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Teen ‘Mini House Builder’ Creates Mobile 130-Sq-Ft Dorm Room

Oct. 15, 2012 3:29pm Liz Klimas

Austin Hay is a 17-year-old senior preparing for college. While most teen’s preparations include making final higher education decisions and finishing the necessary high school requirements, Hay’s includes finishing his living space.

That’s right — Hay plans to bring his own 130-square-foot dorm room to college. Until then though, the house built on a trailer sits in his parent’s Sonoma county, Calif., backyard.

Austin Hay Completes Tiny Dorm Room on Wheels
Image: Fair Companies via YouTube screenshot

Earlier this month, Hay hosted an Open House for the public to view his nearly completed space. Don’t let the size or the fact that it technically will be a dorm room on wheels fool you of its amenities. According to Fair Companies, which profiled Hay and his project when he was 16 and just provided an updated of the completed space, Hay has included a full kitchen, working bathroom (yes, there’s a hot water heater for the shower) and DIY sofabed.

Austin Hay Completes Tiny Dorm Room on Wheels
Here’s the tiny house before it was sided. Image: MiniHouseBuilder/Austin Hay

Austin Hay Completes Tiny Dorm Room on Wheels
Hay’s loft bed. Image: MiniHouseBuilder/Austin Hay

Austin Hay Completes Tiny Dorm Room on Wheels
Kitchen with sink complete with running water and a fridge/freezer combo. Image: MiniHouseBuilder/Austin Hay<

Austin Hay Completes Tiny Dorm Room on Wheels
Image: MiniHouseBuilder/Austin Hay

Fair Companies’ most recent feature first gives a recap of what Hay had done before to show you his years of work. Hay then answers visitors’ questions during his open house. One of the questions is if the house has been driven on the road yet. It has not. He explains the house has been affixed to the trailer using materials for hurricane resistance.

“Hopefully I did all the right stuff,” he said.

Watch the feature:

In the video, Hay explains that he learned to build by watching his father, with one wood-working class and through his own experience with this house.

The whole project cost Hay $12,000. You might be wondering how a teenager could fund a project, however small, such as this. On his blog — MiniHouseBuilder — Hay writes that some have volunteered their time and others have donated actual funds to make his mobile dorm a reality. Grandpa played Santa Claus for Hay’s cause one year.

“Like grandfathers do, I stepped in and said ‘well, I’m willing to help ya,’” Hay’s grandfather said. “We participated financially to help him get to where he is today with the finished product. And I’m just so proud of him.”

Hay started construction on the house, a Fencl model by Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, in 2010.

“One of the reasons I decided to build a tumbleweed house is to show adults and peers that one person can help with ‘the big picture,’” Hay writes. “I truly believe it is important to keep this world we have healthy. I have decided to downsize to help the environment.”

Although Hay might not need to share a room with a fellow student thanks to having his own digs. Like many a college undergrad, Hay will still need to go to a laundromat to clean his clothes.

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Comments (68)

68Truthseeker
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 6:17pm
Shocking Secrets and Verifiable Facts about Barack Obama the MSM Refuses to Report

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxB0FlYayGA

BOMBSHELL: Obama Wears Ring 30+ Years: ‘There Is No God But Allah’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCyJivhT43E
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- The-Monk
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 7:05pm
  This bungalow on wheels is a paradise compared the the hut Obama’s half brother lives in….
  
  Report this comment
- ShyLow
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 7:19pm
  I would like to have a recliner that would lay completely flat and have the sides spread-out for a bed. My room is not big enough for both a bed and a good recliner, I need something dual-purpose. I could hang a net on the ceiling to hold the bedding during the day.
  I would like to make a small house like you see at the beach. Basically a car port with a room on top and deck beside and on top of the room that you drive under.
  
  Report this comment
- The-Monk
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 9:31pm
  I know what this is….
  
  Same as Obama phones but for the OWS crowd.
  
  Report this comment
- Oneirishman
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 10:20pm
  Yo Obama gimme en all Poe folk on Fool Stamps ‘Bama Phone n mo likn a whoop Azz crib fool.
  
  Report this comment
LeadNotFollow
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 6:17pm
.
Great job kid. It’s nice to see a teen doing something other than hanging out at the mall or playing video games. He’s intelligent, witty, and has a good sense of humor, but what’s most important, he has common sense.

I felt a little sorry for the kid, for having to listen to some of the visitor’s stupid comments and questions. He handled it very well. He’s such a nice polite young man.
Good to see a teen who wears his pants where they belong, and doesn’t use slang.

The next project he needs to work on is his girlfriend. Try to get her to not use the word “like” so often. From 13:30-13:46 she said the word “like” 8 times in 16 seconds.

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Eastinfection
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 5:56pm
This kid should not waste his time & money going to college. Talented, dedicated, English- speaking carpenters are hard to come by. He should start his own business pronto.

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- The-Monk
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 6:56pm
  Hey East,
  
  Check this out….. want to see the front and back photos of the same head?
  
