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This man paid $600 for an old horse trailer and turned it into a tiny home that he rents out on Airbnb. Take a look at how he did it.https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/this-man-paid-600-for-an-old-horse-trailer-and-turned-it-into-a-tiny-home-that-he-rents-out-on-airbnb-take-a-look-at-how-he-did-it-/slidelist/97601075.cms2023-02-04T14:45:44+05:30

This man paid $600 for an old horse trailer and turned it into a tiny home that he rents out on Airbnb. Take a look at how he did it.

Stephanie StaceyFeb 4, 2023, 14:45 IST

Khylen Baldwin bought an old horse box during the UK's COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. He described it as a "complete impulse purchase."

Baldwin, 37, now operates the Airbnb full time and cares for his two young children.

He paid £500, or roughly $600, for the 1980s vehicle on Facebook Marketplace.

A friend helped haul the trailer to Baldwin's home with a tractor. Baldwin said that though it was very run-down, he "could see in my head that it would look great."

He said that for the first few months it "just sat around" in his backyard in Devon, England, while he tried to figure out what to do with it.

Baldwin's first step was to install floor-to-ceiling windows, offering what he said was some "much needed" light.

He did all the wiring and plumbing himself. There aren't any plug sockets because the vehicle is off the grid, but it has solar-powered lights and running water.

Baldwin said he hadn't done much construction work before, so he used YouTube to figure out how to convert the trailer into a functional tiny home.

He did most of the work at night, after spending days caring for his children while his wife, a schoolteacher, was at work.

Baldwin ripped out the seating at the front of the trailer and turned the driver's cabin into a double bed.

He built a second double bed in the narrow space above the driver's cabin. He said the trailer can accommodate a family of four, though it's often rented by young couples.

He said he wanted to make the most of the trailer's original structure, so he turned the tailgate into a sheltered deck.

He bought a second, smaller horse box and turned it into a separate bathroom, complete with a composting toilet.

The shower is gas-powered to provide hot water for Airbnb guests.

After months of intensive construction, Baldwin started renting the property on Airbnb in June 2021. He charges $93 a night, plus cleaning fees.

The trailer, which is 7 feet wide and 21 feet long, contains two double beds, a kitchen, a wood-burning stove, and an indoor seating area.

Baldwin bought a lot of the furnishings, including the kitchen cabinets, on Facebook Marketplace. He said he wanted things that were "random" and "vintage."

He said he covered the trailer in wood paneling because he wanted it to have a "rustic" feel that would suit its rural surroundings.

"I decorated it just like my house," Baldwin said.

After renovating the trailer, Baldwin took it to its final destination, in sprawling hills and fields on his family's farm.

Having finished his tiny-home conversion, Baldwin is on the hunt for a new project. "If I found something else the same size, like an army truck, I'd be keen to do it," he said.

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