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Old-Style Gypsy Caravans - Works of Art


Silverbirch

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I just know that this is a project I'm going to do - build my own gypsy caravan - a really girly one too. I've always been fascinated by them, and last night was googling images of gypsy caravans. I found a lovely one which, with a bit of help and a lot of time, I know I could create. It would be a labor of love, and I hope to also one day have a perfect place amongst nature to live in my caravan.

 

If anyone else finds them enchanting as I do, please post links to images of ones you like. I've seen caravans not too far from where I live which would be suitable for renovation - most starting from around $1,000 - but there are ones cheaper.

 

So far, this is my favourite. Please inspire me more:

 

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Here's a link also to lots of images of gypsy caravans. I think I would like to give mine a warm atmosphere inside by painting it in lots of blending colors.

 

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Hi Camus,

That one is very nice. I have looked at the new modern ones too, and here's a link to the very best I have seen so far. It is for sale at just under $70,000 and it's very luxurious. I could possibly afford to get something like this one day, but there's something about the old style I like very much and to me, they are more suitable as a permanent home rather than just for travelling. I think you will like this one below.

 

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Capilot, I will be spending hours looking through the links! I saw the link on the classes "Wood-working for Women". It's something I have wanted to do for quite some time, but I can't see I will have enough time for classes real soon, especially as I have to travel for a lot things. It seems to be becoming a popular interest for a lot more women these days.

 

I especially appreciated the fine detail in the photos you posted. A long time ago, I lived in an old house that was falling down (since demolished) and the landlord told me I could paint whatever I wanted. I painted the kitchen yellow and stencilled and free-hand painted pear branches and pears over some of the walls in the kitchen and hung baskets off the roof - the old house had originally been a very small cottage and the property was part of a fruit orchard. It had the originally wood stove in what had been converted to a dining room. I felt very creative when I lived there. In the front parlour which had an old-style fireplace, I stencilled and painted ivy vines on the high walls just below the ceiling as someone prior to me had painted so much of the house interior in pink - way too much pink so I needed to introduce other colors.

 

I would so like a caravan project out the back for my retirement or rather semi-retirement. I can't see I would be able to start from scratch as they have in the photos, but definitely modify an old existing one and try to use as much as I can which would be recycled - and lots of time on finishing touches.

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ATM, I am reading up as much as I can about caravans and restoration. I have shared a little of it with the BF who says he is very interested in it though too busy ATM to take on such a project - he is completing a trailer for a haybaler and this has been very frustrating for him as he hasn't been able to keep it undercover and weather has caused major delays. He says that we would definitely need to do a lot of it undercover. Also, he is keen on doing it from scratch. He is in the process of buying a unique type of block of land with access to a private airstrip in the country which is about an acre in size and he invited me to move there with him in a couple of years. Well, I'm sure lots could happen in that time and we'll just have to see how life goes with some things anyway.

 

Neither of us want a conventional style of housing. Both of us were married around 20 years ago and lived in the outer suburbs and it wasn't for us. For the last few years, each of us has rented housing on large acreage, but both of us so want our own homes -even if they are very modest, and would have to be quite low cost. Also, as both of us are mature-aged, we are both aware of needing our own independent space. With my ex, this was a big problem, and even if the other problems weren't there, it was suffocating.

 

For me, I'm sure I could live happily in a gypsy caravan. My current SO comes from an engineering background and he always has to have projects on the go to live happily. As far as houses go, he is happiest with the basics and I know he really wants to live in BIG shed with some furniture and basics where he has a lot of time to spend with his own small aircraft. He is buying the block with a pilot friend who does have his own plane so there is a possibility that the 3 of us will live on the block, each of us with our own modest accommodation. Ideally though, I would prefer to live on 5-20 acres WITHOUT airplane noise and it would be so good if I could do this close to where I currently live so I'm sending out lots of messages to the universe.

 

Capilot, I was reading about caravan restoration. Firstly, I would like to say that with whatever I buy or have built, I want it to be restored as a private dwelling because of all of the issues and expense of having a mobile caravan. From what I have read, it seems to me that one of the most important things to look out for with vans is moisture as it can reek total havoc with the structure.

 

BF also likes the wooden ones with lots of wood inside. I have noticed that in the goodwill stores ATM, there are a lot of very solid entertainment units made of good quality wood. Now that most people have flat screen televisions, they don't seem to have the space or use for older style television units. I have a massive solid one myself which has 2 largish doors with leadlighted glass on them as well as some other old and slightly damaged solid wood furniture including a very solid large table which I would like to recycle eventually by using the wood to make a table in a caravan should I be able to make my dream come true.

 

Anyway, would value anything you have to say about this.

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I'm building it all out of wood. I won't be living in it full time -- more like camping. That means no need for electricity or central heat. I'll have a small propane heater or maybe a small wood-burning stove for heat and cooking. No TV; just my books. Jim Tolpin's "Trillium" wagon (the bowtop with the Trillium motif) is my main inspiration.

 

Ooooh, just found more photos: link removed

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Thanks so much Capilot. The photos are very nice! I do not have a home computer just at the moment so posting from an internet cafe before work. I'm missing not being able to trawl through photos of gypsy caravans!

 

I'm getting more and more ideas! A wood-burning stove is such a cool idea!

 

I think there is a very strong possibility that the BF will build something like an American-style barn with kitchen, bathroom and small living space - the rest of it will be for his engineering projects and I will have a gypsy-inspired at least caravan with bed and living area there. From what he is saying ATM, likely won't be a permanent home, but he and his best and longest friend, both need a massive shed for storage of tools and projects, but they do want to spend a fair amount of time there. He is becoming more and more taken with the idea of a gypsy caravan and he says ideally, he would like to build it from scratch - but he has a lot of other projects on the go right now so I can't see it happening real soon.

 

Yes, I don't need a TV either - I was thinking, my books, laptop and a bed with it all nestled amongst a nice natural setting is just what I would like.

 

Anyway, keep well. I'll be popping back here when I can, and if I find some pics I like, I will post.

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I've always thought these were neat, as well as the tiny home movement. Recently, though, we were threatened with a hurricane coming inland again this year. It makes one wonder about weather changes in the years ahead. High winds make me happy to have a foundation, and wonder how the caravans and tiny homes fare. How can you reinforce them for extreme weather? On the other hand, with enough warning, you could move your home out of the path of danger.

 

This book is an enjoyable read (not exactly a gypsy wagon, but a bit of a gypsy lifestyle):

 

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Here're some links to gypsy wagons:

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