A retired woman lives in her self-built little home, which was lovingly created on a tight budget. Carol’s life has drastically improved when she moved into her tiny house, The Dragon’s Nest, which she built in 2019. Despite initially intending to seek assistance, she built it alone, a move she does not regret. “I was meant to have help, but circumstances forced me to build it myself. I don’t mind because I now know every nail, screw, and particle of glue in this house, and I can fix anything that goes wrong because I did it all myself,” she explained.
For the past three years, she has lived off-grid in a scenic forest on Vancouver Island, surrounded by her house’s 1800s Roma vardo wagon-inspired theme, which displays her artistic tastes through its bright, patterned, and textured décor. “For me, this home is ideal. “It may not be for someone else, but they don’t have to live in it right now,” she remarked.
Carol has lived in residences of varying sizes throughout her life, but she eventually decided to downsize and live in a little house.In 2016, she gathered materials, focusing on repurposed things and garage sale finds. Carol started building her tiny home in 2018 after meticulous planning and a lucky purchase of an economical trailer. Carol had to accomplish the project almost entirely on her own due to the COVID-19 epidemic, though she did receive some support.
It took her nearly a year to complete the building, during which she prioritized safety and precision. Carol ensured that her property fulfilled all relevant requirements by paying cash for new items and spending in inspections. Carol built her complete home, including the trailer, for less than $20,000 thanks to her frugal and resourceful nature. She made her ambition of living in a self-built tiny home a reality by being frugal with her money and repurposing existing materials.
Carol scrupulously documented the history of her little house, the Dragon’s Nest, in a professionally organized book that included all invoices for construction expenses.She thanks her brother-in-law Gary for teaching her valuable building skills.The house, which measures 320 square feet interior, is mostly made of dimensional mill Douglas fir, with cedar shingles artistically cut in a dragon scale pattern.
Carol’s living, eating, and kitchen spaces are all located in the vardo’s front area, which serves as a big great room. She designed this style to create a spacious and readily navigated workplace.The great room’s attractiveness is enhanced with ceiling panels acquired from Upper Canada Village and pressed with a Victorian tin plate pressing machine.
Each feature in the home has a special meaning, with several pieces coming from Carol’s previous home. Carol added a box bed to the front of her nook bed, following the traditional pattern of Vardo wagons.She renovated several parts for her self-built compact home, including a toilet made by a skillful young woodworker.
Carol lives fully off-grid, hauling her water and storing it in large bags before using a pump and treatment system to get it into her home. Her primary source of electricity is solar panels, which are supplemented by a generator on overcast days.Watch the video below to get a tour of Carol’s self-built tiny home: