to some extent launched into this search by one single act by my Father that to this day is not recognized as having any effect on me. My Father did very well for himself up to a point, and his theory on education rested on the muscles in his back, hard knocks, and a subsidized living from his Father's business that allowed him to pursue other income streams. He be railed structured education, and I as his firstborn followed his lead for a time. Early on I tried to make a go at it like him, but I was not afforded the resources that he was. He will never realize this.

He gave me $1,500 and sent me off to a trade school for Dental Prosthetics, and said: "When you need more, call me!" I feel I have never been that demanding for resources. He had always indicated that he would pay for those things. I was dumb. I stretched that money. I bottled food. I dried food. He brought me a little Ford Ranger, and said the payment's are $125 per month, and you need to put gas in it. I thought, ok that is not too bad, thanks! My trade school required me to attend 8 hours a day for 5 days. I found a part time job, that turned into a full time job. I became very sick. I ran out of money. I was hungry. I called my Father. He said he did not have anything for me. I thought it was just timing. The next week he bought I believe two of those really nice propane overhead porch heaters for $1,500 a piece.

I worked more and started to fall behind in take home school work. The course I was taking did not offer a degree. You don't even need to be certified to work. I realized that the local market was about to be flooded with all of the new "graduates," so I quit school after 9 of the 10 months feeling secure in my abilities, so I could at least feed my face. I began sleeping on friends of friends, couches to network until I could get on my feet. I sent the truck home to my Father. I bought a motorcycle, and eventually the snow pushed me to buy a little Ford Festiva that I virtually lived out of for a short period, then actually lived in for a longer period.

I had no idea of any social services available. I still don't really have any idea what was, or is available. I lived as I could, one day to the next. I began to value each day.

I began to reconcile considerations for portable housing. I understand what was going on in my field of study now, but at the time I did not realize what the Laboratory owners were talking about when they spoke of; "unstable," and unsustainable low gold and high noble metal prices. I was told by one that extremely low prices are always a sign that it is time for the economy to be re-sized. It did not take long for the laboratory owners to beat down the workforce in an act of self preservation, preempting the recent economic bust. I responded to the glass ceilings I encountered with employer changes. I was bouncing from Lab to Lab learning new techniques and finding out that nobody would move me much beyond the starting wage. I learned that if my housing was not portable I would not be able to stay in the field.

Couches, Lawns, Friend of a Friend

Making friends along the way can help a lot when you never had a supportive family. Especially when you have no where to sleep except for people's couches you meet along the way. I chose this route several times when employer's exploiting me left no choice other than driving a motorcycle, and relying on college acquaintances. It keeps you on your toes as elderly individuals do not see you in their mirrors, and local law enforcement tries to keep you: "out of site, out of mind." I was disturbed when I found out that outside a city where "services" were provided, it was generally illegal to be homeless. So much for the individuals rights. If I were to pursue a legal career I think pro-bono work would be interesting.

The best shower I ever took during this time was at the end of a low pressure sprinkler pipe, at the top of a hill, in a small farming community park. The water was luke warm, and wonderful!

Living in My Car

In the late 90's I lived in my car a couple times. It was a blue festiva like this one. I ran the mileage up 36,000 miles in one year. The longest duration was in Las Vegas. I bought a gym pass, and showered there before and after work. I kept $3,000-$5,000 under the seat as my bank. I slept on the passengers side with a .357 nestled against my chest, and then parked the passengers side against a hedge so if somebody was going to rob me they would first have to break the window, make it through the window, and across the seat all before I emptied my gun. My Mom did not like not knowing where I was most of the time, and Dad finally could not take the social pressure. He brought me down an old travel trailer to live in at a gravel pit. Later on I upgraded to a really nice 27 foot travel trailer from Prowler. I should have stayed in the car. I would have been much better off financially.

