AS tiny homes gain traction across the country, one influencer has revealed how she built a stylish miniature house for under $30,000.
With inflation still remaining stubbornly high, more Americans are buying and building tiny homes as they embrace a more minimalist and affordable lifestyle.
TikToker @AlexaBMurray is one tiny home enthusiast, and she shared her process of building a low-cost customized tiny home built perfectly for her.
In a recent video, Alexa offered her more than 80,000 followers the full story on her tiny home life.
“Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to live in a tiny, cozy woodland cottage, work in my garden and be with my rescued animals and live a carefree, simple life,” Alexa said, while showing off an adorable lamb she lives with.
Despite Alexa’s long held hope to live this type of lifestyle, she said there have been countless obstacles in the way of getting there.
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“Unfortunately, getting to the simple life just isn’t that simple,” she said.
With the housing market set at record highs and even tiny houses boasting price ranges of $100,000 or more, Alexa knew she had to get creative.
“That was totally outside my budget,” Alexa said.
Alexa’s master plan? Turn an old RV into her dream tiny cottage.
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While Alexa specifically set her budget for $30,000, she told viewers they too could create their own tiny home for far less money.
The process has been far worth it, as Alexa reaps the benefits of a low-cost lifestyle.
“My expenses are low, I have an adorable home, and I can wake up every day surrounded by nature and my animals,” Alexa explained.
The TikToker offered a message of hope for those who are considering jumping into the tiny home lifestyle themselves.
“If you’ve been dreaming of a tiny house but you don’t have the money for one, consider going the DIY route and create a tiny home from an existing structure.”
Existing structures that can easily be transformed include RVs and sheds, which are often lying on your or family and friends’ properties already.
HOW TO GET STARTED
While each tiny home building process will be different, there are certain steps you should follow if you aspire to have a tiny cottage for cheap like Alexa.
First, consider if you want to purchase brand new or instead design your new home yourself.
Home Depot regularly sells pre-designed tiny homes as sheds or RVs.
These spaces can provide you the ease of quick home delivery without having to worry about each specific design choice for your new home.
Generally, even with these types of sheds on sale, you’ll be responsible for adding all the required plumbing and electrical services to make your new home livable.
You’ll also need to ensure you have a space to put your tiny home.
This means you’ll likely need to search for land for rent.
Spaces are routinely put up for auction on sites like Facebook Marketplace.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Whether you’re choosing a tiny house, cabin, RV or shed, you will need to make sure you’re following all the legal requirements for your specific state and area.
Depending on where you live and its zoning laws, your state might prohibit small homes from existing on another house’s plot of land.
And even if you own an RV tiny home, you might not be able to keep it in one location for more than a specific period of time.
For instance, college graduate Brianna O'Brien said her plan to save money by moving into a tiny house on her parents' land in New Hampshire ended with her receiving an eviction.
She bought the cozy RV home off Facebook Marketplace in September 2018 for just $29,000.
Brianna hoped to get the home properly zoned with her local zoning board, but it quickly became a complicated ordeal.
So, instead, she parked it on her family’s property, hidden mostly by bushes.
But six months later, she received an eviction notice.
A neighbor had spotted the house and alerted the zoning board, who told Brianna that her tiny home didn't adhere to local zoning codes.
Local governments tend to view tiny houses as RVs, so they cannot be parked legally in most places for more than a short period of time.
Zoning boards regularly decide that tiny homes decrease property values, which is partly why they’ve failed to become prevalent across the United States.
GROWING TREND
Despite the potential legal concerns, tiny homes have seen an uptick in popularity across the country.
Many influencer home gurus are now showing their life behind the scenes in these tiny spaces.
One couple bought an $89,000 tiny home on wheels – while the price was hefty, the space now pays for their entire mortgage.
Couple Kristina and Steph, who run the TikTok account @OpenHouseAustin, purchased the small-scale house for $89,000, but they could entirely finance it with an RV loan.
The tiny home came with a small deck, fridge, microwave, and stove.
The less than 400 square-foot space also boasts a bedroom, a bathroom, and a loft space.
This puts it far smaller than the average one-bedroom apartment in the United States.
According to the National Multifamily Housing Council, a typical American one-bedroom apartment is 757 square feet.
A family of four also lives in a tiny home across the country for just $36,000.
@TheTravelingTitans on TikTok, have detailed their lifestyle living outside the box with two children.
Parents Sam and Blake said the whole family is able to travel while living out of their RV, and the choice has saved them from having to make any monthly mortgage payments.
The Heartland Travel Trailer RV includes nearly everything a family of four could want.
The unit is listed as capable of sleeping eight to 10 people and comes with a queen master bed and a set of full-size bunks.
The family can also enjoy the unit’s electric awning, gas/electric water heater, TV, Wi-Fi, outdoor speakers, and LED ceiling lights.
The RV unit even comes with a spacious living room area, with a fully enclosed couch and TV.
Divorced mom Jill Kanto also thought a smaller home would provide her family some much needed financial security.
After acquiring a $25,000 loan from her mother, Jill purchased a 238-square-foot tiny house.
"It took me about two weeks to [click] the submit button because I was so afraid of taking this on and not being able to finish it or just coming out with a terrible end product," she said.
She then used the website Nextdoor to find the plot of land to place her new home on.
Today, she has no regrets, as the family’s utility bills have been reduced by almost 70 percent and their quality of life has never been better.
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Another influencer revealed how he built an entire tiny home in the woods as well, and all it cost was $19,000.
An even more affordable option is Walmart’s $3,300 tiny home, and it even comes with free delivery.
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