Nerds Republic

For anyone who’s graduated or had their kids graduate from college in the last decade, you know that accumulating substantial loans is a very real problem. Graduates are ready to start the rest of their lives, but often find themselves stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of debt as they try to balance loans, rent, and living expenses. If that sounds like a drag, you’re right.

Yet 25-year-old Joel Weber of the University of Texas decided that he wasn’t going to go down that path. To reduce his future expenses, he built himself a 145-square-foot tiny house, complete with electricity and plumbing. This way, he won’t have to deal with paying off loans and paying rent, and may avoid a mortgage later.

The house is eco-friendly, as many tiny houses are, and is built atop an 18-foot flatbed trailer for mobility.

Facebook / Tarzan’s Tiny Home For College

With the help of a carpenter, Weber started construction.

Facebook / Tarzan’s Tiny Home For College

He wanted to make the house out of as many recycled materials as possible.

Facebook / Tarzan’s Tiny Home For College

In all, Weber spent about $20,000 making his tiny house. He saved up a considerable amount, and the rest came from donations from friends, family, and his community. Weber designed the house himself, and a professional carpenter and an electrician both volunteered time to work with him to realize the design.

Facebook / Tarzan’s Tiny Home For College

Besides planning, organizing, and building his own home, Weber also does landscaping, house-sitting, and works as a nanny for people in his Dallas community. Weber used the money from these jobs to save up for his project. And he’s no money-grubber, either. When he has a bit more cash, he’ll charge people less for his services. “It’s about being able to give back to people in my community,” he says.

The interior is surprisingly spacious for being under 200 square feet.

Facebook / Tarzan’s Tiny Home For College

This mini stove, which is propane-powered, allows Weber to cook meals.

Facebook / Tarzan’s Tiny Home For College

The house, seen here in its completed state, features two lofts for extra storage space, or for guests.

Facebook / Tarzan’s Tiny Home For College

The sleeping area, as seen from the second loft, and the living and dining spaces below.

Facebook / Tarzan’s Tiny Home For College

Shelving doubles as a staircase up to one of the lofts, and as a desk space for all the schoolwork Weber will be doing soon.

Facebook / Tarzan’s Tiny Home For College

Tarzan’s Tiny Home For College

Weber crafted this unique sink himself from an old bowl.

Facebook / Tarzan’s Tiny Home For College

Facebook / Tarzan’s Tiny Home For College

Weber also picked out some colors to make his house really pop.

Facebook / Tarzan’s Tiny Home For College

He drew inspiration from the natural surroundings.

The house is looking good!

Facebook / Tarzan’s Tiny Home For College

(via My Modern Met, DesignTaxi, ABC)

Weber is currently residing in Dallas, but in August, he and his house will make the move to Austin for the new school year. His home will allow him to avoid spending upwards of $800 per month on living costs, and though the initial cost was greater, Weber is hoping that the house will help him save in the long run. “I may live in it forever, and I’m cool with that; 145 square feet might not be for everybody, and that’s okay,” Weber explained. “It’s more about how I can live simple and still be grateful.”

Weber’s initiative shows that with a little planning, investing, and a lot of dedication, as well as the support of your community, you really can make your own way in life. You can see more images of Weber’s house on his Facebook page.

A lot of people are looking to smaller homes to save money and reduce environmental impact. This could be the wave of the future:

It seems like everywhere you look, more and more people are opting to go small — tiny, even. The tiny house movement might seem impractical, but going tiny is, well, huge.

It may seem daunting to downsize to such a small residence, especially if you’re used to having a larger space. If you’re still interested in checking out what it would be like to live small, though, there’s good news. Airbnb includes an available tiny house, posted by user Hannah, that anyone can stay in to see what the big deal about living small is all about.

Hannah built her house herself, using a template provided by Tumbleweed, a company that specializes in tiny home construction.

Airbnb / Hannah

This model is called “Cypress,” and includes a basic layout and exterious materials, but allows the builder to personalize the interior for a unique home. Hannah called her home “Maiden Mansion,” and affixed it with wheels so that she could relocate it if needed.

Maiden Mansion is located in Seattle, near the city’s downtown area. Like all tiny homes, it seems impossible to live in when viewed from the outside. How could everything possibly fit? Well, like all tiny houses, Maiden Mansion is a triumph of storage and hidden compartments that pack away everything you need for comfortable living.

