Couple's stunning home-on-wheels produces water, has solar awnings
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
- After renovating over 400 Airstreams and living in boats and vehicles for a decade, Matthew and Joanna Hofmann created their Living Vehicle: a modern mobile home meant for year-round living in extreme weather (-4°F to 120°F) and equipped to go off-grid for long periods. [Our 1st video with Matthew's Airstream renovation work: • Studies architecture, ... ]
They started with a well-insulated aluminum shell with everything tucked inside (to prevent pipes from freezing in the winter). It’s designed to be self-sufficient with a large bank of rooftop solar, a heat pump/mini-split AC, and still-evolving water capture tech that extracts humidity from the air.
"When we came up with the name Living Vehicle it was two-fold," explains Joanna, "one, it's designed for full-time living compared to an RV which is recreational, but also, it's something that was able to sustain life, so being able to create water, for instance, creating your own energy."
Living Vehicle: www.livingvehi...
On *faircompanies: faircompanies....
I work repairing Airstreams and other trailers, and I am astounded at the level of thought and ingenuity that you've put into this build. My hat is off to you, sir!
It's relatively easy when you have lots of money to dump into a project like this. It's easy for a $100k net zero luxury camper to seem economical, when you're living in a $600k home.
Lots of the tech in this camper aren't novel. They're common features of other DIY campers, and are even in many retail RVs and trailers. The water condenser is the only real part of this that I haven't seen before, but it's also not new technology. There are other companies that have developed tech to pull water from the air and store it.
If they really want to challenge themselves, they should be trying to reduce costs. Make plans or barebones trailers available to people at a low cost, so that more people can achieve this sort of sustainable freedom and comfort.
Ha ha, you don't have to work on them to see how poorly they're built. It astounds me that to this day they're so flimsy, poorly made, with cheaped out fixtures and components.
@@badsamaritan8223 Thanks for your feedback. Our goal is to change the world for the better. As our company continues to grow, we hope to offer more accessible living solutions. It is a personal goal of mine to help as many people as possible, and I do so in my own way. I hope to one day have the platform to make a positive difference in people's lives on a global scale. Cheers!
I’m getting ready to restore a 31’ airstream and I am gonna go with a more modern look, sorta take a 1974 and bring it into the future, this has given me some great ideas
You mean RICH people..
Blown away. Nicest mobile living I have ever seen! This could be the future.
Thank you so much!
One of my mentor's stayings - "Predict the future by inventing it"
I LOVE how well built this is. So many builders claim luxury because of high quality finishes but none of it is built to last. This is clearly built to last. Also love the thick walls for insulation because they probably also make it quieter in addition to helping with temperature control. Sound is a big part of a space so it's great that a mobile space is quiet.
The design discipline and attention to detail: mind-boggling!
Thank you for the feedback! Living in small spaces for 10+ years helps you perfect every single inch :)
*Yes.* And, so is the price.
What is cool about these type videos is seeing all the different innovations.
People can then find or build some of these into their own tiny homes, sheds, mobile homes, rv's, or whatever.
So many ideas for storage which is an issue in tiny living. 👍🏾
Really nice high end build. Extracting water from the air using solar power is so dang cool!
Back in the day we used to call that a dehumidifier.
@@Chris-bg8mk 😂😂
@@Chris-bg8mk Yeah, exactly. It is not really an inovation anymore. 🙂
@@Chris-bg8mkyup a dehumidifier hooked up to a reverse osmosis filter 😂
@@Chris-bg8mk Yah that’s what I was thinking. It’s a dehumidifier with a water filtration setup… or am I missing something?
Living Vehicle is the ultimate goal. Quality build - I want need one.
Hi Junior. Thank you for taking the time to watch our story. Cheers!
Just don’t give the living vehicle control of the door locks and climate control, we all know how that ends
“Can you let me out, car, it’s getting pretty hot in here”
“I’m sorry, I can’t do that Junior…”
Amazing build, can’t help but wonder what it cost to build one of those. Looks like it has every creature comfort you can put in a trailer.
Yep, rich people things.
