5 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON A DIY TINY HOUSE BUILD
Mariah Hoffman
Photo: A very tired builder
One of the questions I often get asked is how much it costs to build a tiny house. People are usually surprised to hear that I built my home for under 13k. But what one has to remember is that that cost does not included my sweat equity (5 years of my time and physical efforts).
The reality is, the cost of a tiny house can vary tremendously depending on different factors (i.e. hiring a custom builder, buying one pre-made, types of fixtures/ appliances etc.) Since my build was a paycheck to paycheck project, I looked to find ways to save money at every turn. If you are seriously considering building your own tiny house on wheels, below are 5 ways to save some costs.
5 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON A DIY TINY HOUSE BUILD
1. DONATED, USED , OR RENTED TOOLS
Tools can be one of the biggest initial expenses when it comes to a tiny house build, especially if you are new to building. I remember gawking at the prices of the nice drills and even batteries that accompany them. When you first start out, instead of buying all brand new tools, first ask around and see if anyone is willing to lend or donate to your project. Eventually down the line it will be worth investing in good quality tools (typically you get what you pay for when it comes to tool prices). When I first started out, I didn’t have hundreds to spare to invest in tools. So I put up a flyer at my local Maker space that I frequented describing my project/ need. Sure enough someone had a spare drill, someone else a table saw etc. You can also rent certain tools for specific jobs if need be from the hardware store. Again regardless of if the tool is new or used, it’s important to know that your equipment is in good working condition and is safe to use. If you are super new and have never used basic tools before, I recommend taking a tool basics workshop at your local maker space or the like. Safety first!
2. MAKER/ CO-WORK SPACES
After breaking down our personal relationship to home, we can start to re-imagine what our ideal life would look like. THEN we start to see how this lifestyle informs what type of dwelling or tiny house and specifics when it comes to design features. If your ideal life looks like being on the road 24/7, maybe a van-life journey is more relevant for you?
Photo: @maketory
3. RESTORE
Have you ever heard of the Re-store? As an off-shoot of Habitat for Humanity, the ReStore sells new, used, and donated building materials. Often their products come from excess of new home developments. This is a great place to get things like windows. doors, furniture, tile, hardware…you name it! Whatever they have in stock is on the floor, so I recommend going ready with a truck if your looking for larger items. Recently they have been using Instagram stories to share what items they have in store, which is great to scan periodically if you’re looking for a certain type of item. You can do a quick search here to find out if your city has a Restore.
Phote: @Restore
4. BUY IN BULK
This one might be kind of obvious. But especially with the recent increase in material costs, this is can be make or break. How do you know when to buy materials in bulk? If you’re working from a purchased plan set, you might already have a materials or cut list. In my case, I was using a working Sketchup model of my tiny house. I used this 3D rendering to plan my materials list project by project (for example, I could measure exactly how many sheets of ply I would need to wrap my house).
5. WORK PARTIES
Friends and family can be a great resource during your build. But the key to having a productive and efficient “work party” is allowing others to feel a part of the process. If you bring people in to help with a project, keep the task simple and have all your materials prepped and ready. Also, beers and snacks at the end of the day also help :) Pro-tip: Try and bring in specific friends with specific skill sets to help at certain times. This will help prevent you from burning out and exhausting your network. For example, I called on my homegirl Elena, a maker, woodworker, mama, and hardware guru to help me design/ install my custom door handle (see below).
Of course, this list is non-exhaustive and there’s plenty more hacks or tricks than can be added. What else would you add to this list?!