“Why be conventional when you can be exceptional?”
Dean
Dean started House-Box in 2010. Since being a keen surfer as a child, he had long imagined getting a rusty old post-van with a mattress in the back, and enjoying the freedom of waking up and driving wherever you want (often in pyjamas) whilst taking all the comforts of home with you. This idea developed and evolved over the years and many DIY conversions followed. Eventually this idea expanded and Dean and his partner Hannah built the first 'House-Box', a lovingly restored 1977 Bedford TK. This time however the goal was to enjoy all the freedom of a comfortable hand-made home on wheels; but to utilise clever design and cutting edge green technologies to afford all the luxuries you'd find in a more conventional 'bricks and mortar' home. The result was an exciting, affordable, and ecologically responsible lifestyle. The success of this build, and the comfort found by Hannah and Dean, inspired the move to develop this hobby and passion into a full-time occupation, and to help facilitate others who know 'a better way is possible' to enable their dreams. The rest is history. Dean is at his happiest when nerding out designing 'off-grid' electrics, eating a family sized bag of Kettle chips, or using some kind of unsuitable power tool for doing innovative things to interesting timbers.
Jake
Jake has been roped into House-Box since spring 2013, although has been involved in many ways on occasion since day 1. Having spent many years himself living in caravans and a Double-Decker bus (one with the worlds smallest bathtub) he knows what works and what doesn't when it comes to making small spaces special. Having been brought up recklessly racing all sorts of obscure farm machinery over the Somerset levels, he has a real love for classic vehicles and a great feel for style. As well as being a small space wizard, Jake also an established sculpture restorer and art handler, and has become to go-to guy for some of the worlds most famous artists (including recently restoring a 100 ton piece worth just shy of 3 million pounds) Jake and Dean are both part of a Sound System and music writing duo. Having worked alongside each other for the last 13 years makes the whole designing and building process at House-Box both organic and intuitive. Jake is at his happiest when rummaging through the scrap metal pile to see what interesting treats he can find to get creative with, laying up meticulous welds on crisp metals, and not having to look around the workshop for something that Dean has inevitably lost.