Caitlin wanted to build her own home — and her dad, a carpenter, was all in. Starting in 2014, they spent about three years crafting an off-grid tiny house on a 24-foot trailer. She found land next to the build site, towed the house up a dirt “road” with a small bulldozer, and settled in. Materials came together over time (she didn’t keep perfect books), but the whole project landed around $30,000–$40,000. Eight years later, she’s still there: a huge covered porch, sweeping views, and a house full of Caitlin and her dad’s woodwork.
Caitlin’s DIY off-grid tiny house with a huge covered porch on a wooded hillside. Video still: Tiny House Giant Journey.
Allison Williams and her family sold a modest Portland house so Dad could stay home. They bought land in Port Angeles, Washington, and a tiny house on wheels — and spent nearly eight years mortgage-free. Their daughter grew up in 290 square feet. She’s becoming a teen now and outgrowing her spaces, so they’re selling the tiny house. The land already sold separately, to someone who already has a tiny house of their own.
The 8 × 26 ft tiny house on wheels in Port Angeles, with the ground-mounted solar array off to the side. Photo: Allison Williams.
In the Czech Republic, a family company is taking retired refrigerated semi-trailers — the thick-walled “reefers” that once hauled cold groceries — and turning them into roughly 32 m² (about 344 sq ft) tiny homes and multipurpose spaces. SEFR Home’s base model starts from around 800,000 CZK excluding VAT (about $35,000 USD), with build and delivery typically in 4–6 weeks from contract. That’s a serious shell, serious insulation, and a price that lands closer to a used car than a custom THOW.
Finished look: a modern white SEFR Home tiny house on wheels with solar, deck, and firewood storage under the platform. Render courtesy of SEFR Home.
Solarpunk Steve recently shared some exciting news: he has won a government contract to build a massive solar-powered trailer for a county emergency management department. This project represents a major step forward for Steve, who is documenting the entire build journey daily on his YouTube channel.
Nixie’s off-grid tiny house sits in a magical woodland setting overlooking a pond filled with lily pads and little creatures. Incredibly, her “remote” parking spot in rural Queensland is only 15 minutes from town, allowing her all the joys of nature while still having access to the conveniences of 2024. After a stint of skoolie life with a friend, Nixie realized she didn’t need all her stuff! So she decided to downsize.
She knew exactly what she wanted from a home, and that was a white, minimalist space with plenty of room for all her plants! Working with a builder, she was able to make her dreams come to life! Enjoy the tour of her sleek space below.
Patrick spent ten years building a Tumbleweed tiny house around a full-time job — nights, weekends, Tumbleweed plans, a trailer, and a lot of reclaimed materials. The whole build came in under $30,000.
Then he bought his own land and didn’t stop at the house. He put up a small workshop first, then joined the two with a cedar deck so living and making share one setup. Let’s take a closer look.
Patrick’s Tumbleweed tiny house joined to a workshop by a cedar deck, with solar on both roofs. Video still: Tiny House Giant Journey.
This one-of-a-kind Cedar and metal tiny home was built by Drew, a creative and driven designer with a passion for sustainable living in style. Most of the materials were reclaimed from a variety of resources and recycled into ideal use. It’s fully solar-powered by a 1200 watt Renogy system, three 170 amp-hour Lithium Iron batteries, and a 3000-watt inverter/charger.
The interior is laid out like a luxury suite with healthy plants adorning the walls, operatable skylights to brighten the space, and custom artwork for a unique touch. The functional bathroom holds a toilet and full shower with a high-efficiency head and dampener valve. The kitchen has abundant storage with an induction cooktop and built-in wall oven aside from a gorgeous 24×48 tile for the backsplash.
The most outstanding feature of this DIY build is the seamless drop-down deck and fold-out awning. Drew can have a beautiful porch with shaded seats and endless views in a matter of minutes!
This is the story of Route Del Sol, an all-electric, solar-powered motorhome. This DIY motorhome build is very likely the most powerful solar-powered campervan in the world today and this is how it came to be.
Since that very first exchange with the ticket booth operator, I have grown much better at explaining just what it is I am driving. In the most technical way possible (for me) I exclaim that, “this is a fully electric 2010 International EStar, it’s an ex-Pacific Gas & Electric owned cargo van converted into a DIY solar-powered electric campervan.”
The Ark Tiny House by Willowbee Tiny Homes was a modern, solar-ready tiny home on wheels known for its double lofts, large kitchen, spa-style bathroom, skylight, and bright interior filled with natural light. The model shown here is the 26’ version, upgraded with premium finishes that brought the total cost to about $89,000 (base pricing originally started around $65,000). It was also produced in 28’ and 30’ lengths.
