Fun and Frugal: Creative Ways to Build Your Tiny House

Though tiny homes are meant to be a more affordable option, costs can still get out of control if you aren’t smart about budgeting and choosing more affordable materials. That said, having a more frugal budget doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun with your build and get the design features you want. 

There are many benefits to owning a tiny home, and just because you have a smaller budget doesn’t mean you can’t join the tiny house movement like so many others. In this article, we will offer various tips and ideas to help you cut costs during your tiny home build, while still enabling you to have fun and design the home of your dreams. 

1. Smart (And Fun) Budgeting

Before you start designing, it’s extremely important that you create a budget to help make smart financial decisions regarding your tiny home. Having a clear and concise budget to work from can help you stay organized and avoid spending more money than you have when designing and building your home. 

While the cost of a tiny home varies greatly depending on the size and design elements, most tiny homes tend to average between $30,000 and $60,000. When starting to plan your budget, choose a price point you think you can manage and then break that down into individual costs for everything you will need to make your tiny home a reality.

This can include:

• Building permit costs
• Cost of labor
• Utilities
• Building materials
• Insurance
• Furniture and decor
• Appliances
• Cost of land (if you don’t already have a property to build and live on)

Once you have a good breakdown of your costs and how much you want to spend, you can also look into ways to save money if you don’t already have the funds you need. You could take out a loan, of course, but if the point is to be frugal and cut costs, it’s better to save up as much money as you can first.

Below are a few unique and fun ways you can save money:

• Take up a hobby and turn it into a side hustle (baking, photography, crafting).
• Turn saving money into a fun challenge with your friends to see who can save the most.
• Gamify your savings with budgeting apps like Honeydue, YNAB, and Fudget.
• Take on a fun side gig, like dog walking, bartending, house sitting, or fitness instruction.
• Take online surveys to earn extra cash.
• Declutter your belongings and sell them at a yard sale or second-hand store. 
• Ditch your gym membership and start exercising at home or outdoors.

These are just some of the many ways you can start saving up your money to help make budgeting for your tiny home a little easier. 

2. DIY Labor and Design

If you are capable, consider doing the designing and planning for your tiny home yourself. If you hire an architect or a company to do the designing and planning for you, it can take a significant chunk out of your budget. Luckily, there are plenty of tools and software applications available today that can help you design your tiny home yourself, like Cedreo, Sweet Home 3D, Planner 5D, and SketchUp — to name a few. 

You can also save money by doing most of the labor yourself when it comes time to build your tiny home. Reach out to friends and family to help if you need some extra hands. 

3. Opt for Recycled Materials

The bulk of your money aside from potential labor costs will go to the building materials. So to save money, it’s best to source recycled materials for your tiny home as much as you can. Not only can sourcing recycled materials save you money, but it can also be a fun and creative project. 

This is when you get to really use your imagination to find the materials you need. You don’t necessarily have to use traditional lumber to build and design your home. Habitat for Humanity, for example, has ReStores that sell all kinds of recycled materials for building and design projects. You can also check out other local businesses, junkyards, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace for recycled building materials.  

Another way to save money is to use pre-existing structures for the foundation of your tiny home instead of building from scratch. Some commonly used materials and items for tiny homes include shipping containers, vans, school buses, and sheds. 

4. Prioritize Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

When designing and building your tiny home, it’s also important to consider long-term costs. For example, it might be more cost-effective upfront to install cheaper appliances and plumbing systems, but down the road, those features could end up costing you more money.

Instead, opt for sustainable upgrades and energy-efficient appliances that will help you both protect the environment and save money in the long run. You can install skylights for good lighting and to help regulate temperature. Installing LED lights can also help you cut costs and reduce your carbon footprint. You can also use solar panels on your tiny home to help generate power and save money. 

Installing a rainwater collection system helps you live more sustainably while cutting down on water consumption, which can save you money on your water bill. A green roof helps with waterproofing and it can help filter your air and keep your home cool in the summer. 

Another way to save money on cooling and heating costs is to opt for a mini split. Some larger tiny homes have central air installed, but a mini split is more efficient, especially if your tiny home really isn’t that big. Not only are mini splits easier to maintain, but they also offer more efficient temperature control, are quiet, and they can even improve air quality over a duct system. 

5. Make or Buy Furniture and Decor Second-Hand

In addition to using recycled building materials, you can also use second-hand materials for the interior of your tiny home. Shopping at second-hand and thrift stores can be a lot of fun, especially if you are willing to get creative and think with an open mind. 

If you don’t want to use second-hand items, you could make your own furniture and decor pieces instead of buying them brand new. It might be difficult anyway to find pieces that specifically fit with your tiny home layout, so making your own custom pieces may work best and save you money. 

Wrapping Up

When it comes to building a tiny home on a budget, the key is to get creative. There are no rules about using traditional building materials when constructing a tiny home. You will still need to make sure your structure is sound and in line with building codes, but that doesn’t mean you have to do everything the conventional way. So don’t be afraid to think outside the box if you want to have fun with your design while saving money. 

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash