3The Gypsy Mermaid
The tiny home on wheels, named The Gypsy Mermaid, was the perfect solution for Rebekah and Robert and was a DIY creation on a budget. The wagon gave them the freedom they had always wanted, and with backgrounds in interior design and building, it was the ideal project.
A tiny home on a tiny budget: Downsizing to a tiny home doesn’t have to mean sacrificing comfort and style, which was what Rebekah and Robert Sofia discovered when they built their wagon on wheels for just $15,000 (£11.4k). We take a peek inside and follow their journey from renters to tiny home builder
With a passion for renovating and interior design, the Sofias built their wagon, The Gypsy Mermaid, entirely from recycled and reclaimed materials including metal and cypress on the exterior, meaning it cost them a grand total of $15,000 (£10,800).
From the materials on the outside of the wagon to the upcycled old doors and windows that had to be modified and resized, the project required the couple to use a huge range of building skills – and learn some new ones.
Unlike a lot of prefab tiny homes, their project started in October 2015 and took 20 months to complete. The couple started by drawing a design for the floor plan and producing artistic renderings for the interior. They were then ready to build, starting from scratch with the construction of the frame.
“We built every inch of it, including all of the wooden beams which were built by Robert and carved by me,” explains Rebekah. The tiny home community share a lot of their designs online, with #tinyhomes on Instagram affording a huge amount of inspiration and ideas for aspiring builders.
The self-build was a natural step for the duo as both Rebekah and Robert have previous expertise in building and renovation, including masonry and interior design. Rebekah also runs her own interior design business and gets most of her clients through the Gypsy Mermaid Instagram account.