If someone said, here's a brand new off grid house how much would you expect to pay? And then if they said, I'll put wheels on it and it won't cost you any more ... course I'm in Canada, and 4 seasons isn't -4 :)
Definitely a case of: if you have to ask . . .
On their website I see the options: $460K - $640K
Rich people's toy
@@briankuhl9314 -4 Fahrenheit so -20 Celsius but point taken
I think of it more as a tiny home on wheels than just a trailer, especially with the fold out deck. It's well thought out, that's for sure and he's still improving on it with water recycling in the works. He probably does alright for himself and has a high-end clientele. It's good to see the latest living innovations and the latest technology with fully off grid capabilities. Thanks again for another interesting video.
Better built than any house I have ever owned & it seems a seriously viable (albeit high end) option.
Thanks for the feedback!
Oh hell ya! A real kitchen, a real bedroom, a real bathroom, real power, a terrace, easy to haul, season resistant, water collecting, AND a dishwasher…OMG!!!
Works for me.
Honestly the ONLY thing I’d add (as with every dwelling) is the ability to control the shower head so I could get fully wet & turn the head off, soap up & then turn the head on to rinse off. I had one of those at one place I lived. It was really low flow to begin with and adding this really put it over the top. It just had was a button right at the head that turned the flow off and on. Easy peasy. Saves lots of water. That plus the full water reclamation/recycling and the air/water grabber (to balance evaporation) and this would run as long as there’s power to run it.
Great design and build. It’s wonder-full.
Thanks for the feedback!
Living in a condo and wanting a way to get more out of my hot water tank, I bought a KES shut-off valve on Amazon to put between my shower head and the pipe. It's made of metal and has a little lever that sticks out that is easy enough to adjust with one hand and lets me control the water flow, reducing or stopping it, which my normal shower valve doesn't (it's just on/off with the knob affecting temperature). Even just reducing the flow while soaping up significantly extends the hot water supply. Cost me like $18 CAD.
@@guspaz Yay!
Super cool! Price is a lot but understandable for the amount of tech, build quality, craftsmanship etc. if I was a multimillionaire I’d buy one. That’d be sweet to be able to live that comfortably off grid
It's the ultimate off-grid home on wheels!
Former LV owner, our family of four lived and worked full time in ours for two years while doing a wildfire rebuild. Living Vehicle is a top notch company. Brilliant design, high-quality product, and customer service is exceptional.They worked with us every step of the way. We looked at dozens of other designs before settling on this company, they are definitely a step above- rock solid and built to last. Only the highest praise for these guys, wishing them continued success as their product just keeps getting better.
Overpriced and won’t last more than a few years so you got lucky
Wow, amazing thought process in creating this unit. Very impressive design and implementation
Money is a Wonderful Thing...If you have it...
The water reclamation unit alone could be life-changing for so many communities, especially in the southwest. I'm very excited to see how that progresses! Overall a truly beautiful build.
That tech already exists, he didn't invent it, and he didn't make it any more affordable or accessible. He's helping make luxury RVs more high tech and net zero. He's not making them any more affordable or accessible to people who actually need them.
@@badsamaritan8223 Its literally an air conditioner with cold side air ran back into the hot side. For $100 you can convert cheap window AC unit to do the same. Takes a lot of electricity to produce water this way expecially in low humidity dry climates. Much cheaper to store rainwater.
Beauty, clean lines , functionality , what else more do we need ... I want one !!
Thank you for the kind words!
Fascinating to see what they’ve been able to design! Truly an engineering masterpiece. I love their little dog too!
Luca is my spirit animal. :)
Thanks, Lauren. Luca grew up on the road with us spending her first two years traveling in an LV. She influenced a lot of the pet-friendly design features :)
First to say that I love these tiny living videos! Thanks K.D.!❤️❤️
Engineering masterpiece. Every component in this build is really not that much money except for the solar panels and numerous marine batteries. You would be paying for this guys skill and prowess.
Well done Sir.
I'm humbled by your comment. Thank you for your support.
