Would you move into a shed and share a single bathroom with your four children? Well, Kelly and Beau Brotherton did and it suits them just fine.
Converting a 16′ x 48′ shed into a cozy home has allowed them to work toward their goal of being debt-free in their 30s.
In addition to building their home on 7 acres of raw land, they also turned that land into a self-sufficient farm. And they did it all without financing to evade debt.
The couple was living in the Houston suburbs and decided to move to Central Texas to achieve financial freedom.
That meant going from living in a 2,000 sq. ft. home to a converted shed that was less than 1,000 sq. ft.
The family, however, gained 7 acres of land where they use permaculture to grow a food forest, raise animals, and plant a garden they hope will produce 80 percent of their own food in addition to bringing in income.
Their shed was dropped off right on their property and served as the bones of their home.
They had to frame it and put up walls, ceiling, and flooring.
The kitchen was designed using a floor plan from Ikea. The Brotherton kitchen boasts full-sized appliances and generous counter and cabinet space.
There are also hanging shelves for extra storage. The kitchen was completed in pieces to avoid having to finance the projects.
The Brothertons built a kitchen island that doubles as the kitchen table from a cabinet from Home Depot.
At the time it seated four and the family planned to install a folding leaf to create seating for four more.
The kitchen opens up into a living room where there is an L-shaped couch that fits the whole family.
A projector screen comes down from the ceiling so that the family can watch movies.
A fold-down secretary’s desk is being used as their home office where they have their homeschooling documents and items to conduct business.
There are two lofts on either side of the ceiling, one is for the boys and the other is for the girls.
The bathroom has a very large IKEA sink with double faucets.
Kelly tiled the bathroom floor herself. On the other side of the kitchen is the master bedroom.
It’s sectioned off with a pocket door. The bedroom boasts a decent-sized closet that mostly holds winter clothes.
Their bed has lots of storage space underneath it.
There are steps and a porch with tons of storage underneath that leads to the home’s front door.
The home is hooked up to an electricity grid but they hope to transfer to solar in the future.
They also get co-op water and are hooked up to the municipal sewer system.
The family plans to build additional units but will do so over time to avoid financing and getting into debt.
The laundry room is in a closed space that was built off of the back deck. The backyard has massive storage tanks that hold 5,000 gallons of rainwater, which is used for the garden and animals.
The family says that they were able to spend less money on living on this property than they did in the suburbs by doing a lot of the work themselves and doing it in pieces.
The family says they wish they built a better foundation for the house instead of having it raised on blocks.
They expect to be able to profit from their garden in about five years.
Watch the video below to get a closer look at this shed turned into an incredible home!
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