Living In A Steel Box

I returned home from Las Vegas very sick, and still in need of somewhere to live that was modest. During the week I began working in Salt Lake City. Considering that most of my concerns with living on the streets in a vehicle was safety I began to construct a steel box with a large heavy steel door and significant deadlock. It measured 8' long X 5' wide X 5' high. I was never able to finish insulating the thing before the motor went out on my truck, and I had to quit my job. They were not paying me enough to find an apartment, and would not negotiate until a couple of years later, when they could not find anyone. I remember that I did not need an alarm clock in the morning as the sun crested the mountains, and within 10 minutes elevated the temperature within the box high enough to make me run to the door. I was carrying water to and from work in 4 gallon containers to sponge bath in, and returning home to my parents home on the weekend to shower and get out of the city.

Living In The Back Of My Truck

When I met my wife she had been told some really skewed stories about my character. In an effort to sort the whole matter out she mandated that I secure a different job and housing to prove an ability on my part to provide for a family, (at the time I was living with my parents and working at our family's car dealership.) I moved to a nearby city and set myself up in an apartment. I told her that I would rather save the money that I would be paying for an apartment, and live in my car! She assured me that we would incur less resistance from family if I at least demonstrated a "normal life." I rented a really nice apartment in the city near where I worked. One of very few I have ever lived in.

After we became engaged we started drawing up financials, and we wanted a little more wiggle room on the disposable income issue. I told her that I could buy a little Ford Ranger, put a shell on the back, install a carpet liner kit and live in that during the week while I worked. She said OK. This is by far the best setup that I had for this application. I had the shell built custom without any windows. When it was complete I drilled out the rivets that held the glass window in the back and replaced the glass with a piece of aluminum the same thickness as the glass. It was secure, looked good, and did not lead anyone to believe someone was living in the back.

The Yurt Project

After living in the steel box, I set out again to find living quarters that would work for moving around frequently, but would not attract so much attention from family. I considered a yurt. It was still a hard sell, but anger was not their first response. Shortly after deciding to build the yurt I started dating my wife. I sat down with a file in my hands containing all my research on yurts and examples of pictures. I told her this was where I was headed and if it was not something she could see herself doing, that we shouldn't pursue a relationship. She remained open minded and we began to draw up floor plans.

I had to cut small trees in secret on my Dad's land because he did not appreciate the idea. He tried to stop me from building the thing, but he owed me money, and I was building it on my Grandfather's land. My Dad was livid when I told him he could not do a thing because it was not being built on his land. Eventually I began to resolve that the portability of the structure was an issue. I needed portability that not even a yurt could provide. I remember when I built the crown, the local steel shop thought I was building a turbine engine. They could not figure out how I was able to space all of the holes around the circle so well. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with what a Yurt is, we have provided an example as shown.) I never finished it. My wife and I have decided to use the walls of the Yurt as a corral of sorts for the animals we plan to procure.

Living In A Snowmobile Trailer

In 2004 I began working in the oil field, after having to endure the drug culture there, I concluded it was time to stay in a place of my own while working. I concluded that I needed something similar to a sheep camp. My wife also did not really care to be far from my side, so when she asked me if there was something that we could do to change our financial postioning I told her that we could buy this snowmobile trailer I found, insulate it, then secure partical board to it. I broke my sturnum and some ribs while working on the rigs. We decided it was time to move on and allow my body to heal, we prayed about where we should go next, the answer was Las Vegas. After staying for three months with my Sister who lives down there, we brought our trailer down and lived in it for about 11 months.

It is difficult to see just what we had here, but I made an aluminum shower stall where we could sit with a hot pot of water and sponge bathe. I made a stove from some old pipe I was given on the rig site. I made a vented toilet that brought air inside from outside, then discharged it outside. It ran off of a PCU fan like you have in the back of your computer. It would run for about 3 weeks before the battery would need charging.

Eventually as you can see in this picture we were able to install an air conditioner on the trailer. I remember praying where to put the thing when we moved to Vegas. I was driving West in the city, and said; "Ok Lord, now where?" Immediately I remembered an old air field that appeared to be abandoned west of the city that I drove up on quite suddenly and found myself actually going down the runway. I drove to it and found an area that already had some individuals living similarly. After a breif conversation they told me that they were all moving, and they were selling out. They told me to go and check with one of the local neighbors, and see if they would let me stay on their land. I checked, and he let us stay there for some time. It was peaceful. We had rabbits, coyotes, quail, and most of all we were close to the city, but sat on the outskirts where we could still see the stars.