How do you put a vintage 1950s 40-foot trailer next to a river without having it swept away by a South Texas flash flood? That question plagued architect Andrew Hinman, whose wealthy client, the owner of a global beauty products company, wanted to put his 1954 Spartan Imperial Mansion as close as possible to the Nueces River in Uvalde, Texas.



Hinman responded by lifting the trailer 5 feet above the floodplain — 30 feet above the river — onto concrete piers and building a new Swiss Army knife–like accessory for the trailer, complete with big screened-in porches and a sleeping tower with an air-conditioned bathroom. This is one trailer that's not going anywhere for a while.



Houzz at a Glance

Location: Uvalde, Texas

Size: 306-square-foot 1-bedroom trailer; 200-square-foot sleeping loft and tower; 2 full bathrooms