Young architect builds RV with essential amenities for $1,400

By Russ and Tiña De Maris
A 23-year-old recently graduated architecture student from Tamil Nadu, India, has hit the news. Dismayed at how much poor people were spending on housing he’s come up with a potential solution. Arun Prabhu has built what’s possibly India’s first home-brew motorhome.

Home-brew motorhome for less

Prabhu says a shanty in a slum area of a city like Mumbai typically costs 400 to 500 thousand rupees, or about $5,400 to $6,700 U.S. Even then, the dream home won’t include a bathroom facility. The young architect put his mind to it. He soon came up with a design for the moveable home. Purchasing used parts, including a 3-wheel Bajaj pickup “auto rickshaw,” Prabhu built his “SOLO 0.1” home for a mere 100,000 rupees, or a little over $1,400.

What kind of motorhome will $1,400 create? Prabhu’s home-brew motorhome sleeps two and includes comparative mansion-like amenities: a toilet, bathtub, and for those work-from-home entrepreneurs, a work space. Mounted topside is a 600-watt solar panel, and batteries to store the juice. Also stored onboard: a 66-gallon water tank.

See more of this home-brew motorhome on YouTube:

It took Prabhu five months to dream up his design, locate parts, and complete the home-brew motorhome.

Prabhu’s vision is that his motorhome would be great for laborers and small-scale shopkeepers and, not to be left out, the otherwise-homeless. The question, based on Western World problems, is this: Will India be able to keep up with the demand for RV parks?

Read more here.

Photo credit: Ashok Sindhu on Facebook.com

Additional reads

Wow! Is this home-built RV incredible or what?

##RVT967