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Architect Macy Miller had a big idea: Build a tiny house.
After dealing with a messy foreclosure, the 30-year-old sought a way to have a place of her own while avoiding the mortgage trap. Her solution: Build a micro home.
"I wanted a way to escape dependency on banks without being a 'renter,'" the Idaho resident told Yahoo in an email. "I like having my own space to make my own, which is difficult to do without taking out a large mortgage."
Miller began to build a 196-square-foot house in 2011, right on a flatbed truck. The cost: $11,400. The handy Miller did most of the work herself, with advice from her friends and father as needed.
The space itself has a surprising number of amenities. There's a king-size bed, an oversize shower, a fully-functioning kitchen, including a double-basin sink, oven, and stove, plus a living room area with seating for two, a washer and dryer — and plenty of storage.
There's another upside: cheap living. Noting that expenses amount to only about $250 a month, Miller said she is able to live — and save — in her tiny home until she builds her next, slightly bigger, small home.
"It will afford me a way to work much less and spend more time with my daughter," Miller said. In a few years, Miller hopes to build a 600-square-foot cabin in the woods. "I have a plan in the works for a different kind of sustainable small home."
After dealing with a messy foreclosure, the 30-year-old sought a way to have a place of her own while avoiding the mortgage trap. Her solution: Build a micro home.
"I wanted a way to escape dependency on banks without being a 'renter,'" the Idaho resident told Yahoo in an email. "I like having my own space to make my own, which is difficult to do without taking out a large mortgage."
Miller began to build a 196-square-foot house in 2011, right on a flatbed truck. The cost: $11,400. The handy Miller did most of the work herself, with advice from her friends and father as needed.
The space itself has a surprising number of amenities. There's a king-size bed, an oversize shower, a fully-functioning kitchen, including a double-basin sink, oven, and stove, plus a living room area with seating for two, a washer and dryer — and plenty of storage.
There's another upside: cheap living. Noting that expenses amount to only about $250 a month, Miller said she is able to live — and save — in her tiny home until she builds her next, slightly bigger, small home.
"It will afford me a way to work much less and spend more time with my daughter," Miller said. In a few years, Miller hopes to build a 600-square-foot cabin in the woods. "I have a plan in the works for a different kind of sustainable small home."