This is my house. And I love it.
I saved money by commuting 3 hours every day by bus (and walking 2.5 miles to reach the nearest bus stop) for 6 years when I lived downstate (and also split rent with my bff). Cars are THAT expensive that I had saved up enough money to cover materials for a small house over that time period (even on a min wage job). Unfortunately, the pandemic hit before the building phase, so the cost of materials more or less doubled across the board. Fortunately, I was living with my parents for free (just bought all my own groceries, etc.) and had gotten a âbig girl jobâ so could put every other paycheck into my house. Also I am extremely privileged by my parentage; they are working class, more or less paycheck to paycheck all their lives, but my dad is very skilled and is retired and he built my house, from tearing down the condemnable house on the property to digging the foundation to the framing and plumbing and wiring and finishing work.
It took several years after acquiring the property for construction to start, and four years before it was âdoneâ and I could move in. And it was 90% finished. Just a couple things, like the shelves for my sewing room, and I couldnât afford the washer-dryer yet⊠and my back steps still need to be built. Also, since moving in over two years ago, my dad built a cute shed that matches the house for my gardening and storage, finally installed a mailbox, and we redid the gravel driveway and he built me a garden enclosure (town deer are the worst!) last summer.
Anyway, photos of the interior (it was rather nice not owning basically any furniture/appliances and being able to pick out pieces to fit the space and coordinate, and optimize small house living):
I âsplurgedâ on this basic retro-style stove and I love it. Honestly, it costs the same as most medium priced modern stoves; but being practical and frugal, a lot of choices for my house are cheap, functional options by necessity of budget. Ex: that red âtileâ is actually gel vinyl stick-on backsplash that has a 3-D texture that makes is look like tile (who can afford real tile?!). And the flooring is the âluxury vinylâ made to look like wood that I got on sale from a surplus store. The cupboards we bought unfinished from the big box home supply stores (theyâre 30% cheaper than âfinishedâ cupboards and made of actual wood). A lot of supplies were actually cheaper from the locally-owned hardware/building business right in the village, which was cool because I would prefer to patronize them but again, limited budget.
This photo is from before the washer-dryer was installed (in that space to the left of the fridge). I decorated the âbroom cupboardâ with scandinavian folk designs with UV-resistant sticker vinyl (and made the kitchen window curtain valance to match).
You can see in the top of this photo, one of just a few splurges⊠tongue and groove boards with a faint white wash for the main ceiling. I just felt like an expanse of white painted sheetrock would be too mass-produced apartment block-ish. (My other major splurge was high quality windows.)
My friend got me these throw pillows with scandinavian folk art design (because she knew I was thinking of that theme for my house) and I found the designs online through a stock photo site and purchased them (hoping it was the original designer) tweaked them a little, uploaded and had them printed through spoonflower to make my curtains. The living room rug is a âjelly roll rugâ I made to match the color scheme. The sofa I opted for is a sort of dark ocean blue irl and a sofa bed (for when I have guests).
My sewing room is the largest room in the 600 square foot house and the room that the front door opens into.
The great thing about small houses is that per building code, you donât need to pay an architect an exorbitant amount of money for certified blueprints to submit for your building permit (where I live). Under 1000 sq ft and you can just draw up your own plans. Who knew that architectural drawing class I took in high school would come in handy (okay, mostly my dadâs guidance was - and we based it off this 450sq ft cabin blueprint/design we found online). Anyway, I knew I wanted the end wall in my sewing room to have two-foot deep storage. I didnât want to wait ten years for my dad to build cupboards (also, he was supposed to be renovating the house parents bought) so I just requested shelving to my design and used the storage cubes (two deep!). I like the pop of color they add, because yes, Iâm a millennial and I went with millennial grey flooring and stain because it was a neutral that appealed to me when my belongings, appliances, furniture was all going to be brightly colored.
The âclosetâ part of the storage wall is because the main electrical panel for the house is behind there; easy to access, and everything neatly organized (new builds are awesome that way; in the cellar, too, every shut off valve is exactly where youâd expect it to be - thanks, dad!).
The bathroom is narrow/snug⊠but I refuse to not have a bathtub, so itâs a basic tub/shower unit. Also, later my dad was like well, most of the time with a bathroom that size, youâd but the tub unit on the end and not have a window. Honestly, there are more windows than necessary in my house with the clerestory and big front double windows, but I do like it.
My bedroom is also quite small to the degree that I was concerned a full-size bed wouldnât fit (that the door wouldnât clear it). Because of my two-foot deep storage in the sewing room, my closet could only be four feet wide instead of the standard six feet, so I had to get an armoire in there, too. Do I have too much clothes? Maybe. But Iâm a seamstress, and I also have a hard time letting go of pieces (a lot of my wardrobe is 20+ years old).
Itâs hard to tell in the photos but my bedroom and bathroom walls are a very light blue. The walls in the main rooms of the house are âMoon Whiteâ which is like a tiny drop of slate blue in the white. The quilt on my bed is one my mom made me for my high school graduation and has been the blanket on my bed for 20+ years now and is sadly getting ratty on the edges where you tug it up in the middle of the night. But I made the curtains purple to match my bedding. (Also seen here is the beautiful cherry dresser my dad made me, also 20+ years ago; and yes, I know Iâm spoiled.)
Itâs a âshed roofâ design because in the North, a single roofline means no snow/ice jams causing leaks down the road. The front of the house is 14.5 feet sloping to 8 feet in the back. High ceilings make the small spaces inside feel bigger.
(Still have those temporary steps on the back lol⊠this summerâŠ)
The siding is this cool product that is OSB core but textured to look like wood/clapboard siding. My dad had this idea of wanting to use roof metal for siding, but I just couldnât get past it making my house look like an actual shed. It was about the same price as the OSB faux-clapboard siding. And I love how it turned out. I went with this blue because it came in a limited amount of pre-finished colors. Given free choice, I actually wouldâve gone a couple shades brighter blue. And when it eventually needs repainting in like 15 years, I might just do that.
So yeah⊠Thatâs my house. I own it free-and-clear, paid entirely out of pocket for supplies, possible only because my dad built it for me and I didnât have to pay for labor (but helped where he would let me, and have to supply my parents with garden veggies and etc for the rest of their lives.)
Iâm glad I finally made this post because itâs been a rough time lately and it reminded me how much I love my little house and how lucky I am.
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