A WOMAN explained how her 250-square-foot tiny home was built for just $20,000 - and it all started with an old trailer as the foundation.
As home prices remain high, many people have turned to tiny homes as an affordable option.
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Sarah explained in a Reddit post how she was able to build the tiny home of her dreams on a tight budget.
In the r/TinyHomes subreddit, she shared a photo of the tiny home on wheels, which features a lofted bedroom and a spacious living room with a sectional couch.
There is a full kitchen, bathroom, and ceiling fan to help keep things cool.
She said it was a spur-of-the-moment thing and decided to build the home after finding the Craigslist trailer for $700.
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"I traveled a few hours to pick it up. I had to get a title and then sand it down and repaint it before I could start building. That took a few months," she wrote.
"I’m not gonna lie. My blood, sweat, and tears went into this. I would wait quite a few years before I tried this again."
"I was in the best shape of my life after that! All of my free time was spent working on the house, I gave up my personal life for that time, but it was worth it."
Sarah was renting a house at the time, and the deadline to either renew the lease or move out was approaching.
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She said the situation was "quite the motivator" to get her to finish building on time.
"I had help putting up some of the larger walls and other heavy lifting. I hired an electrician because I didn’t have the time to figure out how that works," she said.
Sarah also added it is imperative to understand your own skill level and what you’re capable of.
We turned our ugly garage into a tiny home for our daughter, 24 - she gets independence but she's nearby if she needs us
Since she was good at building or fixing things, usually on a smaller scale, Sarah wasn't too afraid to mess up.
"Do a lot of research, read a lot of blogs, and watch a lot of DIY videos. If you’ve never built anything, I’m not sure starting out building a tiny house is the best choice, but if you put in the time and energy, who am I to say?"
She insulated the floor, walls, and ceiling to keep the heat out during the summer and keep things toasty inside during winter.
There is also a split-system heating and cooling unit with a thermostat to control everything easily.
Despite being handy her whole life, Sarah did say there were a few hiccups in the building process.
"Buying used items and not researching the pros and cons, or issues to look for. Specifically the windows. I should have done my research first because I had quite a few leaks and a heck of a time trying to figure out why," she said.
Once construction was done, she took the home to an RV park in Texas and has been enjoying life.
Fellow Reddit users praised Sarah's design and hard work, saying the home had a "great use of space."
"Really nice! 20K? You need to host a tiny home-build TV show! Ditch that desk job and be a TV star!" replied one person.
"That takes effort and elbow grease, man. Happy for you!" added another.
A third person said: "Beautiful! I also built my own 24' tiny! Just like you I tweaked some plans, watched a lot of YouTube and took the build step by step."
"Winter hit before I could completely finish so spring projects are waiting. Love seeing what determined women can do!"
INSTANT HOME
For those who aren't as handy as Sarah, they may want to consider buying a prefabricated tiny home.
What is a tiny home?
Typically, tiny homes are between 100 and 400 square feet, and very rarely exceeds 500 square feet.
For reference, the median size of a new, single-family home in 2021 was 2,273 square feet, reports Realtor.com.
Tiny homes first sprang into popularity after the 2008 financial crisis, when many people had lost their traditional homes or could no longer afford them.
The dwellings can cost as little as $15,000 if you plan on DIYing the project, but some can cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It's important to note that tiny houses aren't legal everywhere, and you should check with local ordinances before buying any supplies or land.
Amazonhasone for sale that is delivered flat and unfolds into a tiny home.
There are multiple sizes of theAMFOR tiny home ranging in price from $18,000 to $20,000.
The smallest is 400 square feet, which is still bigger than many tiny homes.
It has ample space for two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room.
"The kitchen will be equipped with cabinets and a sink, while the bathroom will have facilities such as a shower, a bathroom cabinet, and a toilet," the product description states.
"All doors, windows, flooring, internal wiring, switches, sockets, and drainage pipes will be installed within the house for convenient use."
The instructions recommended using four people for "safe installation" and claimed that the home could be set up in just 10 minutes.
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Another tiny home dweller broke down the costs of her two-story home that has a monthly rent of $1,400.
A couple shared how they were able to be mortgage-free after buying a "barndominium kit."
