Like many of us, the pandemic forced Stefanie to slow down and think about how she wanted to live her life.
That’s how Misty was born.
No, she didn’t have a baby. Misty is the Gypsy-style vardo or living wagon she built with her own two hands.
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Stephanie did have construction and carpentry experience, as she cosmetically remodeled two homes and built/designed the inside of a coffee shop.
But she wouldn’t call herself a builder or a mechanic.
Despite that, she mostly did all the work on her wagon herself, with the exception of some occasional help from her son or a friend.
She did leave some stuff to the pros, including the metal roof, propane gas/water plumbing, and installation of trailer brakes, and a new axle.
By the time she was done, it cost her about $15,000.
Now, she has a home and free lodging wherever she travels. She just has to hitch Misty up to a car or truck. In addition to being a functional tiny home at 84 sq. ft feet, Misty has beautiful decorative elements that give it that traditional vardo-look.
According to MyTinyWagon.com, Misty was built from birch plywood, aromatic cedar, and internet research.
“What makes it feel more spacious is that it’s built on an angle with a rounded roof,” Stephanie tells Tiny House Giant Journey.
Stephanie built four windows in her wagon so that she has airflow no matter where the air is coming from.
Misty has a kitchen countertop with shelves for dishes, a stovetop, an oven, and a tiny refrigerator.
The stove, oven, and refrigerator run on propane. She has a copper bowl sink that works via a foot pump and pulls from two five-gallon water containers for freshwater. There’s also another 5-gallon grey water container.
The dishes and glasses do need to be packed away before Misty hits the road, which Stephanie says doesn’t take long.
The wagon is completely off-grid and if she fills everything up, it will last about five days.
There’s lots of storage space, including a drawer for pots under the oven and a pull-out rack for spices and pantry items beside the stove.
There are two adjacent chairs in Misty, each with storage space under the cushions.
Below the raised sleeping area is more storage space for pantry items, toiletries, a porta-potty, and a garbage can.
If you pull the porta-potty and garbage out, there is space behind it with roll-out drawers for clothing and linens and space to hang clothes.
On top of that is a pull-out table which can be reached from her chairs.
Stephanie planned to install solar panels but ultimately went with a mobile solar panel unit that lights up the LED string lights and light bulbs that line the inside of the wagon.
The elevated sleeping area is encased in a beautiful decorative arch which really gives it a vardo wagon look, along with the Moroccan and Indian-made light fixtures and mirrors.
Stephanie also built a ramp that her dog can use to reach the bed, which is a full-size memory foam mattress.
There’s also more storage on each of the bed’s sides.
Her Dutch door allows for more airflow while keeping the dog inside. Misty also has a fold-down deck that includes a hammock. The exterior of the Misty is made from cedar tongue in groove.
Take a tour inside her “gypsy wagon” in the video below!
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