Guelph couple wants to build mini-house on wheels

Kat Walters and Matthew Davey figure that eight feet by 20 feet is plenty of space for their new home in Guelph, Ont.

After all, the couple spent eight months travelling through the U.S. and Canada in a trailer just six feet wide and nine feet long.

"I think we were inspired by a lot of alternative dwellings on our trip through the states and through Canada," said Walters.

Though they didn't set out to live in a mini-home, Walters, 26, said the idea appealed to them. Walters and Davey, 31, are building a mini-home in Guelph that will be mobile and have the ability to operate off the electric grid.

The house will be built on a flatbed trailer and include a composting toilet and solar panels. The couple wants to build the house out of as much reclaimed material as possible.

"Not only to save them [reclaimed material] from the landfill but to reuse them for ourselves and diminish our own demand for those new versions of products," said Davey.

"Our intention is to spend less than $20,000 total, and a lot of that went into the trailer, and the solar and the composting toilet," he said. 

The toughest part of their project isn't getting the building materials — it's ensuring the construction goes well. 

"The real challenge, I think, is building the actual wood structure on to the metal frame. Everything after that is basically general house building and is easy to research, but getting it on the frame and making sure it's not going to fall off the trailer," said Davey. 

Walters and Davey aren't sure where they'll put the home once it's built, but they aren't worried. 

"We've been meeting so many people because of this experience. I think someone will come up and we'll see what the future holds."