Locomotive 501 Ranch Trailer Home

South Texas  USA  –  Andrew Hinman Architecture

Year built:     2012
Photography:
   Paul Bardagjy
Awards:     2013 AIA Austin Design Awards – Merit

It’s always great to see innovation. Here’s a vintage Spartan trailer home converted to a cabin in a very relaxed and casual way. It would just as easily make a permanent home for a couple. The trailer has been full refurbished but that’s only part of the attraction…

A desert home for a vintage Spartan
A desert home for a vintage Spartan

Rather than just sit the trailer on the site, it has been encompassed into a permanent monument to the era, the view and the environment. Large screened areas and viewing decks make the most of the site while giving ‘sleep-out’ options sans bugs and wildlife!

Spartan trailer homes were manufactured by the Spartan Aircraft Company from 1946 through to 1961 when it’s then owner, J. Paul Getty, closed the business. The aircraft heritage is easy to spot in the details.

The architects comments are interesting:

“One of the client’s cherished possessions is a vintage streamlined aluminum house (not travel) trailer, and he wanted to relocate the trailer to the family’s favorite spot on their South Texas ranch overlooking the Nueces River. Given the fragile geology and the flash-flood prone nature of the riverside location, the trailer’s foundation and protection required special considerations. The resulting solution is a steel-framed, metal-roofed cradle, right at home amongst the existing rain barns and ranch equipment sheds. The cradle lifts the trailer above the flood plain and provides accessory components, sweeping river views, and safe access to the fishing/swimming hole. The cradle is anchored by a concrete blockhouse containing utilities, storage, and bathroom and topped by a screened sleeping loft. Rainwater harvesting is SOP in South Texas. The trailer interior is refurbished with bamboo panels. Interior lighting is provided by LED cove & mini-spots. The Ipe and Douglas Fir decking is FSC certified.”

There’s a link to a great video by George Clark of BBC’s Amazing Homes below the photo galley. Click on any image for the lightbox view :)

 

 

If you enjoyed viewing this cabin, you’re sure to enjoy Llano – friends for life

 

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