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Working Less After Building Their Tiny House

on June 25, 2021

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Ashley and Chad spent one year taking their dreams of tiny living and bringing them to life building their very own DIY THOW. Now the couple is expecting a baby, and planning to continue their sustainable, mortgage-free life as a family of three!

They had a budget of $35K for the build, and came in spending about $40K for their 28-foot home on wheels. They did try to use second-hand and repurposed materials as much as possible, and designed the interior with a retro 70s flair. Neither of them had any building experience, so YouTube University taught them everything!

Right now they are parked on some farmland in British Columbia, and they talked to us about their tiny life below. Also, there’s a video tour from their YouTube channel you can enjoy.

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Chad, Ashley & Baby-On-The-Way Living Tiny in B.C.

They have a loft bedroom accessible via stairs.

There is a ‘net room’ above their kitchen table/living space.

A better view of the storage around the loft (and their cat).

The table transforms into a couch bed.

Bathroom, complete with a composting toilet.

The couple and their dog.

Here are some construction pictures!

Groovy paint work!

Stairs going in…

Exterior getting done!

Interview w/ Ashley:

Where are you from?

Vancouver Island

How did you first become seriously interested in tiny homes?

We knew we didn’t want to be house broke, and we had been watching tons of the tiny house tour shows. It inspired us to give it a try!

What type of tiny house do you have or are you working on?

We live in a 28’ tiny house on wheels

Why did you go tiny? What are you hoping to get out of it for yourself?

Living tiny means we can afford to work less and enjoy the outdoors more!

How long did it take you to finish your tiny house?

Chad built it himself in about 1 year. There are always little things to work on or touch up, but we moved in at the 1 year mark!

Did you do it yourself? Who helped? How much did it end up costing you to build it?

Chad learned everything he mostly needed to know from what we like to call YouTube university! We did hire a professional to run our gas and water lines. Overall not including his labour/time we approximate the house to have cost us $40,000.

How did you figure out where to put it? Do you keep it in one place or do you move around?

We put an ad out looking for a farm or large property who would be interested in sharing some of their space with us. We plan on staying here at least 3 years now. We are expecting our first child who will join the tiny house movement with us!

What’s been the most challenging part about your tiny house so far?

Definitely learning how to build a house with little to no experience. A lot of things seem to be trial and error!

What benefits are you experiencing from it so far?

We have already saved so much money! We can live off 1 income because our cost of living is much lower.

What helpful piece of advice would you give to others who are interested in going tiny? What mistakes could you help them avoid?

If your thinking of going tiny just remind yourself you don’t need all that stuff you’ve had for years. You won’t miss it once it’s gone I promise! Talk to everyone in the tiny house community, join Facebook groups and read blogs. It’s not to find one right answer but there are enough people out there who can give you some advice and lead you in the right direction

VIDEO: Tiny House Tour #3

Highlights:

  • Took one year to build and move in
  • Budget was $35,000 (they spent about $40k)
  • Trailer cost $12,000
  • Used as much second-hand materials as possible
  • 28 foot trailer
  • Located in Peachland, British Columbia
  • Mortgage-free
  • Sustainable living

Learn more:

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Natalie C. McKee

Natalie C. McKee is a contributor for Tiny House Talk and the Tiny House Newsletter. She's a wife, and mama of three little kids. She and her family are homesteaders with sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and quail on their happy little acre.

Latest posts by Natalie C. McKee (see all)

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