Portable Cedar Cabins

The customer isn’t moving here – the house is moving there. It’s mounted on a steel frame outfitted with wheels, and once it’s finished, a trucker will attach the home to a semi and haul it 2,400 miles across America. Bates owns Portable Cedar Cabins, which specializes in “park model” recreational vehicles – basically, cabins on wheels. The homes’ footprints are small – no bigger than 400 square feet – but with the help of high ceilings and efficient floor plans, they feel surprisingly roomy. Last year, Bates sold 32 units, and is on track to match that output this year. During a recent interview, he discussed how the cabins have evolved since he started building them nine years ago, and how much it will cost to tow one from North Idaho to West Virginia.