This $38K DIY Tiny House Is a Lovely and Affordable Dwelling Made With Reused Materials

Many of us are tired of living in the concrete jungle where the air is polluted, and the traffic is horrible. But buying a house that has some land at this time can be quite expensive and unattainable. For this reason, many people choose to go tiny and discover a new lifestyle.

Sonja and Tim are a young couple who decided that tiny living and building a house by themselves is the right choice. The couple is not unfamiliar with the tiny living concept as they used to live in a van and a camper.

The home is located in Northern Colorado and is parked on an old farm. It measures 8.5 ft (2.6 m) in width, 13 ft (3.9 m) in height, and 32 ft (9.7 m) in length. The front of the house has a small 4 ft (1.2 m) by 8 ft (2.4 m) deck with a little step made of a log. The exterior is made of aluminum cladding, which is easy to assemble but also wallet-friendly. We find nine 300-watt solar panels on the roof that power up all the electronics. At the rear end of the dwelling, we can also see a shed area where all the camping gear and other knick-knacks are stored. But also the off-grid electronics comprised of batteries, a 6,000-watt inverter, and a charge controller.

The entrance is made of wood and not aluminum to make it look more homey. Stepping inside, we are greeted by a bright and woody aesthetic. The interior of the house measures around 250 sq ft (23.2 sq m) in total.

Right at the entrance, we find an itsy-bitsy living room and a kitchen in an open-concept design. The lounge area is not so unique as it only comes with a bench sofa and a large wardrobe. But this side of the house is mainly used to entertain the guests or read some books.

The kitchen, however, is spacious, functional, and stunning. The open shelves with the little metal hooks and LEDs nicely combine the new with the vintage design. Since there aren't any upper cabinets, the whole area feels more roomy and less cramped. At the same time, storage isn't missing, as the shelving and the base cabinets offer just enough to fit most of the appliances and tableware you would find in any traditional house. The magnetic spice and knife racks were a great idea both aesthetically but also functionally.

In this kitchen, we can find a large double-bowl sink, a retro gas range, a dishwasher, and a fridge. The backsplash has a lovely river-style design, which adds a splash of color where it was greatly needed. On the other side, the couple added a dinette area with a bar top and two chairs. This table also doubles as extra counter space.

This house comes with lots of windows placed everywhere around, which is great for plenty of natural light to access the interior and for the lovely green plants.

Next in line is the bathroom which is separated by a giant barn door. To access it, you have to kick a tiny foldable step. It has a simple layout, but we can find everything necessary to be called a full bath. On one side is the laundry area with a washing machine, a butcher block countertop, open cubbies, a cabinet carved inside the shed's wall, and shelves. On the other side are the corrugated metal shower cabin, a mirror, and a composting toilet. The floor has two distinct designs. The shower side is made of rocks from their adventures. The rest of the bath has a ground made of a worldwide collection of pennies and dimes with an epoxy finish.

The bedroom was placed on the other side of the tiny home. Although it is a loft bedroom, it has enough headroom space to walk straight. To access it, you would have to climb two stairsteps that have storage inside. It comes with a large skylight, a dog's bed, a tiny nightstand, and a queen-size bed that can lift and allows more things to be stored underneath.

The couple spent three months to build the house, and it ended up costing around $38,000. The dwelling itself was about $30,000, and the off-grid system $8,000. Half of the items used to create this tiny house were reused or found, keeping the price so low. They pay $650 monthly to rent the area, including the water hookup. The farm is close enough, so they don't have to travel a lot to go to school, but far enough to have excellent views and lots of outdoor space.