Building a Tiny House With No Experience

Simplify
by Simplify

Carina is embracing the minimalist, tiny house trend. She started building a tiny house when she didn’t want to rent anymore. She didn’t have the money to buy a house, and didn’t know where she wanted to live. Her DIY tiny house on wheels was a flexible solution.


Carina’s dad pitched in and helped her design and craft her tiny home. It took the pair two years to build the DIY tiny home.

Building a tiny house

Carina explains that she designed her tiny home to have as much open space as possible. Vaulted ceilings make the house feel larger, and large windows, made from recycled materials, let in light and air. Carina’s home is also covered in greenery and flowers, since Carina works as a floral designer, as well as art from Carina’s travels.


The bathroom has a sliding door, a small washing machine, a composting toilet, and the smallest sink that Carina could find. For storage, it’s loaded with custom-built shelves.


Carina is most proud of her kitchen. Not only did she put a lot of thought into the custom kitchen design, the counter is actually made from a piece of wood that Carina found locally. Carina currently has a mini-fridge, but she built a movable countertop, allowing her to upgrade to a large fridge if she chooses.

Because she didn’t want to have to crawl into a loft every night, Carina built her bedroom downstairs. In addition to a bed, it has tons of storage, including drawers under the mattress.


Building a tiny house

Carina explains that she loved building a tiny house. She feels that she knows every inch of it, and that she learned a lot about using different tools. She also loves living in a tiny house. She explains that she loves the size of it. It is her home and a cocoon.


For more tiny home stories, discover this musician's backyard tiny home or how this woman built a tiny house after losing her home in an earthquake.


To see more videos, check out the Exploring Alternatives YouTube channel.

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  • Karen Little Karen Little on Feb 09, 2023

    Very well thought out! Sometimes we get so concerned about making our living spaces so airtight we forget that air circulation is vital to the functioning of our home. I thought I knew a lot about composting toilets, however I didn't realize that there was as much maintenance in operating one as you explained. It makes sense, I just hadn't considered that part of it. Good plan to build in the option of solar power in the future. We all need to consider our use of the resources that are there -- especially those that are "free" to use! The swimming pool in our small town is heated by solar panels.

  • Terri Terri on Oct 03, 2023

    What a fantastic home so smart and adorable

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