How To Build Your Own House

I was tired of throwing money away on rent after years of living with roommates in Seattle and here in Salt Lake City. One winter I sublet a 200-square-foot "tiny house"—a kind of make-your-own mobile mini-home gaining in popularity—and decided to build one of my own. Since I studied architecture in college, I came up with a minimal, sleek design. Then I drove to a two-day workshop in Portland, Oregon, to learn specifics, like attaching the house to a trailer. Other builders I met there estimated that my house would cost around $16,000; I took $8,000 that I'd saved from my sales job and applied for a $7,000 project loan from Home Depot.

Next, I talked to construction companies about my project. They donated insulation, wood for the interior finish, and the siding materials. A local museum thought my project was cool and let me build on their lawn, so I always had help from passersby! Piece by piece, I did it, sometimes with assistance from friends and strangers: I built the walls, the roof, the drywall, the windows. I followed the diagrams in a book for the electricity and, miraculously, the lights worked!

After 10 weeks of 12-hour days, I was done. A lot of women mistakenly think they need a man's help before they can even buy a house, so it was really empowering to know I could build one myself. A full-size house is next! —As told to Sarah Miller