Don’t get me wrong. Some people might find that having $65,000 at their disposal is not considered “limited”. But it is limited to me because the tiny house model that I wanted to build in February 2017 was $10-15k more.
I knew right from the start that I wouldn’t be able to build a tiny house on my own. My family members in the Philippines are far away and my Melbourne-based friends are not the DIY-builder types so I didn’t really have anyone to help me. I wanted to be mortgage-free but I had limited budget. So these were the things I did to make it happen.
Build a Miniature model
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I drew inspiration from many tiny houses on wheels I found on the Internet and rented on AirBnB, and from there I built a scaled-down model out of cardboards. It would make explaining to the builder what I wanted if I could show them a model.
Attend a Tiny house building workshop
I attended a tiny house building workshop so I could learn the ins and outs of tiny house building and gain skills using power tools.
Find Builders
I looked for builders around my area (Victoria, Australia) through online resources and referrals by friends. When that didn’t work, I expanded my search further away (Tasmania, New South Wales). I called a builder in NSW whose website had tiny house models and price ranges and told him “I want your $75k model but my budget is $60k. I don’t want you to include cabinets above the sink, no bathroom fixtures except for a shower, no interior painting, no solar panels but must be off-grid ready. I want to be part of the build. I want to do this, and that, on my own.“ He said, “If your budget is limited, why don’t you get a loan?” I said “But that’s missing the point. I want to be mortgage-free.” “Come to the build site and let’s talk,” he replied.
Inspect the build site
I checked out the site and was satisfied to see they were building several tiny houses on wheels. They’re a team. Yay to that!
Negotiate
We proceeded to customise the model I wanted using a 3D software. I had to change some of my original ideas so we could agree on fair terms. I was happy that we could customise right there and then. I hired my builder because he said Yes to my unique interior layout and said No to my out-of-budget ideas.
Read the contract carefully before signing
After going through the contract back and forth for several days or weeks, I signed it. I agreed to pay the builder $65k excluding delivery.
Get involved
It took 2 months for the trailer to arrive at the build site. I went to NSW again to inspect it. At that time the builder only had one shed so I had to wait for another month before they could start on my tiny house. The actual build took around 10 weeks and I travelled to the build site during the first and last weeks to help out. I oiled the cedar sidings and attached the ply boards to the trailer and the lofts using power tools heavier than me! I made a compost toilet and converted a salad bowl into a vanity sink. My sister flew all the way from Qatar to Australia to help me paint the interior walls and oil the kitchen counter and stairs.
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I spent an additional $5k+ to complete the tiny house, including travel and accommodation costs while I was in the build site. But it was so worth it – the experience to build something amazing using my own tiny hands!
Leaving the difficult parts to the pros made the entire build stress-free and fast.
While this was all happening, I also started to search for a liveable place where I could park Tiny MissDolly on Wheels. That was the stressful part. That story will be next on the blog so stay tuned!