LV is truly a culmination of many years of education, first-hand experience, and feedback from our hundreds of customers, from Airstream renovations to the many iterations of Living Vehicle models. It has been an ever-evolving concept, and we are passionate about reaching our ultimate goal of creating a fully self-sufficient, net-zero vehicle that generates its own resources.
Solar isn't particularly expensive actually. Figure a dollar per watt for solar panels and a dollar per 3 watt-hour for LFP batteries. Plus the spring converters, inverter, etc.
I wouldn't call it an engineering masterpiece, nothing they're doing is unique, they just took things other people have done across the RV youtube space and did the same thing.
@@meikgeik You just need to appeal to folks who have money to burn.
BEST BUILD I've seen
Thanks!
Well to say the leas,t this video and the 2 owners of this business are beyond amazing and this tech needs to be everywhere.....his vision is way above anything I have ever seen before.....
Thank you so much for your comment support!
Thank you for seeing us
OK I AM BLOWN AWAY. SEERIOUSLY AWESOME BUILD. LOTS OF EXPERIENCE HERE.
They're right that most RV's are way behind. Good to see some innovation finally happening.
Most RV's are not way behind. That's like saying a toyota corrolla is behind a porche 911. Different goals, different prices. If you can sell this for half a million I'm sure RV's can up their design just a little too. I'd like to see what this guy can come up with when you constrain him to $30,000. He's still incredibly skilled/talented, but lets keep that price tag in mind eh?
What a wonderful idea and design!!! Wish I could afford one.
Love the massive solar system- everything you do in that house takes energy- having lots of ‘free’ power is a must
Absolutely love it! Have thought about building something somewhat like it for years - after over 20 years of RVing, but you took it 10 steps further! WOW super impressed!
That's an excellent overview review of the Living Vehicle!
Thanks, Steve! I agree. Kristen did a fantastic job on this 2024 Living Vehicle HD review. So honored to work with her on this video.
This trailer is just perfect. Anything better would be to make it float in the air 😄😍
Hedva, thank you for taking the time to learn about our story and the evolution of our designs. Challenge Accepted! :)
@@LivingVehicle 😁👍
Go watch UP for reference suggestions
Amazing innovation and attention to details!!!
Thank you, Angie. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback :)
Gorgeous RV, really innovative. I can't help but notice the size of the pickup truck, however, that is pulling it; it's enormous!
Thanks, Elizabeth. We also have a 24' model. Some of our customers choose to put their LV on land for a semi-permanent living solution and don't have a need to own a truck at all.
I love these, been following them for a bit now, but boy oh boy does the price tag leave you in shock, definitely not attainable by the everyday man. Amazing concept and product, I would love to see one in person some day.
I really liked this one!!! This couple has done a great job!!!
Something that I've considered since my parents are getting older is living in a small house on wheels to be near them, and then later in life after they have moved on, moving this "small house on wheels" to a different state where I want to retire. My problem is that the "small house on wheels" is too small for me, I need two of them to have the space I need to be happy.
So, my thought is instead of "one" small house on wheels, have "two". One for the bedroom/shower/bathroom space, and then a separate one for the kitchen/pantry/office/living room space. Since my mom lives in Michigan, I was thinking of putting this pair inside a greenhouse/barn so moving from bedroom to kitchen space doesn't involve putting on a full coat and boots during the winter.
When I'm ready to move, all I need is an external structure optimized for the climate I'm moving to, but the two "house on wheel" structures can move with me.
there's a conoany/manufacturer, wheelpad, taht makes units for use-cases similar yo whatvyiu stated, living with famiaging family members, having enough space, and other considerations. I yhink they do delivery around the us too, amd havee a buyback program for when they're not needed anymore. I'm not sure if they have wheels as default, but could ask them, and they have a range of units, modular ones that can fit several rooms together too. They have quite conparatively affordable prices I seem tk remember too. and narrow margina, and some good reviews. .
Anyway, might be one to look into. Wheelpad, I believe the company is called. I think they havee some RUclips videos up too, with maybe some tours and things.
@@wiresa.reintresting7051 I'll look into that.
Really though the reason for the "small house on wheels" is I want to customize my own design, with features you could not get in a typical American-style house. So when I'm ready to move, I don't need to build again from scratch.
