I built my tiny home from scratch for under $50,000. Doing it all myself was hard, but the money I'm saving is worth it.

Margo Fairchild in front of her Virginia tiny home. Courtesy of Margo Fairchild In 2020, Margo Fairchild built a tiny home on her own with no prior experience. Fairchild spent countless hours and almost all her paychecks to build the 240-square-foot home. It took 15 months and $43,779 to build the home, but the freedom she has is priceless, she said. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Margo Fairchild, 34, who built a 240-square-foot tiny home in Virginia on her own in 2020. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. I grew up watching my dad work with his hands, mostly on cars, and I picked up a bit of resourcefulness and that get-it-done attitude from him. So, when I decided I wanted to live in a tiny home , it never really crossed my mind to have someone else build it for me.