The Ford Flophouse is a very tiny (less than 50 square feet) house, that was built to fit in the back of a pick-up truck. Originally we called it the Mopar Mansion as it was to be built to fit in an old 77 Dodge D100. Eventually we moved the design to fit into the current Ford F-250. We built it so that we could have a fun place to live in while we drove all over the country in the late summer of 2015.
As of the end of 2017 the Ford Flophouse has a new owner! We are excited to watch it's journey unfold.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long did it take to build?
Initial concept drawings and designs were started in late March, 2015, construction began in April and Finished at the end of August. We worked off and on, but a lot during the last two months.
How much did it cost to build?
Not counting a absurd amount of time I put into building it, I probably spent around $4000 on materials.
How much does it weigh?
We don't know for sure. It didn't bottom out the truck, and the back-hoe operator who craned it on to the truck said it felt like around 1400 lbs.
The Trip
Here is a outline of our massive road trip which took us over 10000 miles of beautiful America.
Home to Burning Man
We high tailed it flat out across the country to get from home in Baltimore to Burning Man in Nevada in around 5 days. It was mostly driving, we didn't see much other than views from the road.
Exploring the West
After Burning Man we meandered back east through Utah and Colorado. Lots of national parks, trees and mountains. Then we worked our way south through NM, AZ, the Very Large Array, the Grand Canyon, and so fourth into California and up the coast to San Francisco.
Our Journey Home
In Sacramento we realized we needed to cut the trip a bit short and skip Oregon and Washington in order to get back for work obligations. So again we pounded the pavement for over a week, blasting 550+ miles a day up through Yellowstone, Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota into Canada where we took the Trans Canadian Highway to Montreal.
Victory Tour
Once back on the East Coast, driving was easy and friends were plentiful so we took a few days working our way down through New England, visiting friends and family, before landing finally in Baltimore.