The process of choosing how the bananas to build this bad boy. I suppose something that was important for me firstly was financing. For some reason I don't just have a hundred grand sitting in a spare bank account. So I had to reach out to a few sources to make sure that I could make this all work financially. Luckily, I have my condo which helped me get the financing I needed for my new home!
Next, was to decide how to physically build it. I can't even count the number of times that I went back and forth. From renting a space to build it myself (I love the idea of taking on the challenge of building things for myself - so much more rewarding!), to finding a company to build it, to doing a combination of both. I reached out to several tiny house builders within several hours drive. They quoted out my build to be anywhere from $60,000 to $110,000 depending on the varies levels of construction it would have. This was the first time I realized that my tiny house wouldn't be coming with a tiny price tag. With that being said, once I make a decision I don't go back. So I made a 5-year plan and hope for the best! --just to note, it is entirely possible to do it for cheaper. To use a trailer that isn't brand new and certified would save about $8,000, to not get it CSA certified that would save about $2,500, to not use new materials would most likely save another chunk as well, but I am doing this how I feel comfortable :)
Ok - so, do I build it myself, get a company to build it or do a combo of the two. And the answer for me is the combination of the two. For me, getting to physically work on my own house is so exciting - to be able to truly put in my own blood, sweat and tears is the dream! Plus, with my job (when not dealing with COVID-19) I travel a lot. So as much as I would like to do the whole build on my own, realistically it didn't make sense to try to make that happen. I would probably budget 6 months for something and it would take me 3 years. Therefore, finding a company that could do part of it, at a price that I wanted and on a timeline I liked was important. Enter MMRH Tiny Homes!
I found an ad somewhere, I think it may have been on Kijiji actually of this stunning tiny house. It was much larger than I was looking for and quite out of my budget, but had all the bells and whistles and looked so cozy and definitely luxurious. I hesitantly reached out to the company to see how they operate and if we could find something in my price range. Immediately the owner of the company Mitch invited me out to his shop in Limoges to see the tiny homes he was working on at the time. I can't tell you how excited I was!
I can tell you, that I didn't know Mitch prior to this, I didn't know anyone who had worked with him but I am a strong believer in how someone treats you and the vibes they give off as being a good judge of character. And I immediately felt comfortable and like I was at the right place. I pretty much made up my mind then and there that I was going to work with Mitch to make my tiny house dream a reality. But...after getting the initial quote for the majority of the tiny house to be done by his company, I realized I couldn't afford to work with him. I let him know and he said how can we work together? What can I do to help get this into your price range? I was really surprised that he was willing to be flexible with me. I headed back out to his shop and discussed what I could work on and what he was comfortable doing and boom! We agreed on a price!
One last test before I signed on the dotted line (and gave a deposit) was to bring my Dad and Step-mom along to meet Mitch and see his craftsmanship. I must be honest and say my Dad has been very cautious of this whole process - its risky to say the least and very expensive. But he has been understanding and accepting of my stubbornness and asked me a lot of questions along the way that I didn't necessarily think of. So getting his approval of the company I was going with was very important for me and it was the first time he saw a tiny house in person. I think both Dad and Mary Ellen were impressed with Mitch, his knowledge of tiny homes and of course the two examples that were in front of them. I quickly conferred with them and then boom...I signed and gave over the first cheque! Gives me shivers even thinking about it! I was so happy, grateful, nervous, anxious...all the emotions to say the least but definitely glad that I had some family with me to celebrate this first official step!
Next, was to decide how to physically build it. I can't even count the number of times that I went back and forth. From renting a space to build it myself (I love the idea of taking on the challenge of building things for myself - so much more rewarding!), to finding a company to build it, to doing a combination of both. I reached out to several tiny house builders within several hours drive. They quoted out my build to be anywhere from $60,000 to $110,000 depending on the varies levels of construction it would have. This was the first time I realized that my tiny house wouldn't be coming with a tiny price tag. With that being said, once I make a decision I don't go back. So I made a 5-year plan and hope for the best! --just to note, it is entirely possible to do it for cheaper. To use a trailer that isn't brand new and certified would save about $8,000, to not get it CSA certified that would save about $2,500, to not use new materials would most likely save another chunk as well, but I am doing this how I feel comfortable :)
Ok - so, do I build it myself, get a company to build it or do a combo of the two. And the answer for me is the combination of the two. For me, getting to physically work on my own house is so exciting - to be able to truly put in my own blood, sweat and tears is the dream! Plus, with my job (when not dealing with COVID-19) I travel a lot. So as much as I would like to do the whole build on my own, realistically it didn't make sense to try to make that happen. I would probably budget 6 months for something and it would take me 3 years. Therefore, finding a company that could do part of it, at a price that I wanted and on a timeline I liked was important. Enter MMRH Tiny Homes!
I found an ad somewhere, I think it may have been on Kijiji actually of this stunning tiny house. It was much larger than I was looking for and quite out of my budget, but had all the bells and whistles and looked so cozy and definitely luxurious. I hesitantly reached out to the company to see how they operate and if we could find something in my price range. Immediately the owner of the company Mitch invited me out to his shop in Limoges to see the tiny homes he was working on at the time. I can't tell you how excited I was!
I can tell you, that I didn't know Mitch prior to this, I didn't know anyone who had worked with him but I am a strong believer in how someone treats you and the vibes they give off as being a good judge of character. And I immediately felt comfortable and like I was at the right place. I pretty much made up my mind then and there that I was going to work with Mitch to make my tiny house dream a reality. But...after getting the initial quote for the majority of the tiny house to be done by his company, I realized I couldn't afford to work with him. I let him know and he said how can we work together? What can I do to help get this into your price range? I was really surprised that he was willing to be flexible with me. I headed back out to his shop and discussed what I could work on and what he was comfortable doing and boom! We agreed on a price!
One last test before I signed on the dotted line (and gave a deposit) was to bring my Dad and Step-mom along to meet Mitch and see his craftsmanship. I must be honest and say my Dad has been very cautious of this whole process - its risky to say the least and very expensive. But he has been understanding and accepting of my stubbornness and asked me a lot of questions along the way that I didn't necessarily think of. So getting his approval of the company I was going with was very important for me and it was the first time he saw a tiny house in person. I think both Dad and Mary Ellen were impressed with Mitch, his knowledge of tiny homes and of course the two examples that were in front of them. I quickly conferred with them and then boom...I signed and gave over the first cheque! Gives me shivers even thinking about it! I was so happy, grateful, nervous, anxious...all the emotions to say the least but definitely glad that I had some family with me to celebrate this first official step!
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| January 8th, 2020 - Making things official! |
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