How would it feel to have all your credit cards, student loans, AND home paid off? Ask Shana! She sold her car and got a second job so she could make her debt-free tiny house living a reality. Now she and her two dogs live happily in a Tiny House Community in Durango, Colorado.
She had her home built by Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses, and spent $50,000 on the build. While the 103.5 square-foot space is tight, it has everything she wanted including hidden appliances, a wood-burning stove, and a custom couch for her and her pups. Allison at Tiny Home Tours shared a fantastic video tour with Shana, so be sure to check that out below!
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She Sold Her Car & Has Zero Debt in Her Micro Tiny House!
Images via Tiny Home Tours/YouTube
She says her home was designed as much for dogs as for herself.
Images via Tiny Home Tours/YouTube
She designed the home while teaching in Vienna.
Images via Tiny Home Tours/YouTube
The home cost her about $50,000 to have built.
Images via Tiny Home Tours/YouTube
There’s a convection oven and fridge hiding under that counter!
Images via Tiny Home Tours/YouTube
Video: Her 103 SqFt Dream Tiny House – Living Debt-Free
Highlights:
- 103.5 square feet
- Tiny wood stove
- Mini-split
- Storage couch custom-made to her size
- Insulated doggie door
- Designed & built by Rocky Mountain Tiny Homes
- Apartment-size fridge/freezer behind cabinet door
- Hidden convection oven
- Hanging closet and shoe storage
- Tankless hot water heater
- Flush toilet
- Shower stall
Learn more
- Subscribe to Tiny Home Tours on YouTube
- Builder: Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses
- Tiny Home Tours YouTube Channel
Our big thanks to Allison and the Tiny Home Tours YouTube Channel for sharing!🙏
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Natalie C. McKee
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I could never live in such a small space. Ugh.
It’s definitely on the tinier side of things, no doubt!
Nita: I’m curious; if you can’t stand to think of yourself living in such a glorious tiny house such as this…..why are you looking at them in the first place? Why come here and post negativity? The world is such a happiness-sucking place, especially lately; folks need positive, happy vibes to help them balance things out.
Adorable! Very compact, but efficient.
This tiny home has everything necessary to live peacefully & comfortably even with Shana’s two cute doggies! Good job designing your mortgage free tiny HOME Shana! Personally, I cant climb a ladder to a loft however, I really like how comfortable the bedroom loft looks. I was really surprised that a queen- sized mattress could fit w/room to spare. I also LOVE the closet space, storage sofa and the Berkey (I need one in my life right now but they are sold out… thanks to the damn Ronavirus ugh). Great job Shana!
Haha COVID-19 is making so many interesting things sell out! I can’t find any hose splitters…
Natalie, I am working to finish the interior of my tiny house but the pine planks I need have been out of stock for three months. The store said they were not getting deliveries because of the Coronavirus…sigh….
So sorry to hear that, Denise. You know, it might be worth it to dig through several marketplaces out there and see if you can find someone who’s selling any spare/over-stock pine planks. Just do a search around your local Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, etc., and you may get lucky and find someone who’s sitting on some of it and you may even save some money too. I don’t know, may not work, but maybe it’s a worth a try?
Agh that’s such a huge pain!
So the dogs go out the double doggie door and roam free (or just on the porch)? Love all the storage in such a small house.
Hmm good question! I didn’t see an answer.
She got ripped off. Why do people pay such stupidly high prices? I can have a 1500sq’ home built for less with solar.
If you are going to get a TH I suggest you learn costs, etc and shop better or better learn how to build your own.
Not a chance this should cost over $25k, And I built my 10×16 not on a trailer, a far better size you can use standard furniture in for just $4k including a helper in 3 days and I’m 75% handicapped.
There is easily 25k in materials there, so the labor would match that. Also it is not clear if it includes septic, well, sewer, and land.
Yes, typically the labor cost as much or more than the materials for a commercial build and that’s how most people will do it because not everyone can or even wants to build their own. Especially, if they want to be able to do things like get it insured, meet code if it needs to be IRC on a foundation, need it built within a strict time frame or be homeless if it takes too long, want it to be built to a level only a experienced craftsman can achieve, have no means of doing a DIY, want a home that’s beyond their means to build themselves, among other reasons people go with commercial builders…
Some materials will also cost more than others, like custom tripled pane windows can cost thousands each vs Low-E single pane windows that you can do the whole house for less than a thousand but building to extreme climates and/or high energy efficiency means that higher cost materials are often what’s required…
While you will not always be able to get away with avoiding having either a foundation or a trailer as there are many situations where they become required by the local authorities.
There are places where this is less of a issue but across the nation all situations have to be taken into account when comparing…
Older people and people with physical limitations it’s also generally going to be a no go to DIY as it will either be too dangerous or they simply can’t do the work themselves no matter how much they may want to… So have to keep in mind what’s actually practical for most people… 25% enabled is more than some people have or will necessarily want to push… There are certainly lots of options but that doesn’t mean everyone can do it the same way.
Besides, there’s lots that are a lot more costly for what you get… Like an Airstream Basecamp is around $42,000 but it can’t handle winters and is only meant for recreational usage, with less usable space than this home…
While this home can be moved anywhere in the country but 10′ x 16′ DIY homes are pretty much limited to the local area unless you break them down and ship them in pieces at fairly high cost and time it’ll take… Say, someone is living in a place where there can be a forest fire… This home can be quickly moved to safety but a 10′ x 16′ home may need to be abandoned to the fire… among many other examples that costs have more meaning than just whether it’s livable…
There are always Trade Off and reasons people do it differently from each other…
One would have to be a nudist to live in that. — no place to put clothes!!!