  Back;
  
  http://www.theblaze.com/stories/what-did-a-man-wear-to-a-romney-event-that-was-so-offensive-the-campaign-denounced-it-as-reprehensible/
  
  Front;
  
  http://www.theblaze.com/stories/andrew-sullivan-obama-still-declining-biden-didnt-help/
  
  What do you think? The front photo is from 2006 and the back photo is from a couple of days ago. Shave the face hair, take off the glasses and add 6 years of aging…
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 7:25pm
  Hey Monk!..
  
  is the “front” link the right one? i didn’t see a photo there..
  
  Report this comment
- The-Monk
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 7:35pm
  Hi East,
  
  Here’s the “front photo”….
  
  http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=andrew+sullivan+photos&view=detail&id=1C8FCE35169D5E298CA2B76AF7143CCC653772EE&first=1
  
  Report this comment
- The-Monk
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 7:41pm
  The “front photo” on The Blaze in on the main page for that article.
  
  I mistakenly thought is was also in the article… which it wasn’t.
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 7:47pm
  You’re onto something Monk!
  
  PS… i used to landscape..
  the only real difference between a “plant” and a “weed” is whether or not it’s there intentionally ;)
  
  BTW… do you regularly search the web in Indonesian?
  
  Report this comment
- The-Monk
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 8:07pm
  Hi East,
  “the only real difference between a “plant” and a “weed” is whether or not it’s there intentionally”
  
  Two words…..
  
  Adams Family ” )
  
  Report this comment
- kcares
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 8:17am
  College is a waste of time, and will only drill Liberal talking points into his head. Ty Pennington didn’t go to college, and look at him now. Hard work, and business classes at night on line will take him alot further. Both my children wasted time and money in college.
  
  Report this comment
- Mr Sanders
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 11:56am
  Very nice construction and finish-out Austin…. a contractor’s dream employee.
  
  He saved a big chunk of change by building his mobile modular residence…. I hope he has an ‘incinolet’ huge savings on the sewer costs. OD would be the ticket for water. Foam insulation would give the entire structure more rigidity for transport & He has everything except washer/dryer…. and a place to park the unit? I’ll have to go over to his blog and see how he plans to do that?
  
  Because he’s mobile…. he can pick any school he wants in any city he desires, except NYC. He’d probably get cited a ticket for being too creative and thinking ‘out-of-the-box’! Hahahaha…
  
  Parents out there….. here’s an option to save on college, a great way to have family time, and motivate a young person in a multitude of different ways. Rule 10-289 isn’t going to hold this young man back. Austin is an innovator and creator.
  
  Report this comment
OneofMany
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 5:52pm
Unfortunately if Nobama gets re-elected, the government will tax him on the labor, value, carbon foot print, land use, etc… so that even a 200 sq. ft. home will be out of reach..Unless of course, you go on welfare, then they will buy you a 1500 sq. ft. home and pay you to live in it, AS LONG AS YOU DON’T Produce anything…if that happens, you’ll be evicted immediately.

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OneofMany
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 5:49pm
It is NOT surprising that he is a wrestler. The Navy Seals, recruit heavily from wrestlers as their work ethic is second to none and they can barely even understand the word “quit”.. :-) If it were my son, I would be as proud as his grandpa is of him. It would make me feel secure my boy is going to be alright. Which is also why I teach my son survival things and woodshop, welding, fabrication..auto mechanic stuff (although today’s vehicles are so computerized, we stick to older carbureted styles)… Most kids today only know how to wear feminized clothing and play video games. This boy actually has a skill set and the ability to get the job done which also makes him more marketable in the workplace… guessed he skipped his cultural arts classes (and it didn’t negatively effect him at all )..

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LeadNotFollow
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 5:44pm
.
This kid is great. We need more teens like him.

How long before Obama tells him, “Kid, you didn’t build that.”, and the county code inspector comes along and condemns it, because he didn’t get the proper permits, and it’s not up to code?

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gonnaneedabiggerboat
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 5:27pm
Neat idea as a novelty item. I don’t know if I would call it all that “imaginative,” since it’s really just a more literal twist on the idea of a mobile home…this just looks more like a house than a car/van. But it’s definitely cool looking. The idea of living in such a small/efficient space is interesting.

So now what? At college, where does he park it? How does he supply it with water and empty whatever passes for a sewer tank for it? Someone mentioned a KOA campsite…not many of those conveniently nearby a lot of colleges, I wouldn’t think. And would a college want this — and a few dozen more if the trend ever caught on — on their campus?

My guess (b/c it’s in CA) is that he will just show up on campus whereever he goes to college and try to claim this is “just the same as a car” and try to live in the parking lot. When the college balks at this, a lawsuit will be filed and a 3-ring circus will ensue. His “ingenious” way of saving money will wind up costing everyone involved a lot of time, money and aggrevation.

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- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 6:37pm
  Did you watch the video? He clearly explains that he will park in a RV village if he can’t find private property to lease near campus.
  
  Report this comment
hauschild
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 5:05pm
Hardwood floors even? Dude must crap in tall cotton.

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conservredneck
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 5:02pm
I can’t believe this….most of you are missing the point. Name me another child this boys age that not only would have the idea but the energy to start and finish such a project.

