The Hotel Caravan Welcomes New Wheelchair Accessible Tiny House   

The Tiny House Hotel ‘Caravan’ has added a beautiful new house to its collection. Pacifica was built in Olympia, Washington by nationally known and highly respected tiny house builder, Abel Zyl, of Zyl Vardos.

Pacifica has a very unusual design for a tiny house on wheels. It is built on a 10ft. wide single axle trailer and is designed to be universally accessible to accommodate those who use a wheelchair for mobility. The billowing and undulating roofline and the concentric arcs of the cedar-shingled exterior reminds us of ocean waves.

As with all of Abel’s curved tiny house designs, Pacifica was designed using a 3-D modeling program, and a CNC machine was used to cut the complex forms that create the arched roofline.

The expansive interior space is extremely unusual and hosts many colorful components, namely the Talavera tile sink and countertop, designed and built by Caravan owner Deb Delman, and the custom-made stained glass windows, designed by Abel and built by Mansion Glass. The name Pacifica, a nod to our west coast ocean, embodies all of these architectural characteristics.

In terms of accessibility, creating a space that is navigable by wheelchair, yet is confined by the innate characteristics of being on a road legal trailer, was a design challenge. The bathroom has a roll-in shower, the underside of the kitchen countertops is cleared of obstructions, and the bed on the first floor is fully accessible.

There is also an upstairs loft with a Queen bed

The loft is accessed by a gorgeous handmade staircase with storage space.

Like all of Caravan’s tiny houses, Pacifica has hot running water, electric heat, a kitchen, flush toilet and a hot shower. It can sleep up to four people, and is a particularly great option for families or honeymooners.  The rate for Pacifica is $165 for reservations that begin on/after May 1st, 2016.

Photo: Jeffrey Freeman