About Tiny House on the Farm

“It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” - Robert Heinlein

Hi, I’m Kate, and I’m going to be documenting my journey building my own house… from scratch.

Why a tiny house?

After I graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Computer Science, I worked in Washington, D.C. for two years, first as a data analyst, then as a web developer. About six months ago, I started feeling secure in my career, but rather than feeling relieved, I felt purposeless. So much of my life had revolved around building a solid future for myself, to get into a good college, to get a good job. But I had a good job - what was next?

I had heard about tiny houses and was intrigued at the freedom that they would provide. They’re incredibly cheap if you build them yourself, so you gain a significant amount of financial freedom, and if they’re built on a trailer bed, as mine will be, you have the freedom to pick up and move if you wish.

I’m still not sure what the “next thing” is, but in the meantime, I’ll be gaining some useful skills by embarking on this house building project. I’ll also be working part time on my family’s organic farm, and my dad (pictured above) has agreed to help me with the build!

How are you going to build it?

I chose to go with the Cypress 18’ house plan from Tumbleweed Tiny Houses.

There’s a loft bedroom, a small kitchen and bathroom, and an open living room. I chose to go with dormer windows for the loft to get some extra space, and also a skylight.

How long will this take and how much does it cost?

I estimate it should take about 4 months and $25,000 based on what previous builders have said, but we’ll see if those estimates are correct!