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- Wolf
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 10:22am
  Probably because most kids who’d think of living in a small space like this would just buy themselves a camper trailer.
  
  Report this comment
SocialistSlayer
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 4:54pm
Where’s he going to park it? That’s going to be a problem.

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- Quagaar Warrior
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 5:08pm
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Any local K.O.A. Campground or trailer park.
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 6:40pm
  or private property near campus (ie: someone’s driveway/ backyard)
  
  Report this comment
BeeAlert
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 4:32pm
Nice way to get a private dorm room during college!
No way to live long term though.

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BubbaCoop
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 4:05pm
That’s nice and all, but this will have no impact on the environment.

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grimjack3791
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 3:58pm
I see this sort of thing all the time on Stumbleupon. Listen, stop promoting this. It IS brainwashing and a way to get people, particularly Americans, to get used to the idea of living in doghouses like these. Don’t fall for it, unless you want to be drivnign a Smart car and living in something this small, because once the government gets into regulating your living space, THIS will be your future. Comrades.

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- OldGeek72
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 4:16pm
  Not everyone on earth likes large open spaces. After my wife passed and with all the kids gone I moved into a space not much larger than that myself by choice from a former 5-bedroom home. Got fed up with heating, cooling and cleaning all that space. I love my little nook and yes, I have to go to the coin-op too.
  
  Report this comment
- AnOregonian
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 4:20pm
  That’s a sweet dog house…..
  
  Report this comment
- GoodStuff
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 4:31pm
  ” Listen, stop promoting this. It IS brainwashing and a way to get people, particularly Americans, to get used to the idea of living in doghouses like these.”
  
  You’re right. Sadly, the Blaze writers are all from Manhattan and they don’t live in the real world.
  
  Report this comment
huey6367
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 3:49pm
Quite inventive for a high school senior. He has a future ahead of him. Kudos

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- Mike Benton
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 4:14pm
  You can’t have a vibrant free enterprise system without enterprising people. I hope he does well.
  
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- concealled9mms
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 4:31pm
  he didnt build that the government built that
  
  Report this comment
Tri-ox
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 3:49pm
Uh, how is building and transporting this thing, instead of living in a dorm (or apartment, etc.) that is already built, a form of DOWNSIZING? It is silly to claim that this is in any way beneficial or even neutral for the environment. The “BIG PICTURE” is that this guy (and his family) have fallen hard for faux-science greenwashing.

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- DeathTongue
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 4:29pm
  it’s beneficial to your pocketbook because it’s a cheap house that you carry around with you!!! no paying for an apartment or dorm, plus the bills are cheap. If you are one person and don’t mind enclosed spaces (or even like it) this is sweeeet. Who gives a doodle about the environment??? If Mother Nature wants a battle, it’s on!!
  
  Report this comment
- Tri-ox
  Posted on October 16, 2012 at 11:16am
  @DEATHTONGUE – I am referring specifically to what Austin Hay claims is his reason for building this thing – HE says that he did it to “help the environment” – it is a silly claim.
  
  Report this comment
Comeandtakeit
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 3:48pm
I think it is great for a kid to have that much initative and take on a good project like this- he probably has learned more from it of actual value than he might learn in college. I wonder where he will be allowed to park it, though, and what provisions for a sewer hookup? I guess he can put it in a mobile home park, but would still have to pay for his space. Probably these issues were worked out ahead of time by his parents.

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Minnaloushe
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 3:48pm
Sad conclusion to an otherwise great story. Maybe he’s bright enough to overcome the eco-cult brainwashing.

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nesmond
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 3:45pm
$12,000.00? He could have bought a used camper for cheaper than that and had more room and amenities, but I guess the point was building it himself.

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- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 6:50pm
  That, and this kind of thing would sell for $25-30,000 easily.
  
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jungle J
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 3:44pm
travel trailer for $4,ooo.00 used.

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greg4fitness
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 3:42pm
12 grand… could have bought a pretty good travel trailer/camper and saved a whole bunch of time… probably lighter, easier to tow, more aerodynamic and can register easier. This was kind of a dumb idea.

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tj1961
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 3:42pm
I’ll give this guy credit…… came out real nice. What college is he going to??

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- Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 3:49pm
  Wish I knew – resourceful though; I wonder how long until Obama will order it to be the future housing of all American families?
  
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LadyLibertykicksASS
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 3:42pm
Smart Kid !!!!!!

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CWPrequired
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 3:35pm
Not a chance in heck a CA college will allow it on site! Too many regulations….go figure.

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- girlnurse
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 8:22pm
  I know! Exactly what I was thinking..
  
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Common Sense 24
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 3:35pm
If you are so s*t*u*p*i*d as to believe that humans are destroying the environment, then take yourself out of the equation by all means. Try being part of the solution instead of the problem.

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hi
Posted on October 15, 2012 at 3:35pm
I hope he has an inspector look at it so he doens’t get CO2 poisoning or set off a fire. It’s pretty cool though.

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- Eastinfection
  Posted on October 15, 2012 at 6:47pm
  Hey Hi…
  
  I’m sure he will. His parent’s house burned to the ground when he was 11yrs old.
  
  Report this comment

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