A one-of-a-kind camper attracted the attention of visitors on the boardwalk in Cobourg this summer.
Steve Houghton from Peterborough spent the summer months with his home made camper abutting the boardwalk at the Victoria Park Campground.
Houghton said he likes to “tinker around,” so approximately three years ago he decided to build a camper from a utility trailer.
“YouTube had a lot of good examples of stuff and people have that have been doing this for a long time,” said the software developer.
“But for me, I wanted something better than anything I’ve ever seen on YouTube.”
With the 19-foot trailer with approximately 140 square-feet Houghton wanted to make the most of the space.
The ramp door folds down which also adds another 40-square feet.
But what attracted visitors to the boardwalk was the patio on top of the trailer that doubles the space.
“I had the ideas in my mind. But you kind of do things as you go.”
The patio is what attracted the attention to people this summer, but there is much more to the camper.
Houghton said the plumbing system is very unique.
“You can valve your way into any configuration you want. It’s very easily fixable. I can take the entire core system of the plumbing area out. Which is fantastic.”
Traditional campers vents go through the roof, but because of the roof patio, the camper vents through the floor.
The camper is fully insulated and Houghton has had it out in the winter saying it holds the heat very well.
Before creating his one-of-a-kind camper, Houghton admits he didn’t know anything about welding, electrical or plumbing.
“It consumes more of your after work and weekend time.”
Houghton had the camper in Victoria Park Campground last year, but didn’t have the patio on top at that time.
“You get so much attention with this, it’s insane. Honestly on a busy Saturday you get endless people commenting and taking pictures.”
But Houghton loves talking to people about the creation and answering their questions.
“I built it to enjoy it, but if other people enjoy it too, it’s fantastic.”
At this point, he hasn’t given his creation a name – and that’s because he hasn’t finished it yet.
It’s everything Houghton wanted – and more.
“Second to none” he proudly says sitting on the roof patio which takes approximately 30-minutes to fold down.
“I can’t imagine a nicer spot for the summer.
“It feels like the Carribean down here. You can’t beat it.”
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