@Debbie – Don’t be silly, it has a hanging closet and other storage spaces… People manage with less van dwelling and other examples of people living in even smaller spaces…
LOVE IT! I want one but without the wood stove. Perfect size for me.
Definitely a great size for one person (and some pups!)
Absolutely love your tiny house. I am 72 and can imagine myself living in this space. My only thing is I would need a bedroom downstairs but would still love a loft bedroom for visitors. Love love you home.
So glad you loved it!
Would you mind telling what other 3 places were in the running? I too am thinking of tiny house living, but do not love the heat
I wish I knew! She didn’t mention and isn’t on social media to contact.
She is not totally free of costs because someone has to pay for the cost of the space the “tiny home” sits on. The owner can raise the rent at their own discretion .
Of course not. No one is free of costs, but she is free of debt (as in student loans, mortgage, car payments, credit card debt). We all have to pay for food and most need to pay electricity.
WOW NATALIE.
Hose splitters…sold out huh?!?
Interesting indeed.
How do hose splitters combat the spread or protect anyone from corona-19? You would think hardware shops, lawn & garden shops or big box stores everywhere would have hose splitters abound but hey…we here in Michigan were forbidden to buy paint for 2 months during our “Stay Home, Stay Safe” emergency order so go figure. Lol!!😏
Such an odd thing, indeed! I guess more people are gardening due to the food shortage? I went to Lowes, Home Depot and Aubuchon. Not a single one in stock!
Walmart had some, hose splitters)and went on clearance too. Dont know about now . But a few weeks ago.
I love a tiny stove. I was just pricing them on Tiny Wood Stoves. That stove heat comes in electric, propane, gas and wood.
It says that she had her couch made custom, So a little more to cost. That front entry, more. That farm sink, more. It is a lovely home.
I finally found one at Home Depot about a week ago. Woohoo! And yes those Tiny Wood Stoves are super neat.
Love it and her style! And she’s very neat and clean. I didn’t catch where she is living, did anyone hear that?
Never mind, brain fog! Just saw it written (Durango)
Nice job!
Congratulations!!! NO debt is an awesome feeling! It’s darling, cute front porch and the loft looks super cozy!
I’m pretty jealous!
A bit of a reality check on costs is houses are not all equal and it’s the details of what’s put into them that really determines the costs.
Things like build quality, craftsmanship, material choices, engineering, customization, technology, advance building options, lifestyles and needs that have to be met, etc. all can significantly effect the price of any home, no matter its size.
Homes are also not all equal, lower cost can mean things like not being able to handle extreme climates and weather as well, requiring more maintenance and repairs, being less comfortable and functional, compromising on having needs met and being able to live the life you want, etc.
Understand, this was built by a custom builder and custom building is one of the more expensive ways to choose to build but it allows the owner to have it optimized to their needs and have more control over what they end up with and what specifically they are paying for in the end.
In the RV industry, you typically won’t see tiny house build quality features like well insulated walls that are over 3 inches thick in anything under $100K and they can go up as high as over $3 million! … Most of the time you’re just paying for how the RV looks and what appliances are included with an RV.
For example, an Airstream Basecamp is just a small 16′ camper but it’s priced around $42K and can’t be used in extreme climates and weather, is just a standard model and isn’t customizable, has much less total space than this home, and will eventually require much more maintenance and repairs to keep it going than this home.
In terms of labor, a typical RV usually requires less than 100 work hours to build, a Air Stream, with all the detailing, making use of every square inch of space, etc. usually takes over 200 work hours but your typical tiny house will be over 800 work hours to well over a 1000 work hours, especially for anything custom built and that is going to be reflected in the pricing… and yet most tiny houses are lower priced than Airstreams…
Yes, there are cheaper tiny homes but also reasons why they’re cheaper… Like not being custom built, being more minimally built, fewer options and features, etc.
Like an RJO from Incredible Tiny Homes can start at just $20K but it’s a more minimal build design that uses less materials, requires less labor to build than their higher priced homes, starts off with standard design that isn’t custom, and starts with fewer and more basic standard features, like no AC, stairs, etc. to help give it that lower starting price.
There are always trade offs, every choice has a consequence and a cost but also different benefits that different people will prioritize differently…
Besides, none of that prevented her from becoming debt free and getting what she wanted out of it… So it still worked out for her and that’s what ultimately matters…
What are the dimensions of the house including the front porch?
Without it it’s 8.5 ft by 12 feet long. Not sure about the deck.
I would like to know how long and wide each area is. How big are the closets? How long and wide is the bathroom? How long and wide is the kitchen? How long and wide is the living area? So many Tiny Houses don’t give you this information. I like to know how much space I have to work with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ5Z6DmOrA8
This one of my favorite tiny houses! It is wonderfully organized and beautifully decorated. I love the sofa design and the hidden kitchen appliances. I love the loft bedroom. What a good idea having an egress window up there–wonder if she also has a rope ladder to hang from it? So much livability in only 12′. It seems much larger. The bathroom is wonderful. I just love this tiny house–and her little dogs, too