Our Story

 

Hello,

I’m Eric, the person who put the idea of teardrop trailers in Cees’ head.   

Back in the summer of 2016 Cees came to my place.  We were in the backyard enjoying the afternoon sun and a couple of refreshing beverages.

Cees is the kind of guy who will ask, “Hey buddy. What’s new?”  (Buddy is also the name of his dog so I’m never certain if he’s talking to me.)

 “Teardrop trailers.  Have you ever seen these things?” I asked.

I had recently read about them and instantly pictured myself exploring the country, camping in comfort along the way.  The style reminds me of the classic trailers from the 40’s and 50’s.  Once I saw that there was a galley hidden under the curved back well, I was sold.

The trouble is, they are not mass produced and are hard to find.

Cees took a close look at the pictures, sat back and sipped his beer then looked me in the eye. 

 “I can build that,” he said.

That’s how it all got started.  

 

A few weeks later Cees invited a group of friends to his shop to show us the shell of a trailer and to brainstorm a company name.  It was Dirk who came up with Gnome Home which appealed to Cees’ European roots.

A few months later and he had built two prototypes. Gnome Homes was launched.

The commitment of Gnome Homes is to build modern trailers that remember how camping used to be.  They are not complicated and offer the convenience of effortless setup. They can easily be equipped with modern amenities like solar panels, a DVD player and connections to charge your devices.

Cees is the guy with the tools and the skills. 

With decades of experience building and installing custom kitchens, Cees liked the challenge of creating something new.  He is a Dutch craftsman, who emigrated to Canada in 1981, with an experienced eye for quality and durability.

In our conversations, he felt the same way as I do, as I got older camping became more of a pain.  Setting up a tent and sleeping on the ground was no longer pleasant or relaxing.  Hauling an oversized house on wheels is also troublesome since, with full hookups, the only place to set them up is a parking lot in the woods.

 The teardrop trailer is a stylish solution.  They can be parked in the same areas of a campground as tents but all you really have to do is park it and you’re done.  High and dry, all that you need is to light a campfire and to unpack the camping chairs.