Tiny House Dream: To build or not to build?
Tortoise Shell Home Under Construction
Last year, during our vacation, we met with Bill Kastrinos and toured his Tortoise Shell Nursery. Bill’s unique approach, using steel as a strong, lightweight framing material appealed to us and we were thoroughly impressed with Bill’s sincerity and the quality of his team’s work. So at that time we decided to have him build our tiny home.
If Bill built us a basic model, it would cost around $20,000. But, the model we want with all the additional options would cost about $30,000.
Why so much?
Because we requested a lot of extra goodies in our home like: 2 skylights, pine interior, bamboo flooring, a wood stove, as well as custom cabinets, a stainless steel counter-top, along with a few other items.
Building our own tiny home?
Logan and I have considered diverging from our original plan. For the last few months we have been tossing around the idea of building our own tiny home. We didn’t start talking about this option seriously until my folks came to visit us last month.
Naked Galapagos
My parents seemed really excited by the idea. They even offered their front yard as a building location. Unfortunately, they live 2 hours away. Building our tiny home in Red Bluff would be difficult to manage (especially since we don’t have a car); however, if we could get a team of people together to help build the little home, it wouldn’t take too long. This idea is attractive because we could save a significant amount of money with our own cheap labor.
If we end up going ahead with this option we would purchase the Naked Galapagos from Bill. As stated on the Tiny House Blog: It is “the perfect answer for the do-it-yourself tiny house builder. Bill has constructed a 128 sq ft 2500 pound home built from Codding Steel with a built in full size shower already plumbed and ready to use.”
I’d love to save the extra money and build our own tiny home, but I’m hesitant. Right now we don’t have a place to build our tiny home or the building knowledge.
What do you think?
I’m curious to get feedback from you. Should we build our own tiny home? Or do we stick to the original plan? 
For more information about simple living, check out my blog: RowdyKittens or follow me on Twitter.
Gosh, Tammy, this is a tough one. I think it all comes down to time and money. If you have all the time in the world and want to save some money, I’d say head up to your parents to spend a chunk of time building your home utilizing the expertise of the builder’s in the area.
If the money isn’t that big of a deal and you want your home finished relatively quickly, then I’d have Bill build it for you.
If you had some good builders that would work with you, then I’d tell Bill to get you a naked house. : ) You don’t want to guess at things when it comes to building your home and you want to make sure it’s up to code.
Good luck!
Thanks Dracenea. Your are right; in the end it comes down to time and money. While I would love saving the money, I think Bill offers a great deal. Plus it would be nice to support a small business if we had him build the home. The harder part is finding the time to work on this project.
We’ll have to work on a pro / con list.
tammy,
i am in the same tiny-house-dilemma you are in…no place to build and no building skills….also no time until i retire. i think i’d take the easier way out for the simple fact that i might end up spending more money because i mess it up. therefore, i would be better off hiring someone that has the real skills. after all ‘cheap is expensive’ sometimes and i might be more inclined to pay the bucks and have it done right the first time! i might do a few things myself, but not the stuff that is critical.
in the end, your intuition will lead you to the right decision. good luck
Got to this article a bit late. I’ve been researching tiny house options and following Jay S. during his Fencl Journey. Have you tried the coffee and donut route? In most small towns and close-in communities most of the gray-haired professional types (myself included) stop for a cup and a sinker about the same time every morning, usually at the local cafe or diner. Consider chatting up a few of them and asking outright for advice and/or help on the project. Usually their tools are collecting dust and the chance to work on a truly fascinating project like a tiny home will line up volunteers/new friends. Also, the gray hair means innovation and problem solving skills…and they’ve probably been around since the first building codes were written on clay tablets. I’m a cabinetmaker by training, trade, and choice. Similar types should be able to give you advice, tips, and hands-on training on woodwork, p-lam, tile and stone, c-tops, electrical, and plumbing creation and installation. Most new builds and remodels require that type of knowledge and practical application skill. Good luck. Grab a cuppajoe and meet some interesting folks face to face. And thanks for the blog info, too. Gus
Hi Tammy,
first off, thanks for this great article! Secondly, I just wanted to tell you that I have been in your same situation before. Lucky for me, my dad at the time pretty much built homes from scratch. So you can believe that this was a big help. Talk about inexpensive! If I would have known of your dilemma at the time, I would have put a good word in for you.:)
But to answer your question, I say go for the tiny-home!
Good Luck!
Hey Tammy! I live about 3-4 hrs from Red Bluff and could come help with what I can (consider my pregnancy)! All I would request is a place to stay in exchange! I desperately want to work on my own tiny home but am having trouble with a few spots logistically and could use the opportunity to see how you guys worked it out. Maybe my husband would willing to come along too as my strong back (which may work out well for me because he may end up LIKING the idea!). Let me know!!!