The Concert Car by Carpenter Owl

The Concert Car

The Concert Car was designed and built by Carpenter Owl, in the Fall of 2019. It is a South Central Indiana creation, constructed with local materials by Hoosier craftspeople. From the raw materials to the finishing oils, everything is green, clean, and hypoallergenic.

This show home and intimate concert venue is the pride and joy of the Carpenter Owl fleet. Unfortunately Covid-19 tabled intimate gathering, so we are looking to rehome this versatile box truck conversion.

The Conert Car sits on a solid 1999 Ford E450 box truck and is powered by a 7.3 Turbo diesel with 85,000 miles on the clock. The motor, chassis, wheels, and vehicle have a long life ahead, with the motor being known to last up to 500,000 miles. The truck and conversion are under the Max GVWR specified by the manufacturer and the vehicle has been reclassified as an RV in the state of Indiana.

The structure is well insulated with sheeps wool in the floor box, walls, and ceiling. The floor box and ceiling are framed with 2x6s and the walls with 2x4s. The walls were designed with a rain screen system consisting of Blockit house wrap, cedar purlins, and poplar tongue and groove siding. The rafters were cut from 2x12s to create the curved ceiling and arched roof. The roof is made of 12 gauge galvalume sheet metal laid over 1/4 " ply topped with Grace’s Ice and Water Shield rubber membrane. The gutters were fabricated from the same sheet metal and feed into 1” square aluminum tubing downspouts.

The interior of the structure features Carpenter Owl's distinctive mixed species 1 ½” tongue and groove, concave ceiling. The flooring is 1 ½” tongue and groove maple. The two long walls are white pine with elm accent walls on both ends for distinctive character.

The Concert Car features 10 windows and double glass doors for maximum light and brilliant views. All the windows are Marvin except the two sets of transoms that provide cross ventilation. All openings are trimmed in cedar, poplar, or walnut.

The living space feels spacious, despite its compact footprint. The 2x8 yellow pine loft can be set at different heights allowing the room to have either a lofted bed or a bed alcove with office on top. From the alcove is the pass-thru to the driving cab. Opposite the alcove is the kitchen and bathroom.

The kitchen consists of two counter tops, one with a deep, stainless sink and recessed electric cooktop and the other offering space for food prep and storage. Alongside the countertops is a refrigerator and toaster oven. Beyond the kitchen and divided from it by handmade, dyed, and sewn Korean Pojagi style curtains, is the bathroom.

The bathroom features a Nature’s Head composting toilet and a full sized, soaker bathtub, with a shower spout. The bathtub extends into the space under one of the kitchen counters and is privy to its own port-hole window that is fully operable. The 35 gallon hot water heater for the structure is tucked away under the kitchen counter with the sink and electric cooktop.

The pipes for the structure are a mix of stainless steel and copper, all of which are exposed. The bathroom, kitchen, and structure as a whole, is serviced by a through wall extraction fan. The drains run directly through the floor and floor box to the outside.

The Concert Car was designed to accommodate musicians and performers for intimate productions. This was achieved by opening the framed Korean style curtains and then removing several of the boards from the loft and mounting them to the lip that sits above the bathtub and composting toilet creating a 7 1/2 ' x 4' performance stage. Attendance would be capped at roughly 20 people who were seated in the living area and loft.

The lighting for the structure is provided predominantly by recessed LED strip lights that run the length of the cabin and a central flush mount fixture, refit with the same LEDs.

Electrical and water hook - ups are located at the rear of the vehicle. A 50 amp service with RV plug is the current means for power - included in the purchase of the vehicle - and a heated water hose line of 50 ' and a 50' electrical hook up.