News Blip:
College Student Lives In Converted RV During Hard TimesYakima Herald Reports On Central Washington University Student Troy Thornton Who Thought Outside The Box And Converted An Old RV Into Living Quarters When He Was Forced To Leave His Apartment.
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through Yakima Herald's website.
Central Washington University student Troy Thornton took matters into his own hands and converted an old RV into a home on wheels after he was forced to vacate the room he had been renting since the owners decided to sell the house. Over the summer and last fall, Thornton tore apart an old RV he had been given by a neighbor and fitted it with a homemade structure, complete with plumbing. He planned to install solar panels for power over spring break. Thornton wasn't able to find affordable housing that would sit well with his education expenses. Prices reached $1,200 a month from his findings and this was beyond his means.
Yakima Herald writer Shanai Bemis relays in here article: "Thornton worked in construction for 25 years until an injury forced him to go back to school. He had just finished up his junior year when he realized that he wasn’t going to be able to find housing, and as a result, be unable to finish out his degree. He’s a non-traditional early childhood education major at Central." He realized putting in the time to convert the RV was his only option. Before beginning the project, he contacted the Washington State Patrol to find out what sort of regulations he would need to abide by, and was told that as long as he stayed within maximum height and width requirements and didn’t alter the cab of the RV or the frame, he wouldn’t undergo official inspections. Thornton also contacted Ellensburg and campus police to make sure he wouldn’t be breaking any city or campus rules.Stationary tiny homes aren’t legal under current city of Ellensburg rules, but the topic has come up recently. A new city committee working on affordable housing solutions began discussing the idea during a town meeting last month.
For the full article by the Yakima Herald, click here.