THIS IS THE FUTURE OMG! IVE BEEN WAITING MY WHOLE LIFE FOR SOMETHING LIKE IT!
That's the most incredible thing I've seen!!!! You two are amazing!!! 🙏🏻✌🏻
just incredible goal and idea
Genius, thanks for sharing 👍🏽
It's amazing and if I could afford to purchase this living vehicle, I would have bought it.
Thank you for the feedback!
I would swap the actuators for hand cranks
We have purpose-designed hand cranks as a backup for automated moving parts. Solar Awning, auto-Leveling, Hitch Jack, deck lowering... Redundancy is a core concept at Living Vehicle.
Super impressive.
At the moment improving our caravan, taken out gas going for induction, battery & solar. Must take ages doing all of this with that finish & ideas are brilliant.
Nice one ✊
Better for most is starting with a standard RV, and adding a few thousand to make it better for cold weather and/or no electric, water and sewer hookups. His designs are great for people wanting to spend $300 thousand plus for all new.
This is precisely the approach I took myself for the first 15 years of my RV-focused career with the specialty up-fitting business "Hofmann Architecture". After renovating over 400 RVs for all sorts of use cases, we found the inherent glass ceilings with renovating existing vessels. We had customers wanting to put in crazy amounts of tech and push the limits of what was possible in a traditional RV. After all that work, there were limitations. Ultimately, the ground-up foundation was the most crucial part, and that's where LV was born.
Ultimate RV !
This is awesome! Thank you for sharing.
Appreciate your feedback!
That floor idea is definitely going in my design. I’m super OCD and putting together a design for my own trailer I’m building soon. Having the floor like that literally solves many of my design issues. Back too the drawing board. Thank you very much 🙏
🚛🇨🇦 edit ✍️ yall are super laid back and legit genius’s. Would love too work on something so high class. Mine will be a lot more wood, let’s just say 😂 but still be a work of art like this masterpiece you made.
Protect him. He knows more than hes supposed to guys.
Haha, Matthew does have a very powerful mind :)
Love this project. Im so excited for the net zero that theyre working on. This is really the home of the future. And i agree, small homes are so much better for bonding as a family. Weve downsized and i love it.
Thank you for supporting the vision.
The solar system is what got my attention. I love it.
Up to 6,000 watts of solar available!
That water generator is a game changer.
Great Show ! To get off the grid will be a must sooon..
I love watching these kinda of videos. I live in a 12‘ x 50‘ mobile home on a piece of property. These videos give me ideas on how to maximize the small space I live in. Thank you!!
Fantastic video, and I just gotta say after reading some of the comments....Haters gonna hate, but these LVs are really raising the bar as far as technology and sustainability. Will they always be this expensive? Probably not. But for now, I'm sure they're going to be busy making them and selling them to that specific clientele, and hopefully in the meantime, inspiring other builders (RV companies or DIY-ers) to what is possible. I'm grateful for the tour, and I learned a lot! Thank you!
Appreciate the feedback, Heather!
@@joannahofmann2784 You got it! And the drawers underneath the foot of the bed were a great idea! It makes so much sense to have easy access to the stuff you use on the day to day, instead of needing to crawl into the hatch every time. Loved it!
Cost is the question. I guess if you have to ask - you can’t really afford it. Seems like a luxury for sure. Good for those that can actually afford it!
I could live in that! I don't have the right rig to pull it, but I could live in it.
Really fancy, and ton of solar.
Those numbers are bogus, you can even see in the video they were only generating 2000w with the array out on a sunny day. Those flexible panels NEVER produce their claimed maximum. They overheat quickly and only last 3-5 years. They should be using different panels. Those panels are for temporary setups.
This is hands down one of the most amazing mobile home I've seen so far! All the details are amazing, from the double-stacked solar panels, the exterior deck, the water system and... the storage drawers.
Let me explain: one thing they did not mention but I feel is worth mentioning is the drawer/shelving handles. They're inset, flush to the cabinets. This is a pet peeve of mine when I see protruding handles in other builds. Space is usually limited in such setups (even more so in smaller builds) and having protruding handles just makes no sense and you *will* bump into them at some point!
