"Why not just...?"

I've seen it in online comments sections. I've heard it from friends and family. When some people first hear about tiny houses on wheels, their first reaction is to ask: "Why not just...?"

"Why not just buy an RV?"

"Why not just live in an Airstream, it's cheaper and lighter."

"Don't you mean, park model? Why not just buy one of those?"

So. Why not just? Different tiny housers will have different answers. It basically boils down to:

"Because tiny houses on wheels aren't RVs/Airstreams/park models--they are tiny. Houses. On wheels."

True, RVs and their ilk are relatively tiny shelters with accommodations for sleeping, cooking, showering, and so on. Living in one is indeed a tiny lifestyle and involves much of the same healthy downsizing in materialism and reduction in costs. And, yes, they have wheels. But as I see it, the similarities end there.

RVs and travel trailers are great if you plan to be highly mobile; they're designed precisely to be driven or towed on long road trips. That means that weight and aerodynamics are top priorities. RVs are built more like vehicles than like houses. And, because of that, on the spectrum of home appearance--I'm going to say it--they are way out on the ugly end... in my opinion.  

A tiny house on wheels, however, is built to first and foremost be a house. A tiny house, but still, a house, and as cute as you want it to be. It's on wheels for one or both of two main reasons: to get around minimum square footage requirements that many local governments impose upon permanent residential structures; and to make the house possible to relocate. I believe that only a small minority of tiny housers actually aim for a nomadic lifestyle. More of them settle down in a single spot either permanently, on their own land, or for months or years in a rented spot. Hence, tiny houses on wheels are technically mobile, and built to endure towing, but that is not their primary raison d'être. 

RVs and travel trailers are--as their names imply--intended for recreational use. They are only built to be used for a few weeks or months per year. Some people do live in them full-time, but there are reasons why many towns, like my own, ban using an RV as a permanent residence: things get ugly fast. I admit, I'm maybe a bit biased against RVs, but that's because I see so, so many of them sitting in mouldering shambles in people's backyards.

Which reminds me of a rather telling RV park rule that I came across recently. To quote one Nevada park's website:

"10-Year Rule": In order to maintain high standards, most RV parks in Nevada have restrictions on RV's [sic] older than 10 years. We are willing to admit RV's [sic] over 10 years old if they are well-maintained and have a good appearance on the outside. This requires an on-site inspection.

Ten years? I went on some RV forums and found discussions about replacing RVs after as few as two years! Though some owners professed 30 years of use with careful treatment. It seems RVs don't last long or age well; a ten (or what-have-you)-year-old RV is old. A ten-year-old house, though, is still quite new. And tiny houses on wheels are houses. Personally, I'd rather blow my savings on something that will last. 

Park models are probably the closest things to tiny houses on wheels. After all, that's what they look like: much more house-like than an RV or Airstream, often with a porch and gabled roof, and at least the appearance of wood construction. But the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) says that even park models "are neither designed nor intended by their manufacturers to be used as permanent residences." So, they look like houses, but they're not; they are still built with occasional, vacation use in mind.

I've also heard that RVs et al. are dang cold in winter. I guess insulation is not a high priority for a structure that's only meant for occasional, mostly summertime or Sun Belt use. Brr, no thanks.

The last, most personal reason--the reason why I never even considered buying an RV or travel trailer--to  build my own tiny house on wheels is that I've always dreamed of designing and building my own house. There is a sense of accomplishment there that simply buying something--or even restoring an Airstream (which I admit are somewhat cute)--can never match. And when you build your own, you can make your own choices about layout and materials based on your own tastes and preferences, not a manufacturer's choices based on marketability and profit margins.

So for me, the shortest, if not sweetest, answer to "Why not just...?" is "Because that's totally missing the point" (and/or "Duh").

Summary: Recreational vehicles are perfectly fine if you want your home to travel with you as you crisscross the countryside, or if you want the amenities of home during your annual vacation. But for a tiny, attractive, customized house that can be moved if needed, a tiny house on wheels is without comparison.

Thanks for reading my two cents!

(It was too rainy and nasty out today to caulk and paint my undercarriage. Tuesday is supposed to be cloudy but dry, and the sun might even come out on Wednesday.)