This Couple Turned A Military Truck Into A Dream Tiny House
Some married couples dream of one day owning a big house with a yard. For Kourtney and Trevor, living their ultimate life meant traveling wherever they pleased without having to leave home. That's why they chose to impulsively purchase an old military truck and make it into a tiny home.
Kourtney admits on their Instagram page that she didn't think they'd actually do it at first. But now that they have, their lives have changed forever. Read on to see how this loving couple transformed their world with just $37,000 and a lot of hard work.
Meet Kourtney And Trevor
This is Kourtney, Trevor, and one of their two dogs, a Doberman named Duke. In case you couldn't tell from their headsets, they aren't driving a typical vehicle. They're operating a Stewart and Stevenson M1078, a military truck.
Most couples wouldn't dream of committing to a massive truck with the power to roll over cars, drive through water, carry the weight of a home, and so much more. For this couple, however, that's exactly what they needed.
The Very Beginning
It all started in August of 2017. The happily married couple were content with their two dogs and flexible careers. Kourtney is a photographer and Trevor is a stuntman. However, it seemed pointless to be tied down to a home when their sense of adventure was only growing.
Enter this retired military truck. The manufacturer, Stewart and Stevenson, originated in Texas back in 1902. They've since maintained a reputation for building trucks and other vehicles for jobs such as cementing, drilling, nitrogen pumping, and more.
What Did They Get Themselves Into?
With just one peek inside the truck's cabin, it's clear that this isn't your typical vehicle. For one, you don't just turn the car key to get the engine ready to go. There are a host of buttons and gauges that the driver has to be able to make sense of.
While this might not be what Spiderman's uncle meant when he said "with great power comes great responsibility," the rule of thumb is especially relevant here. This mighty truck could breakdown solely because an ignorant driver got behind the wheel. Lucky for this couple, Trevor was far from ignorant.
Building Their Home
Trevor not only had to work on the dated truck itself, but did the entire construction of the home on his own. One of the tasks was updating and moving the generator to a different location. Another job what to build a structure that would sit securely on top of the truck, and become their home.
This photograph shows Trevor working on the frame of the unit that would become their house. Since the couple only had $37,000 to work with, including the cost of the vehicle itself, they wouldn't be able to hire a team to do the work for them.
A Solar System
Pictured here is the truck with the unit that Trevor built resting on top of it. On the roof, you can see three solar panels, which are responsible for the energy used throughout the unit. The lithium batteries allowed for significantly greater thermostat control.
Trevor told Barcroft Cars that the couple "went from good air conditioning, good heat for about six hours, depending on the heat outside, to we have it for days." Having temperature control is vital when traveling to various climates without the insulation afforded by the walls of a typical home.
The Finished Product
Today, the vehicle looks like it was practically made to be a tiny home. However, getting to this point was far from easy. They spent a year and a half working on the vehicle before they were able to live in it.
They also spent three years saving enough money to take on the challenge, sold all that they had, and quit their jobs. Kourtney admitted on Instagram that they had no idea what they were doing at first, but relied on their optimism to get through it. She warns that the process is not for the faint of heart, but encourages everyone to go after their dreams.
Entering Their Home
The back of the truck's cabin shares a wall with the couple's lovely kitchen, shown here. Below their built-in shelves is a tiny door that opens to a crawl space between the driving area and the living area. This enables Kourtney and the dogs to transition back and forth while Kevin drives.
Once you emerge through the crawl space, you land in their quaint kitchen. Books and photographs make the area feel so homey that you practically forget you're in the same truck.
The Cozy Kitchen
This angle gives a more optimal look at Kourtney and Trevor's kitchen. To the right are the same shelves we just saw. They are adjacent to a long window that allows for plenty of natural light. A stainless steel sink with an adjustable faucet is perfect for quickly cleaning dishes.
The miniature stove and attached oven offer the same convenience you'd find in a large home at a fraction of the size. The wooden countertops allow for space to prepare meals. However, there's also something hidden underneath there that we'll check out next.
A Hidden Freezer and Refrigerator
Below the crawl space was a wooden countertop that seemed perfect for preparing meals. However, the counter also lifts to reveal a side by side freezer and refrigerator. While the innovative location was a perfect plan, it took a bit of trial and error to come up with the idea.
Kourtney told Barcroft Cars that the couple initially had a standup fridge. However, it quickly detached during an off-roading trip. Having something fall out of place is an even larger deal when you have a tiny home because things are in close proximity. The groceries essentially fell all over the home.
Functional And Charming
When it comes to living tiny, one important thing is that the space feels comfortable. Living in tight quarters can become Closter phobic, which makes the design all the more vital. You can tell that Kourtney and Trevor put a lot of care into the smallest of details, like the strip of blue in the hardwood floors, which lights up at night.
