Nowadays, creativeness and abilities can flip absolutely anything into a cushty tiny house. This couple, nonetheless, simply made probably the most whimsical house transformation but.
Paul Battenally and Clara Tindal renovated an iconic Coca-cola truck right into a tiny house on wheels so they may journey and discover Australia.
Battenally and Trindall, who stay in Wollongong, Australia, have been introduced collectively by a love of journey, having met whereas touring and dealing in Japan.
The 2 have at all times wished to discover Australia. Battenally mentioned, “We began wanting into getting a motorhome and noticed just a few vans, however numerous them have been fairly small, and I’m very tall, so the ceiling top wasn’t nice. Then we got here throughout the Coca-Cola truck, bought it in 2021 and began changing it.”
The couple purchased the Coca-cola truck for $17,500 and the 32-year-old Battenally spent 11 months renovating the 2005 Isuzu truck.
He shared, “Once I purchased the truck, I used to be dwelling in a shared home with a bunch of buddies in a coastal metropolis in New South Wales, and so I used to be engaged on it in my free time after work. I’m a carpenter, so I had all the abilities needed to construct it, and it wasn’t too difficult for me.”
The couple did numerous the work on the truck themselves and acquired some tutorials from YouTube. They used leftover provides, sourced secondhand gadgets, and typically acquired materials from Battenally’s job websites.
In November 2021, the couple moved into their renovated Coca-cola truck and lived in it for a yr to save lots of up for his or her dream journey.
Throughout that point, in addition they spent extra to make sure that their tiny house can be travel-ready. Battenally and Trindall spent about A$8,220 on home equipment, A$6,285 on electrical upkeep, $1,100 on plumbing, $2,550 on home windows, and A$8,189 on constructing supplies to outfit the truck.
The Coca-cola truck now has a queen-sized mattress, kitchen, compost rest room, and bathe. The dwelling space has a desk and brown cushioned seating, and their kitchen has a sink, oven, and fuel range high.
Outdoors, pine cladding was added to the aspect of the truck alongside customized constructed home windows. There’s a storage space for surfboards, dust bikes, and sports activities tools.
Regardless of all of the renovations, the tiny house was clearly a Coca-cola truck since Battenally and Trindall stored the truck’s tautliner with the Coca-Cola brand, which serves as a curtain to maintain bugs out.
Trindall mentioned, “We have been going to eliminate the Coke curtains altogether however as soon as we began constructing, we fell in love with the thought of retaining them.”
In January 2023, the couple started their journey with A$40,000 to fund their journey. The pleased couple is now dwelling rent-free of their stunning Coca-cola truck and spending about A$500 per week on gasoline and meals.
Trindall, 27, is a registered nurse and sells artwork to herald some money. Alternatively, Battenally does some carpentry work when it’s accessible.
The couple is into just a few months of their dream life and the Coca-cola truck attracts numerous consideration. At campsites, lots of people typically come over to take a look.
It runs on photo voltaic and deep cycle batteries so there isn’t any must plug into any energy. Gutters acquire rainwater.
Battenally and Trindall prepare dinner for themselves most nights and spend their free time browsing, using, swimming, climbing, and paddle boarding in the course of the day.
They intend to stay of their tiny house and journey round Australia for a yr and are roughly aiming to complete their journey in Tasmania by the tip of the 2023. After that they intend to proceed to stay within the Coca-cola truck whereas they renovate a home in 2024.
The pair have been documenting their travels to locations reminiscent of Double Island, the Nice Barrier Reef, and Tully Falls within the far north of Queensland on Instagram at @colas_truckingadventures.
Their house is fittingly named Cola and the couple will get to have an journey, stay rent-free, and escape the excessive value of dwelling of their Coca-cola truck.
Battenally mentioned, “It feels superb being rent-free and never having to cope with the tough job of looking for and apply for overpriced leases. We have been actually drawn to the thought of being on the open street with nowhere to be and nobody to reply to – lease free and work free. It’s an amazing sense of freedom.”
And for anybody considering of occurring the same journey, he added, “Take the leap and simply do it. We love with the ability to transfer round each few days and waking as much as nature and the liberty the approach to life provides us!”
