Tours
17-year-old builds his very own rustic style English tiny house for under $7,500 to stay debt-free
I can’t believe how great it turned out.
D.G. Sciortino
07.05.20

Many people never act on their dreams because they think they are unachievable.

But where there is a will, there is a way.

Those who make their dreams come true know this and just keep pushing forward until their dream becomes a reality.

Tom’s dream was to have his own home.

Not only to have his own home but to build his home, including the plumbing and electrical components.

And the 17-year-old from Bristol, England did just that with Β£6,000 (or $7,452) and his own two hands. It sits atop a trailer that is parked on his grandparent’s land.

Now at 20-years-old and a full-fledged carpenter, he is living debt-free in his very own home.

Tom said he was inspired to build the house because: “I just thought problems with the housing prices and also I just want my own freedom to go out and just build what I want to build.”

Tom was working as a building apprentice so he was learning the skills he needed to start building his own home. He bought his materials, most of which were recycled and reclaimed to save on costs.

While small, the home has a charming rustic look, is totally practical, and contains all the things one needs in a tiny home.

“The fact that he was able to construct this home for only Β£6,000 is absolutely remarkable. Now at only 20 years old, his home is complete and Tom owns his first home completely debt-free. An astounding accomplishment!” writes Bryce Langston host of the web series Living Big in a Tiny House.

The whole plan for Tom’s home: keep it simple.

The look of it and the interior is simple.

But building it wasn’t. He said the roof was definitely the hardest part.

The home also had to be built 5 meters by 2.5 meters so it could be travel and fit England’s narrow road regulations.

The home is powered by solar panels and uses water collected from rain.

It’s built from reclaimed timber from pallets, Tom’s jobs, and local businesses like a scaffolding company. Tom would just sand and varnish them until they were fit to be put in his new home.

The front of the home has a cute little deck with enough space to fit two chairs and a small table.

From the from of the house you can see a double window, the small window in the loft, and a glass-enclosed double door.

When you walk in the home you’ll look to the right and find a window on the far wall. It’s surrounded by photos and other decor. Just before that there’s a full-sized couch which Tom hopes to one day convert into a couch that hides away some storage.

Across from that is a wall-mounted TV and next to that in a small corner table that hides a storage box underneath it.

On top of the table is a small fireplace that is used to heat the home.

There are lights on the vaulted ceiling to illuminate the home. On the other side of the couch is a floating benchtop that folds down. It’s big enough to seat one or two and is used as a dining table and workspace.

The opposite side of the house includes the kitchen.

The kitchen houses a gorgeous wooden countertop with a full-sized sink that has a window over it.

There’s a toaster oven, hot plate, and tiny fridge to hold and cook food.

Off of the kitchen is a slim bathroom door partitioned off with a curtain.

The bathroom has a chemical toilet with an electric water flush and a shower made from corrugated sheet iron.

The shower is powered by a 60-liter water heating tank that’s stored under the kitchen. That will get you about a 4-minute shower to clean what’s important.

Above the kitchen is the loft which is accessible by a fold-down ladder that works via a pulley system.

The loft has a double mattress and a tiny window so it has some light and doesn’t get too hot up there.

“It just feels very special honest because everything in there I put my blood sweat and tears into making,” Tom says. “Yeah, it’s been challenging at points. Sometimes I wanted to give up but now I finally achieved it. I love going in there and just looking around and I’ve actually built all of this in here and it’s all mine.”

Take a tour of Tom’s tiny house in the video below.

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