Anyone who’s been to college will know just how much it costs. Not only are you shelling out for education, but accommodation is essential if you’re studying anywhere further than 30 miles from home. For what they are, student digs really shouldn’t be so expensive, but many of us felt that it was that or nothing.
But not everyone agreed. One college couple decided that student accommodation wasn’t for them, and they built their own tiny home by hand – ending up with no mortgage to pay at all!
Nicolette and Michael are a young couple with big ambitions. Nicolette had been dreaming of building her own tiny house for the last 6 years, even before she met Michael. When she became his girlfriend, she suggested the idea to him, and after a bit of “warming up”, he came round to it.
Despite having no idea what they were doing, the couple knew it would be a learning experience. So they dived in in the deep end and started the construction using YouTube videos for guidance.
The project took 7 months from start to finish, and for the last two months, both quit their jobs to spend up to 16 hours per day on the big job at hand.
As 28 feet long, 13.5 feet tall and 8.5 feet wide, the tiny house is built on a trailer with two 7,000 lb axels, and is made partially from metal and partially from T1-11 board. In a video shared to YouTube, the happy couple give a whole tour of their new home, and it certainly is something special.
On the outside of the house, big windows provide the home with plenty of light, especially at the far end of the house, where there’s a jutting-out portion of the structure that’s known as Nicolette’s “reading nook”.
Inside the house, the first stop of the tour is the kitchen. They haven’t compromised on space in here, with a full-sized fridge to cater to their vegan appetites and an open-shelf pantry to allow them to easily see what they have in. There’s also a full-size range with a big oven and a kitchenette with a sink.
Moving on, the next room in the couple’s tiny house is their bathroom, separated from the rest of the home with a sliding barnyard door the couple built themselves. It’s small and modern, with a composting toilet that has to be cleaned regularly – though Nicolette seems surprisingly unbothered about the chore!
Further on into the home is Nicolette’s home office setup, complete with a large desk and office chair. Michael also has his own desk, with a gaming chair and two-screen monitor.
Behind their office space is the living area with a pull-out flat-screen TV that can be viewed from all around the house. There’s also a cozy fireplace, an open closet, and Nicolette’s reading nook.
The loft area of the house is where Nicolette and Michael sleep at night, on a full-size mattress. There’s limited space in there, but it feels nice and open and airy, with long windows on either side of the bed and whitewashed walls.
Living in a tiny house isn’t all fun, though. Nicolette mentions that the couple have experienced mold problems, as their home didn’t have enough circulation. Luckily, they fixed the issue by installing dehumidifiers for $50 each.
Would you be able to live in a tiny house like Nicolette and Michael? It’s definitely tempting when mortgage is considered! You can check out the video of the couple’s tiny house tour just below.
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