'Quirky': Woman pays $45,000 for century-old caboose in Milton and turns it into home

Laurel Wynne never had a particular interest in trains or cabooses - let alone buying one.

Looking to stay closer to her grandchildren and family in Oakville after selling her Bancroft home earlier in the year, the 64-year-old retiree came across a quirky" property being listed for $45,000, a century-old caboose parked on a leased land in Campbellville, just north of Milton.

For her, the caboose ticked a lot of the boxes for a seasonal home.

It's certainly not what I thought I would be doing," she said. I would have preferred a more normal house. But the price point of those is out of reach for most people now."

She considers the $45,000 purchase price - now all paid for - and the $500 monthly payment to rent the land it's sitting on as totally affordable.

Wynne was one of dozens who expressed interest in the caboose.

Zoocasa realtor Jennifer Krane, who was the listing agent, said she had tons of people" contacting her, thinking that it would make a liveable, tiny home" despite making it clear on the description that it was not fully liveable due to its current location.

I definitely think the amount of interest that I had is because of the (current state of the) housing market," she said.

In the end, she received about three written offers for the unique" property.

The caboose measures 32 feet long by 10 feet wide, with six-and-a-half feet of ceiling room.

When Wynne first stepped inside the former CN rail car, which had been used as an office and showroom for a limousine company - and at some point an ice cream shop - in the past 30 years, she found the space a bit confining and small.

She has since removed the big, big limousine benches" and fridge and audio system set-ups that took up a lot of space.

Now that everything's cleared out," she said, it feels more spacious."

Next on the renovations list is a new flooring and drywall repair. While the caboose has a wired Hydro connection, it does not have running water or sewage, nor is it possible to hook them up right now.

The plan is to move it to its own piece of land sometime next year.

That's something I'd love to do down the road," she said.

Settling for a much smaller space required a mental shift, she said, but she felt that the caboose was ultimately a better compromise" - and one that would give her more financial freedom.

It's OK to go smaller," she said. I have the things that I want right now at this point in my life ... family, friends."