When Laura Cobham moved to Montreal, she thought buying a condo might be within reach. After all, she thought, how much could a one-bedroom apartment cost?
Quite a bit, it turns out. The unit directly above the one she was renting sold for $400,000 – causing Cobham to rethink her plan.
Instead of spending $400,000 on a 700-square-foot condo, Cobham decided to spend $8,500 on a 230-square-foot 1970s Airstream travel trailer.
The 31 year old has been hard at work ever since, removing some of the original trappings it came with – things like “wood panels, orange slick tile and just really bad 70s décor,” in her words – and renovating it into something more comfortable.
“I’m saving the cabinetry and doors just to keep the authentic vibe, but my plan is just to renovate it completely and make it more modern and more me,” she told CTV Montreal.
With air conditioning for the summer and insulation for the winter, plus a bed, a couch, a TV, and a shower, the trailer will have everything Cobham and her dog need to live their lives. She says it’s the latest in a string of moves which have seen her live in increasingly small homes.
“I kind of love the idea of just really having the things that you need in life,” she asid.
“So many people buy these big houses and they’re just paying their mortgage. At the end of the day, what is the value?”
Cobham bought the trailer in May. She hoped to live in it by Oct. 1, but found that doing renovations in the hot Montreal summer was more difficult than she had expected.
“When we were working, it was hot. It’s like working inside a tin can,” said her father, Allan Cobham, who helped with the work.
The new goal is to have the trailer ready for habitation by next July. Cobham expects to live out of a friend’s large backyard to start, but envisions eventually taking the trailer on a cross-Canada road trip.
Cobham has named her trailer Suzy and set up an Instagram account for people to follow her progress.
With a report from CTV Montreal’s Kelly Greig
