From Shed to Sanctuary: Building a DIY Tiny Home to Foster Mental Wellness

on November 27, 2023

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Veerle was at University when her mental and physical health needed a break. While she could move back home, she needed her own space and the housing market was pricing her out of an apartment. That’s when she got the idea to build a tiny home in her parents’ backyard!

Her 75-square-foot cottage was once a construction shed with an adorable curved roof and big double doors to welcome you inside. They painted, built in a bed and a kitchen, and added electricity — and in 55 days she had a home sweet home. Enjoy the tour of her space and be sure to read her story below!

Veerle, a university student, faced mental and physical health challenges and decided to take a break from studying and move back home.
She built a 75-square-foot tiny home in her parents’ backyard, transforming a construction shed into a cozy cottage with a bed, kitchen, and electricity in just 55 days.
Living in this tiny house provided Veerle with a safe space for healing, a connection to nature, and personal development, positively impacting her mental health and well-being.

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From Shed to Sanctuary: Building a DIY Tiny Home to Foster Mental Wellness

Her Shed to Cottage Tiny Home! Just 75 Square Feet!

The main thing that got me into tiny living was my mental health. I moved back home to my parent’s house in the spring of 2022. Before that, I was studying Humanistic studies and living on my own in Utrecht.

I was going through a rough time and the best option was to take a break from studying and move back home to work on my mental and physical health.

However, I missed my independent living space and more importantly, it was also very much needed for my own personal development.

I have also always liked the idea of tiny living. I have watched many hours of tiny house content, thinking to myself, will I ever be able to live like this? One of my favourite things to do is camping, as close to nature as possible.

I bought my tiny house second hand in November of last year. It used to be a construction shed. I fell in love with her because of her double doors and round high ceiling. It’s only 7m2 (75 sq ft), but because of its height and windows it feels a bit bigger.

Besides the frame, almost everything had to be redone/build. I am very thankful for my family and friends who helped me with the renovation process.

There was a big hatch in the wall that got replaced by a window. We put in flooring, a bed, gave everything a coat of paint, build a kitchen and put in electricity. I moved in at the beginning of January 2023 when most of the renovation was done.

The whole process took about 55 days and there are still some projects left. I used most of my free time renovating, a hard but rewarding process. I made daily video’s about the renovation, they are still up on my Instagram page.

I currently don’t have that many expenses and I work on a biodynamic care farm.

Tiny living has changed and is still changing my life in a positive life. Like said in the previous answer, the main thing that got me into tiny living was my mental health. Talking about that is still a bit uncomfortable and new to me.

I don’t want to share too much since I am in a vulnerable position, going through things and the moment that I can’t fully grasp myself. However, I do want to speak about it since it’s such an important subject that we need to talk more about.

Moving into my tiny house gave me a safe space, a home, to allow myself to feel and work through things that would not have been possible otherwise. My tiny house is quite literally my safe haven, with it being so small, it gives me this enclosed feeling of safety.

In honour of the 6 months of having my tiny house I wrote her a little love letter which resembles the importance of living in a tiny house, I’ll add it below:

My dearest Tiny House,

Lots of love, Veerle

Some of the challenging parts of tiny living are also the things I enjoy about tiny living. Overall, I’ve to say that I find it more rewarding than challenging.

My tiny house is just 7m2, which is really small. I do have everything I need, however, it gets messy very easily. I have to be strict about placing items where they belong. (Also a big advantage)

There are so many good things about living in a tiny house, it brought peace and joy into my life. To name a few rewarding things:

I really enjoy living in a small space with just everything I need, less distraction and things to worry about. Like said before it gives me a very protected and enclosed feeling.

I mostly sleep with my windows open, it really reminds me of camping, but with the comfort of my bed. It also benefits my health a lot, it builds up my immune system and makes me more resilient again the elements/cold.

I really enjoy being close to nature and surrounded by green and animals, I am following the rhythm of nature more than before. I also go outside more often since my living space is tiny.

Another rewarding thing is living in a space that’s I build and designed myself.

If you have the opportunity and desire to live timy, just go for it. For me, it brings so much peace and joy. The beginning can be quite daunting and overwhelming. I had so many questions, will the space be big enough, will I enjoy it, am I capable of tiny living and renovating and so on.

For me, taking the first step was the most important, the rest I was able to figure out along the way. You don’t have to know everything from the start.

Reclaiming Serenity: A Shed-to-Tiny-Home DIY Journey for Mental Health

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Our big thanks to Veerle for sharing! 🙏

Natalie C. McKee

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Lots of love,
Veerle