(Tiny Tips) – Tiny Home – Many people are inspired by the “DIY” spirit behind the tiny home movement. The idea is that if you can’t afford a standard single-family home, you can build one — albeit a smaller (and cheaper) one — of your own. ) scale.
But for those who think a lack of building experience is a barrier to building their dream home, consider the story of Tori, a mussel biologist in Sequim, Washington, who built her own tiny home from scratch. Even though Tori had no building experience, she was able to build herself a cute little home while learning from her mistakes. We got a detailed video tour of Tori’s “Tangled Tiny House” through Tiny House Expedition (the same people behind the excellent documentary Living Tiny Legally).
Young Biologist Builds Her Own Tiny Home for $30,000
Today, Tori is a happy tiny homeowner, and she explains her motivation for overcoming her initial hesitation to take on such a large project:
“The reason I wanted to go small was because I couldn’t afford a house of my own at the time. Living in rental apartments was expensive and you couldn’t do anything nice to them: you couldn’t paint rental apartments, you couldn’t put up fences, you couldn’t build backyards. So. A small house gave me full creative direction. It was a bit of a challenge – it was a big undertaking to take on and execute, and I proved I could achieve something I had no experience with.”
From the outside, Tori’s 24-foot-long tiny home sits on a custom Iron Eagle trailer base, which she says allows her to bolt the structure directly to the frame. Your home’s water pipes run underneath and are insulated to prevent them from freezing or bursting.
Tori noted that her favorite thing about this trailer base is that she was able to build a small bump in the front above the trailer tongue, which created extra space for the sink and therefore enlarged the bathroom.
Tori’s living room features a multifunctional sofa bed and a sofa set. Not only does this type of sofa make the living room feel more comfortable and relaxing, it also serves as a place to store items and can be turned into an extra bed for guests.
The interior is covered in white carpet, making the space appear larger, contrasting with the dark reclaimed wood beams and dark window trim.
The dining table and work surface are made from an IKEA butcher block that Tori cut from enough scrap material to create an extra countertop to cover her washing machine.
When Tori walked into the kitchen, she explained that one of her “favorite mistakes” was her undermount farmhouse sink, which is now mostly covered because it didn’t fit into the cabinets she purchased. Instead, she built a frame that could stand and covered the sink with gray countertops for a cleaner look.
“That’s just one of the reasons for building a tiny home, because it’s my first time building something and I have to keep adapting to any little mistakes or adjustments,” Tori said.
Tori’s stove runs on propane and has a beautiful homemade backsplash made from what looks like self-adhesive hexagonal tiles that she cut to add a little personal touch.
Open shelving here allows her to stack plates and cups in plain sight and within easy reach.
Directly across from the kitchen is what Tori calls a “coffee nook” and the laundry area, which includes a washer/dryer combo and a series of drawers for clothing storage.
The laundry area extends under the stairs and has a built-in mini wardrobe with storage space for hanging clothes and shoes.
A staircase leads to the bedroom, whose ceiling is made from recycled corrugated iron. Tori said she made this design choice because it subtly defines the bedroom as its own space, even though it’s open. The bedroom has an operable skylight to provide fresh air and serve as an additional exit in the event of a fire.
Directly below the bedroom is the bathroom, which houses the toilet, sink and shower, which Tori says was her “second favorite flaw” in the house when she realized the prefabricated shower base she purchased was the wrong size. She needed to build her own beautiful quartz shower floor.
In total, Tori said she spent about $30,000 and nearly three years building her tiny home. A big part of her struggle is not getting discouraged when she makes mistakes and overcoming her fear of the unknown. Tori’s story is an inspiring example of how even someone with no building experience can actually build a beautiful home.