Tiny homes, which are typically under 400 square feet, can cost between $30,000 and $60,000 to build, according to Rocket Mortgage. But that estimate may not include expenses like permit fees, utilities, or hiring an architect or builder.
Fairchild had to dip into her savings to finance her home.
“Basically, any paycheck I had during that time went toward construction,” she said. “Almost immediately, my budget flew out the window.”
Her advice to prospective tiny-home builders is to try to list every cost before getting started, from how much wood they’ll need down to the screws and nails. They should also realize they might be missing some.
“When people are building these things by themselves, there are just all of these tiny miscellaneous costs that are going to add up that you just wouldn’t have even anticipated,” she said.