Shaun Kenney | Politics and Religion in Virginia's Public Square


Monday, February 12, 2007 Trailer... but not trash? I will readily admit that I am trailer-raised, on a farm, in Caroline County. A double-wide to be precise, with three bedrooms, two baths, a den, a living room, a dining room, eat-in kitchen, and a porch. Not a bad set up until you see the triple-wides with jacuzzis and such. But alas, a trailer is a trailer, and they all look the same. Drive by any trailer park and you see the same rusted out boxes we all see. Single wide, double wide, it's still a trailer, right? Some of these trailers are downright huge. And given the fact that affordable housing is such a terrible problem in high-density and high-growth localities, some people might assume that trailer parks are low-class and definitely not an option for them. Guess again... for $60,000 you can get something pretty darned classy: It may be a mobile home, but the Glassic Soho won’t be mistaken for any of the single-wides dotting trailer parks across the US. Developed by San Francisco architect and furniture designer Christopher Deam, it’s a sleek, modern alternative living space. At just north of $59,000 for the fully furnished house (wheels included), the Glassic costs at least $10,000 more than a typical trailer. But its target market — think Eames-loving design sophisticates — seems shocked by how cheap the 400-square-foot abode is. "We’re attracting a customer who says, ‘We wouldn’t buy anything else you sell, but we love this,'" explains Denise Walsh, a sales rep at Breckenridge, which manufactures the Glassic. Think it's an exaggeration? Check out some of these homes and tell me that straight out of college, you wouldn't consider one of these? Maybe the solution to affordable housing isn't in the housing, it's in the "affordable" part of the equation? With excellent designs like these and a creative developer, who knows? posted by Shaun Kenney \| 2/12/2007 12:14:00 PM \| 5 comments 5 Comments: At 10:10 PM, Charles said... Problem is in california it would cost you a half-million for the parking space. At 2:18 AM, Doogman said... This one is too easy. (in Poppy voice) Not gonna dew it. You get a free one Shawnie me boy. At 9:33 AM, Denise said... I just toured Catholic University with my daughter. There was a cluster of trailers that serve as student housing. It seems that when one of the dorms was being refurbished students were placed in this on campus trailer park. When the dorms were completed the university tried to get rid of the trailers but the students said, "no way". They love them. Housing in the trailers has become the most sought after option and there is a lottery to see who is lucky enough to live in the trailers. At 9:49 AM, Shaun Kenney said... I remember the trailers in front of Marist Hall! I didn't approve of them when they went up (I thought the mall in front of Marist was prime for some sort of UVAish decoration), but they were a heck of a lot better than anything you'd have found at Regan and Ryan... or Spellman, or Conaty... Gibbons Hall was still my favorite. I just wish they had the fireplace in the main hall working, for nothing more than aesthetics! At 5:15 PM, Karen Duncan said... I always hated the term "trailer trash." But, if you had ever lived in Florida, lots of people do live in trailers, however, they always seem to be the first places hit by the frequent tornados and hurricanes. So, I don't recommend trailer living down there. They probably work better up here where the climate is less tropical. Post a Comment Home
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