Rolling Homes: Handmade Houses on Wheels

by Jane Lidz

From the back cover:

With the spirit of yesterday’s covered wagon and the mobility of today’s recreational vehicle, these individually crafted houses on wheels form an original artistic and cultural movement. They combine the do-it-yourself tradition with the American faith that “you can take it with you.” Blending art with technology and economy with style, they satisfy the desire for freedom, simplicity and self-expression.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[James P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book! Makes me want to sale my house, and hit the road. However, life brings me back to reality buy reminding me I have to many bills to just up and drop everything. Hopefully in the near future i'll be able to. I do think I'll look into getting a rig/small bus and start creating my "Rolling Home" it's a freedom that looks very enticing.

[Matte Resist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been wanting to see this book for a while. I finally was able to get my hands on a copy through an interlibrary loan. This book is mostly pictures, fantastic pictures, but mostly pictures. I could have gone for some serious detail on how the houses were built: plumbing, electrical, etc. But that's not what this book is.... that's just what I was hoping for.

This book is chock full of pictures of a variety of different styles of homemade houses on wheels. There are ones build out of buses, small rigs and large trucks. Since this book was published in 1979 and these folks were using older vehicles to begin with, there are a lot of really stylish autos with homes built on them. There are some that showcase some incredible workmanship, and a few that are pretty cobbled together.

There is some detail on cost, construction, and layout. Obviously over 30 years later, the costs are SUPER outdated. I did like the diagrams of how some of the homes were laid out though. This bok doesn't show you how to do it yourself, but it sure does inspire you in that direction.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting. I have been interested in houses on wheels ever since I read Christopher Moeley's : Parnassus on Wheels , which I highly recommend. Rolling Homes shows a number of beautiful handmade houses on wheels, some very small and cozy and some look large enough to fit in all you might ever need. Cool book.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has great ideas on adding roofs to your bus in a very vintage beautiful way. No designs just photographs.