They also positioned that bathroom directly in front of a window for proper ventilation. The teal paint is a beautiful contrast against the white wall decor and gives depth to the small area. Plants and wooden surfaces bring the outdoors into the chic space.
A Custom Shower
Having a place to shower is one of the main priorities when it comes to transforming something into a home. As Kourtney put it, they wanted to live like hippies, but they didn't want to smell like them.
That's why she knew if there was one thing they couldn't compromise on, it was having a nice shower. This one is made extra deep so that it can fill with enough water to act as a small tub. It also is layered with a stylish, blue substance that gives the illusion of looking through water.
A Multi-Purpose Room
Standing in the kitchen and looking towards the back end of the truck, you can see how the space does the job of multiple rooms. Kourtney is seated at a small table that adjusts to lay flat against the wall when it's not in use. Above her, a television is propped up on the wall in front of a beautiful world map mural.
Beyond is their living room area. That red and white blanket above is where their bed is, which is on a crank system. A lever underneath the bed allows them to lower it at night, and raise it to the top during the day.
A Homey Living Room
When their bed is raised to the roof, it allows for this living room space underneath. A U-shaped couch allows for plenty of sitting and room to kick their feet up. Underneath the cushions is storage space where Kourtney and Trevor keep their clothing.
In this photograph, Kourtney is playing the ukelele while kissing their second dog, a bulldog named Louie. The fluffy rug she's sitting one transforms into a doggy den at night when her and Trevor's bed is lowered. Subtle wallpaper adds a homey touch to the well-lit room.
Built For Wild Terrain
One of the perks to transforming this truck into a home isn't just that you can take it places, but also that the car is virtually weatherproof. Trevor mentioned to Barcroft Cars that the vehicle was made to be able to drive through four feet of water.
So far, he says they tested it out in three feet of water and didn't have any issues. It's one thing to find yourself surrounded by nature, and it's quite another to do so while in, or in Trevor's case on top of, the convenience of your own home.
Opposites At Heart
In one Instagram caption, Kourtney noted how opposite she and Trevor are. While she loves warm weather, he would much rather be tucked away in a snowy cabin. The couple gets to enjoy the best of both worlds thanks to their constant travel.
From snowy mountains to sandy beaches, they roam wherever they please. With so little expenses each month and careers that don't demand normal work hours, these two get to spend most of their time doing what they love and exploring new places.
Naming Their Ride
Kourtney and Trevor decided to name the vehicle Wazimu, as is clearly stated on their license plate. The named came from the couples' adventures in Entebbe, Uganda. Before the two embarked on their tiny home journey, they found themselves at an orphanage halfway across the world.
Kourtney had been offered the opportunity to do some photography for a non-profit there and the couple was moved by the experience. Since many of the children had never seen a tall, white man like Trevor before, they started calling him wazimu, the Swahili word for maniac.
The Wazimu Life
After taking a leap of faith and purchasing a giant hunk of metal through an auction, spending all they had to transform it, and then waving goodbye to society to go travel the world, Wazimu seemed like the perfect name for their new life.
Indeed, some would call the couple reckless or insane for making such a grand change. However, there's only one way to make a dream come true, and that's by going after it at full speed. Looking back, the life they have now is beyond worth all of the patience and effort.
The World Is Their Oyster
Kourtney confessed on Instagram that the moment they started driving, it hit her how insane it was that they were really living like this. However, that fear had to have melted with each breathtaking view they encountered on their first trips in their new home.
Some of the stops they've documented were in Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Missouri. While some of their trips are related to photoshoots or work opportunities, half the time these two have no idea where they'll end up next. They certainly don't take for granted the phrase "the world is your oyster."
Doing Their Victory Dance
Since many of Kourtney and Trevor's adventures have been documented on social media, they also have displayed their relationship to the general public. While no couple is perfect, these two are almost too adorable to resist.
Their captions are vulnerable and honest, showing the wonderful and the not-so-pretty sides of living on the road with your spouse. Overall, the two seem exceptionally happy to be together and to have built a life ruled by their wanderlust. Just look at them dancing on top of their truck-home.
Where Will They Go Next?
Some of their travels are smoother than others. One of their more trying weekends involved their Wazimu breaking down in the middle of nowhere during 20-degree weather while the solar panels were barely charged.
The next day, Kourtney had to race off to photograph a wedding while Trevor took care of the truck. Though things aren't always perfect, no lifestyle is. The positive is that these two lovebirds get to live life on their own terms, exploring the world from inside their tiny home.
