Most tiny house builders have simplicity in mind but few take it to the lengths that Jenine Alexander did when she built her 128 square foot home in 2009. Using Craigslist to gather building materials, Jenine built a beautiful, cozy home for less than $3,500!
After three years of traveling on her bike, Jenine dreamed of having a place to call her own. To avoid sky-high real estate and land prices, she rolled up her sleeves and got online. Jenine built herself a cozy home with very little impact on her wallet or the environment by using determination, creativity, and a Craigslist account.
Yup, Craigslist. Other than screws, hinges and other fasteners, all materials she found free or cheap, used or salvaged, primarily through Craigslist.
Unable to find used plywood for sale, Jenine built her house frame out of fir she salvaged from an old chicken coop. Quaint double-pane windows, found used, let California sunlight stream into her charming home. Refrigerator insulation, salvaged via Craigslist, keeps the house warm. The beams in the house’s ceiling she picked up from a man who, once he heard about the project, offered her flooring as well.
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The story of how she built her tiny house for only $3,500 (seriously)
Photo Courtesy of Nicolas Boullosa and Faircompanies on Flickr
Jenine enthuses about waking up in a house she’s built with her own two hands.
Every nook and cranny in this DIY tiny house has a story for her – where she got the materials, the people she met along the way, how her plans changed as she built and what she hopes to improve upon in the future.
Picking up pieces here and there, choosing used and salvaged over new, Jenine built a cozy home with simple luxuries for less than the average American spends each year on mortgage payments alone. Her tiny house boasts granite countertops; a wide wall of spices in labeled glass jars; a stove and baking oven; a roof that pops up like a big skylight; and a loft with lots of possibilities.
Photo Courtesy of Nicolas Boullosa and Faircompanies on Flickr
Though not the fanciest of tiny houses, Jenine’s creation feels both comfortable and functional on the inside. The house has comfortably fit nine people, Jenine says, and has two sleeping spaces.
Like most tiny houses made from scratch, Jenine’s home can be altered and designed further. She hopes to tuck mesh racks between the rafters so she can dry her own food and herbs. She wants to make the roof easy to prop open so on warm days she can let the sunlight fully into her home.
Jenine encourages anyone interested to take on building a tiny house, regardless of their budget or construction experience. Diving in is the first step; from there, just stay creative and flexible. All you need is confidence and Craigslist.
Photo Courtesy of Forge Ahead Puppet Productions
Video Tour of Jenine Alexander’s DIY $3500 Tiny House
Length: 6:22
This video is available thanks to Kirsten Dirksen and Nicolas Boullosa of Faircompanies and the Kirsten Dirksen YouTube Channel.
Visit Jenine Alexander at Forge Ahead {BUILDING} Productions.
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Written by Newt Stremple for Tiny House Talk
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Alex
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I got so much pleasure from watching this – Jenine radiates real joy in her achievement in building her own little home and it looks so welcoming and cosy.
what an inspiration! i wonder how tall her house is and if it is street legal. i think that the legal limit for trailers is 13′ tall.
Max tow height most states is 13’6″.
Some allow 14′ on designated roads.
A few allow 14′, Alaska allows 15′.
Some routes are less.
Always check.
Good sources are:
http://drivinglaws.AAA.com/tag/trailer-dimensions
http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/FREIGHT/publications/size_regs_final_rpt/index.htm
they also have gps units you program with your height and propane ect. and it finds a legal route for you!
I love it, I am just wondering about how she did the roof so it opens and if she has any issues with it leaking.
She made sure that there was an overhang on it as well as how she sealed it to prevent water from coming in. All she said she needed to work on was the hinge mechanism as well as the trim on the inside. =)
Oklahoma and Kansas have tornados, just yesterday the flying debris was so bad in Kansas I almost got hit by a scarecrow and tin man lol, tiny built things will not hold up try concrete
I lived in Kansas and Missouri for over 50 years. Never got hit by flying debris. Aamof, numerous friends tried to dissuade me from moving to Florida due to the hurricanes. Go figure. 🙂
THOW’s can survive in Kansas just as easily as anywhere else. Everywhere has risks. Here in hurricane country [St Pete, FL] a group is working on getting a gypsy wagon community up and running.
Meanwhile, you probably won’t find many land giveaways on either coast [both of which have their own risks, anyway.] The midwest is where there is land available. I say, go for it!
A young man with a THOW was living in the area of California devastated by the Camp Fire. He didn’t lose his home because he was able to just hitch it up and tow it out. I lived on the Gulf Coast and when we had to evacuate for hurricanes, we would see people on the road with travel trailers and RVs. You get a warning with a hurricane, so you can haul a THOW to a high and dry area, unlike many people in “solid” full-size houses who return, often, to total destruction and total loss of every thing.
Few states are exempt from strong winds. Travel trailers, semi-trucks and tiny homes are all subject to roll over with strong winds. Kansas has many small homes and many are on a foundation or anchored down. Underground homes survive tornadoes but are at risk for flooding and cave-ins some of which are caused by earthquakes or blasting. All homes are at risk for fire or explosion. If you can acquire some form of hazard insurance, take it to protect your investment. Enjoy what you live in wherever you park yourself.
Very well said. I have felt a little safer in my 100 year old house than I did growing up in a mobile home, but basically for no other reason than it’s made it through all these years. But this place could have been leveled by the tornadoes that hit two nights ago. People we know with very solid houses lost them partially or completely.
Great little home! Gave me lots of ideas. Love the roof. The pillows idea is priceless for me (I live in sweats).
Wow – – – I am so impressed with what this young woman has done!
Love all her ideas. She is a real inspiration. Way to go Jenine!!
Best to you always.
I couldn’t be more impressed. Congratulations Jenine, you really did it and for so little money. If you were my daughter…I would not only be incredibly impressed but proud of what you have accomplished.
Ah-mazing! I often get stalled due to feeling like I won’t have enough money but here you prove that very little is needed indeed. Thank you! I will forge ahead.
She is INSPIRING! When she talks about learning on-the-fly, “If you are open to making mistakes” really resonates with me. One very successful friend of mine told me that he has had so much success because he has been willing to face the specter of failure. He has six thriving ventures, but doesn’t keep track of all the ones that tanked because there are so many.
Olympia has many independent thinking and living women of character and intelligence such as Jenine. But, Jenine is definitely an example the highest qualities to be found in any person. I can hardly wait to see her at the CoOp and tell her what an inspiration she is!
Research carefully for the type of land you want. Many communities will offer free lots with restrictions such as type of home or number of family members. Some of the small communities in central Kansas request school age children for applicants.
Janine’s Tiny Home is the single one that inspired me to actually start building all those years ago (It feels like decades). I was able to use a ton of repurposed/inexpensive stuff in mine, but I cannot match either her costs or her ingenuity. I also have trouble feeling pride in what I’ve accomplished with my own build…she reminds me to accept what I’ve done wrong, what I’ve done right, and just…what I’ve done.
Thanks Alex, for bringing her back into the spotlight.
Parker
Great job! You noted urine odor in your commode … Use just a little vinegar in the tub and you’ll fix that problem. Yes, a LITTLE is all it takes. As with most tiny house projects less is more!
Hello Anna
I saw that you have a trailer you need to have comverted. I’m not sure who you were asking, but I am interested in your project. Please let me know if you’re still in need of help.
Kansas has many small towns offering free building lots. Some communities require a size and cost range on the home to be built while others require families. Other small communities may have other requests. Once you find a list of communities offering free land, contact their chamber or city clerk for info.
This is cute and very comfy looking. Great job to the lady that built it.
Hey
It’s a very amazing. Good job👍