Chapter One: complete

The $2,000 House

Before it was a house, it was a retired U-Haul that had spent its life hauling other people’s couches. I bought it, looked at the empty box on the back, and saw a floor plan.

Charlie, the U-Home built from a truck I bought for about $2,000

The build

From U-Haul to home

The original orange-and-white U-Haul before the conversion — Bought the U-Haul

Matt working inside the original U-Haul cab during the conversion — Tore into it

Matt working among tools and materials inside the unfinished box truck — Built the inside

Matt beside the completed Charlie truck-house — Charlie, ready to drive

The adventure

Then I hit the road

Charlie crossed mountains, salt flats, beaches, and the Arctic Circle. I lived in the truck I built and kept going.

Matt and a travel companion standing with Charlie near the Arctic Circle — At the Arctic Circle

Charlie parked beneath steep mountain peaks — Mountain country

Charlie parked under a dark night sky — Camp after dark

Charlie parked on a wide salt flat beneath a blue sky — Out on the flats

Matt standing with Charlie and a motorcycle in the woods — Charlie and the bike

Charlie and a motorcycle parked on a beach — Beach camp

How I pulled it off

Original truck: about $2,000

Salvage, secondhand parts, and stubbornness covered what money couldn’t.

It still had to drive

The cabinets, walls, bed, and everything else had to survive potholes, hills, and the road to the Arctic Circle.

The full conversion is archived on Instagram: the wins, the do-overs, and the “why is there water there” moments. This page has the highlights. The mess is still watchable.

See the Instagram archive →