Several years ago John Wells bought 40 acres in this West Texas area called Brewster County for $8,000 after selling his mortgaged home in upstate New York. Then he built his own debt-free tiny home within 9 days for only $1600.
As time has gone on he has created his own solar shower, composting toilet, bicycle-powered washing machine, greenhouse, and more. The property now even has an Airstream trailer guest house, office space and additional housing made out of shipping containers, a solar oven, chicken coop, and a water collection system. His tiny house also features a swamp cooler (also known as an evaporative cooler) which he made himself to cool his cabin for next to nothing. John has the ability to store up to 21,000 gallons of water on his property.
“The main reason I came to this area is because there are no building restrictions whatsoever and that’s really hard to find in this country,” says Wells. “I came out here to get away from debt.” John went from a 2800 sq. ft. house with loads of debt to a 128 sq. ft. tiny house with zero debt and lots of self-sufficiency.
Man Builds 128 Sq. Ft. Tiny Home for $1.6k on Land w/ No Codes
Images © Faircompanies
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This 300 sq. ft. barn to tiny cabin conversion in Indiana used to just be a simple storage barn.
Now it’s a gorgeous little cabin with a full kitchen, bathroom, living area, and two lofts.
It’s artistic, functional, and lots of reclaimed materials were used to build it.
Woman’s 300 Sq. Ft. Barn to Tiny Cabin Conversion
Images © Kim Mackey
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This is the story of a little cabin built by one of our readers, Chris Brock who bought 3 acres of land in Virginia back in 2012, and was able to build the cabin with the help of a cousin, who is a builder.
It’s a 24×30 cabin with a loft so there’s 720-sq.-ft. plus the loft. If you include the loft space, it’s about 1060-sq.-ft. of space. Enjoy the full tour and story behind it below!
Please don’t miss other tiny & small house gems like this – join our FREE Tiny House Newsletter for more!
Man’s Small Cabin Project on his Virginia Acreage
Images © Chris Brock
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This 250 sq. ft. tiny guest house in Oakland, California is a guest post by John Olmsted of New Avenue Homes
Travis and Kelly approached New Avenue back in February 2013 to discuss adding an accessory dwelling to the backyard of their Oakland, CA home. This 250 square foot casita is intended as a guesthouse and office.
Construction took about 5 to 6 months and began at the end of 2013. Some challenges to this project included poor access to the backyard, a very sloped lot, and older utilities which lead to a replaced water line. Just as the work came to completion in June 2014, Travis and Kelly adopted a baby. Now they take turns working from home two days a week in their backyard office so they can spend quality time with the newest member of their family.
When family and friends are in town to see the new baby or if Travis and Kelly are entertaining and hosting a get-together, they offer their casita as a small home away from home for overnight guests. It has a fully functioning bathroom and working washer dryer. When the family is away, it serves as a residence for their dog-sitter.
250 Sq. Ft. Tiny House in Oakland, CA Backyard (Guest House)
Images © New Avenue Homes
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I’m happy to be showing you this 400 sq. ft. small cottage designed by Smallworks Studios in Vancouver.
They’re a company focused on building small homes personalized their clients specific needs and I’m personally quite a fan of their work.
A Laneway House is a home built in an alley in the backyard on the current lot of an existing house. In other words, a guest house. They can also be referred to as accessory dwelling units.
Related: Couple Living in 500 Sq. Ft. Small House with Garage
400 Sq. Ft. Small Cottage by Smallworks
Images © SmallWorks
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I had to show you this modern prefab home designed by Stillwater Dwellings even though it’s hardly ‘small’ to people like you and me and definitely not ‘tiny’.
At 1100 sq. ft., it’s plenty spacious for most of us. But maybe if you’re raising a family, planning to, or just living with others this amount of space might be just right. You might need less, you might even need more; only you know. Either way I thought it was well done and worth looking at and gathering inspiration from.
What I love about this one is that unlike many of today’s houses, it doesn’t have two living rooms and a whole lot of other unused/wasted space.
Inside there are two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, and a large kitchen. The entry way is spacious- with a closet- which helps keep everyone’s shoes and coats at bay. Please enjoy the tour below and let me know your thoughts in the comments if you’d like to.
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1100 Sq. Ft. Two Bedroom One Bathroom Modern Prefab Home
Images © Stillwater Dwellings
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If you’re ever looking for a place to stay in Colorado Springs this Victorian style little yellow cottage might be just the right place. I think this might make for a great little anniversary celebration getaway, too.
It’s so much better than a hotel, and you can get a taste of the small house lifestyle in this beautiful little bungalow. It’s a one-level floor plan with a porch and outdoor furniture for your enjoyment outside.
Originally built in 1909, according to the vacation rental listing over at HomeAway, and recently remodeled with inspiration from Paris. Please enjoy!
Related: 215 Sq. Ft. Tiny House in Paris
Beautiful Little Yellow Cottage in Colorado Springs
Images © HomeAway
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I’m excited to introduce you to John Russell and Debbie Hanson. They’re a couple who’ve gone from divorces and 2,000 sq. ft. homes into a DIY 200 sq. ft. tiny house on wheels that they call their Ritz on Wheels. It cost them only $15,000 in materials to build it themselves and just under a year in labor.
Images © RitzOnWheels
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Right now I’m glad to be showing you the Caboose cabin designed by Wheelhaus. It’s a luxurious 400 sq. ft. cabin with 100 sq. ft. front porch measuring 12′ x 34′.
Wheelhaus focuses on designing and building Park Model homes small in size but big on quality and durability with a growing line of models to choose from and a resort in Wyoming for you to try before you by if you want to.
This is a Park Model rolling cabin (on wheels) which means it is mobile. Please enjoy and re-share below if you’d like to.
Related: The Wedge: A 400 Sq. Ft. Rolling Cabin by Wheelhaus
400 Sq. Ft. Caboose Cabin by Wheelhaus
Images © Wheelhaus
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