The tiny home built from scratch for $11,000 by architect, 27, who wanted to avoid a mortgage but broke her BACK putting it up

  • Architect Macy Miller woke one morning from a dream following her divorce and home foreclosure and decided she would built her own tiny house
  • Spent just over $11,000 creating her mini-masterpiece in Boise, Idaho

By James Nye

PUBLISHED: 00:09 EST, 16 December 2013 | UPDATED: 08:33 EST, 16 December 2013

In one small swoop, Idaho architect Macy Miller has opted out of paying rent or even a mortgage with her perfectly formed 'Tiny House' - that cost her only $11,416.16 and which she broke her back building.

Finding herself divorced, unemployed and losing her home to foreclosure two years ago, the Boise resident enlisted the help of her dad and later her boyfriend to start building her 196-square-foot dream home.

The house which is built atop a flatbed trailer - made complete with sustainable materials - has the unlikely boast of its $2,000 compost toilet being the most expensive amenity or appliance in the whole cute build.

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Small but perfectly formed: Macy Miller's tiny house in Boise, Idaho, which is only 196-square-feet - but boasts all the modern conveniences of a normal, lager home

Small but perfectly formed: Macy Miller's tiny house in Boise, Idaho, which is only 196-square-feet - but boasts all the modern conveniences of a normal, lager home

The idea for her home came to Macy in a dream - way before she knew that across the nation a whole community of small home dwellers was springing up.

 

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'It didn't occur to me that it had been done before -- building a tiny house just made sense for me and for my situation, in every way,' she told the Huffington Post in 2011.

Home: Macy Miller began construction of the property in December 2011 and has plowed $11,000 of her own money into the tiny home

Home: Macy Miller began construction of the property in December 2011 and has plowed $11,000 of her own money into the tiny home

Comforts: The kitchen is powered by gas and the home is currently hooked up to the power grid - but soon Macy wants that to change

Comforts: The kitchen is powered by gas and the home is currently hooked up to the power grid - but soon Macy wants that to change

Creating her plans for the house from scratch, taking influence from other tiny home residents, Macy invested $10,000 initially in her new home.

Inside the cozy home, every modern amenity needed is available including lighting which she wired herself, a kitchen area, and a working bathroom.

The Tiny Budget for a Tiny Home: A Brief Breakdown of What Macy Spent Her $11,416.16 On

$500 – 24’ flatbed goose-neck trailer with 5’ dovetail, 8’ wide.

$375 – Under-floor radiant heat system

$1,000.00 – (192) 2’x8’, 2” thick pieces of rigid insulation

$300.00 – 2x4s 10′ (81), 2x4s 8′ (84), 2x6s 14′ (21), 5/8″ plywood (17), 5/8″ OSB (7), nail plates, wire, electrical boxes, electrical hangers

$30.97 – Black and Decker Wiring book (highly recommended), lighting receptacles

$105.28 – Electrical panel and circuits

$2,000.00 – Composting Toilet

$45.00 – Kitchen Sink

$701.83 – TPO roofing and roofing glue

$579.09 – All plumbing supplies including a $203 bathroom sink and $53 shower drain

$354.06 – Drywall, screws, corner metal, nails, mud, paper tape

$518.21 – floor and shower tile

$886.00 – Washer Dryer

$359.98 – Tankless hot water heater

'I have incorporated every single ‘dead space’ as storage,' said Macy. 

'The steps leading to my bed will have drawers, the space above my pantry is sunken to have storage, behind my fridge is more storage, I have built in book shelves and I have plenty of cupboards and space under my bed for storage. 

 
Room to move: Macy's bed is above her cupboards which is just behind her living room to the rear of her kitchen

Room to move: Macy's bed is above her cupboards which is just behind her living room to the rear of her kitchen

Creating her plans for the house from scratch, taking influence from other tiny home residents, Macy invested $10,000 initially in her new home.

Creating her plans for the house from scratch, taking influence from other tiny home residents, Macy invested $10,000 initially in her new home.

'I have opted to leave open shelving in the kitchen to make it feel ‘bigger’ and more open but will be using shelving that maximizes the amount of storage space available.'

Her worst injury during the construction process was breaking her back falling off the roof - an injury which left her needing crutches for weeks.

Declaring that she will miss baths the most, her most pressing concern now is moving her tiny house to a permanent berth.

The talented architect hopes to one day run the entire structure completely off-the-grid, making it both eco-friendly and space-saving and cost saving.

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Its nothing more then a Nice Shed.

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Good for her and sorry to hear about the back injury.

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She did a fantastic job, and it looks great- I'm just having a hard time figuring out how she managed to pull that kind of money together, being unemployed. Personally, I can't think of anyone I know who is unemployed, who has that kind of money just sitting around.

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Ah, a composting toilet. What a thrill.

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I'd worry about safety. Someone could easily break in.

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$2,000.00 ¿ Composting Toilet $45.00 ¿ Kitchen Sink......Broken Back - priceless

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This is awesome!

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So if you broke your back building your $10,000 house while you were unemployed, who got to pay for all your medical bills? The taxpayer? Probably cost 30X more than your trailer.... Way to go....

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She could have gotten a nice shed from a home improvement store with 288 sq ft for under $5,000 and wouldn't have injured her back. I think common sense is lacking here. She will have to find land away from a neighborhood because no one will want her bring down property values.

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Mortgage free for ever....? The downside to such a luxury is that she ill have to stay spouse free, children and pet free for the REMAINING of her life...I suppose!

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