My Tiny House is built on an 20ft by 8ft flatbed trailer that I purchased brand new for about $3,500 from Trailers Plus in Fresno. The trailer was my highest purchase because I wanted to make sure I had a solid foundation. The wood materials cost about $700 to complete the shell of the house and most of that I purchased from Home Depot and Lowes. I worked on the house only Saturdays and Sundays because I worked during the week.
My best friend and I had the shell built within just 3 months working only on weekends. The additional materials I found on Craigslist for free or at a low price. For example my double pane windows were only $10 each. My front door was $50. My sliding glass doors I found on the side or the road so they were free.
It took practically a year to build and that’s only because of time and money. My Tiny House experience taught me a lot about DIY projects and how to survive off-grid. To me the point of a tiny house was to have my own personal space and save money in the long run. I see people buying Tiny Houses for $60,000 – $100,000 which to me defeats the purpose.
I’m just a 27 year old girl from Miami who moved to California to experience a different way of living and had no resources. All it took was hard work, dedication, a little money, and a friend who has some building experience. During the beginning process I posted on Meetup.com about my Tiny House Build and people came out just to help me and be a part of the experience.
If I ever build a second house, It would probably run a lot smoother knowing all the things Learned the first time around.