Outstanding!
Efficiently living life!
Comfy, & secure!
That’s what we’re aiming for!
It may be pricey, but folks will buy them.
It will evolve, version after version.
Costs will drop, & rise, cause that’s what costs do!
It will be copied, & sold for cheaper, probably without the quality!
I like it!
Play carefully, smile often!
Great analysis! Appreciate your feedback Mike.
Very cool designs ! Love that there are no leaky slide outs, but a versatile flip down deck. The expanding solar array is beautiful, but will not handle big snowfalls I bet; how to clean all the sliding mechanisms effectively. Great show ! 👏🤙
Joanna and I had so many problems with slide-outs while living in traditional travel-trailers. One time we were stranded for 6 weeks while waiting for a single motor to get the thing road-worthy again! Experience is the best teacher!
What a team that couple is. So impressive. They hit the lottery when they first met.
This is awwsome
Thanks for the support!
It didn't take me more than 6 months living in an RV full time, to realize that I needed a side porch desperately, its unfortunate that the RV industry only sees fit to only provide side porches in Trailers over 40 feet.
After decades of Living in small spaces, Joanna and I realized the same exact thing!
I have no words!!
What amazing tech in this trailer!
When I win the lotto!
I know what I’m buying!
Thanks for the feedback!
Love what you have integrated into your home!
I’m at the point where I’m ready to sell my stick home
And if possible, buy some thing like yours❤
The great part about it is that I can live anywhere, even in cold weather. And still be comfortable with my service, dog and I. Keep doing what you’re doing. Hopefully the more will catch on.
Thanks for your feedback!
This is the Future of off Friday travel living. By far vest trailer build !
WoW. Fascinating!
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback :)
Absolutely awesome, lm considering building one on a smaller scale
My brother and his partner sailed from Louisville, Ky to Guatemala. They have been there for yrs. They love it
That looks AWESOME! Now please make a toy hauler version so I can bring my motorcycle and live where ever I go. Thanks!
This gets a big WOW!!!
Condensation. I'm going to make a Big Gulp hydro reclamation coaster tonight)😇
Love this video. So amazing to see a loving couple working as a team and create state of the art
Thank you for the kind words
I’ve imagined creating a deck similar to this on my future skoolie (bus conversion) and I am blown away to see someone has already pulled it off!! Wow!
After watching this it's going to be boring watching regular motorhomes. Awesome job from you guys
Imagine if everyone (who wants one) had one of these?
Pretty nice unit.
Nice Element at the beginning.
Thats freaking awesome!
Thanks, Gideon. You're freaking awesome :)
@@joannahofmann4570 bahaha I'm blushing. It is my dream (perhaps rather more economical) to do some RV-on-the-road living here in New Zealand before I retire (still a few years to go)... and I'd love to revisit the 'States before I finally settle down somewhere in a bush/forest not too far away from the sea (in New Zealand of course lol). I wish you and Matthew all the best for the future!
@@gideonporter537 Traveling in New Zealand is on my bucket list!
the quality and materials chosen are top rated. i can say it can survive more than hundrad years easily, if taken care of. better than any concrete structure now a days.
WOW, $950,000 dollars !!!!
Wow. Flush that dream.
Then add what appears to be a modified 1-ton truck - probably diesel too. The trucks they showed looked modified - so how much for that? Then add insurance, etc.
80,000 minimum on that truck with no additions.
I missed that part. Is that what the rig cost? I guess at that rate, I should be happy for my commercially-produced fifth-wheel toy-hauler. We have nowhere near the off-grid capacity, but are definitely capable of full-time living (been doing that in it over two years), at a fraction of that cost. I'm sure that the solar/battery/inverter setup added a bit to the cost. They didn't say how much it weighed, did they?
WHAT?
That's how much that thing costs?
I'm sitting here thinking that this rig is exactly what I'm looking for. I could totally see myself living in it full time.
Talk about bursting my bubble.
Looks amazing, love the quality and ingenuity put into it. Now to talk the wife into one and hit the road.
LV is designed with all the comforts of home! Have her take a look at the spa-style shower and king bedroom suite with star view skylight :)
very nice, exactly what I would like to do in the near future, keep the posts coming
Great video Kirsten ❤
Amazing but dang that is one PRICY unit...literally for the HDPro is like 3/4 million AMERICAN...i would be on board but you can buy and build a proper off grid home with all these luxuries for far less...daaaaam $659000 STARTING?? INSANE
I think they have a base model for just under 4…have no idea what the stats are as that’s when I clicked off. Lol.
I read your comment first. Now im not going to watch the video. Thanks 👍
Now price the insurance... $$$
There's a market out there for extravagance.. That's the reason ultra luxuries are available...the super luxury lifestyle is all about this - exactly what crazy expensive, be it yachts- homes- accessories. Sad but true🎈
WOW! 😅 … but really high-end RVs aren’t cheap. This seems nicer, in many ways, so … they can charge as-much or more?
There are ideas here that can make everyday life in normal homes more efficient and cheaper for their owners and occupants. Like getting rid of a water bill, getting rid of the power bill (or greatly reducing it in some cases), heating and cooling your house with solar energy, doing the laundry off solar energy, heating your water again off solar.
Dream home
water from the air? You guys have the best ideas of what our planet could be like.
I also love to see birds chirping in the morning lol
This dude loves adding motors to things.
WOW!!! Love it!
ALL THAT ENGINEERING AND YOU HAVE THAT TINY SINK! MY 24' TRAVEL TRAILER HAS A DOUBLE SINK!
Nice 👍 and thanks for sharing
Thanks for taking the time to watch!
It's nice, but from some of what they say, it seems they haven't really seen a lot of RVs, or at least not a lot of *different* RVs. Our kitchen sink has a pull-out sprayer, our shower has a skylight, etc. We have the 3" walls, and the rig is built for full-time living. Sure, there are plenty of cheaper trailers that are meant only for camping, but a full-time-ready RV is nothing new. Still, there are some things I wish the RV industry would move to, such as lithium house batteries instead of deep-cycle lead-acid, and high-efficiency mini-split heat pumps instead of multiple (we have 3) less-efficient ACs with expensive options to reverse the flow. I'd also like to see at least the higher-end RV manufacturers pay as much attention to quality as this couple has. The solar, battery storage, and inverter are truly impressive. I've seen other rigs with extensive off-grid setups, but that may take the top place.
As usual, the camera work, narration/interviewing, and overall production quality are very high. Some of the early videos on this channel, you could tell it was all a new thing, though even then the overall quality is great.
What model do you have?
@@misternils We have a 2021 Riverstone Legacy 42FSKG. It's a front-kitchen model, with a mini-garage under the bed in back. Overall, we've been pretty happy with it, but some of the corner-cutting bothers us. The kitchen is built for someone who really likes to cook, one of the best kitchens we've found in an RV. The garage is just enough for me to readily fit in my motorcycle and gear, so it isn't wasting space. RVs are all about compromise, so getting extra space in one area means giving it up in another. For someone who doesn't cook as much, but who likes to entertain, that front area (with opposing slides) would make more sense as a living room. Are you an RVer, or have been one?
These look good but nearly lost me when they were hyping up the dehumidifier. Other than waste processing absolutely love it. Perhaps it becomes my forever home.
thats what a need , feels so right ........
awesome!
Thanks, Mark!
Wow, total high-end design. The trailer itself is tall enough and has lots of utility area under the floor. Maybe a scaled-down version without the water generation could be done more affordably. But, I do like it a lot.
I like the deck.
These trailers sell really well on Arrakis. The Fremen love them.
AMAZING ❤❤❤
The NeverDump black tank would be perfect in this type of application. It's a shame that it never made it to market.
Very impressive engineering. With all that technology, it would be interesting to see the embodied carbon associated with your build.
they made a mobile home, nice
Airstreams are so cool looking. I would like to live inna bigger one.
The cost and eventual maintenance of all the gadgetry would have me a little worried, otherwise nice builds.