The living room, with plenty of seating and a cozy atmosphere.

Airbnb / Hannah

There’s even a fireplace!

Airbnb / Hannah

All told, the shelving in this house can hold over 100 books.

The kitchen includes a sink, two burners, a convection oven, refrigerator, and a microwave.

Airbnb / Hannah

Oh, and there’s a washer and dryer, too.

Airbnb / Hannah

When it’s time to eat, the dining table folds out.

Airbnb / Hannah

Above the kitchen is the loft, with some extra shelving serving as a low wall for added privacy.

Airbnb / Hannah

Naturally, the stairs double as extra storage as well, and they even light up at night so inhabitants can move around safely.

You can never have enough books.

Airbnb / Hannah

Especially not with such apt reading material!

Airbnb / Hannah

The bedroom is upstairs, and is lit by a skylight for an airy, natural feeling.

Airbnb / Hannah

Downstairs, the couches in the living area can be converted into a spare bed for guests.

Airbnb / Hannah

Skylights and large windows make the small space seem more open, and provide lots of natural light.

Airbnb / Hannah

Airbnb / Hannah

On her Airbnb page, Hannah says that she built the tiny house not for herself, but for people interested in living small who were not yet sure if they really wanted to take the plunge. Hannah lives in the area, and she’s also more than happy to talk with guests about the joys of living small, but she’s also cool with leaving visitors to their own devices.

If you’re looking for a little getaway, you might want to give Maiden Mansion a chance!

Airbnb / Hannah

(via 22 Words, Airbnb)

Maiden Mansion comes with much more than the average motel room, and for $99 per night, it’s a steal! Plus it’s a lot cuter.

For more tiny houses, check out these minuscule pieces of real estate.

We know you love tiny homes. You can pretty much take them anywhere, they’re eco-friendly, and they typically won’t break the bank. But what happens when you still want to save space, but can’t fit everything you need into a tiny house?

That’s where these narrow buildings come in. They might have a few hundred more square feet than those oh-so-cute tiny homes, but they’re not too roomy. Some of them function as family homes, while others host businesses willing to put up with cramped spaces and goofy architectural choices. Some of them are even spite homes, created to contest land disputes in the cheekiest way possible. Either way, they’re all worth a look.

The Skinny House, Boston

Wikimedia Commons

This four-story home measures just over 10 feet at its widest point. It can only be entered through a small alley on the side.

17th-Century Gable House, Amsterdam

Flickr / Daryl Mitchell

This house is barely wider than the cars parked in front of it.

Tiny Row Homes, San Francisco

Flickr / Eric Fischer

Here we have an entrance, a garage, a second floor…and not much else.

Flatiron Building, New York

Wikimedia Commons

This one gets by on a technicality, as it’s also a skyscraper and takes up nearly an entire city block. Still, at its narrowest point, the Flatiron building measures just 6.5 feet wide.

O’Reilly Spite House, West Cambridge, Massachusetts

Wikimedia Commons

This tiny house, built in 1908, measures 37 feet long and 8 feet wide, with only 308 square feet of interior space.

Montlake Spite House, Seattle

Joe Mabel / Wikimedia Commons

It might not look like it, but this 860-square-foot home is just 55 inches wide at its narrowest end. I hope they never want to get a piano in there.

Spite House, Alameda, California

Flickr / Nathan Jongewaard

It takes all of five seconds to walk from one end of this house to the other.

Sam Kee Building, Vancouver

Wikimedia Commons

This building holds the world record for shallowest commercial building. It’s only 4 feet and 11 inches deep from the front door to the back wall. It was built after the owner lost a decent chunk of land due to widening roads.

Newby-McMahon Building, Wichita Falls, Texas

Flickr / Chuck Coker

This building is commonly considered to be the world’s smallest skyscraper, as it was supposed to be much larger before construction was halted by a messy legal battle. It is now a historical site.

Mixed-Use Building, London

Flickr / muffinn

It’s a restaurant and a residence. In either case, would you want to be stuck in such cramped space? I certainly wouldn’t.

These amazing buildings really know how to bridge the gaps between their neighbors. Could you imagine living in something that’s 55 inches wide, though? You would barely have room to breathe!

We’re back with another adorable tiny house, and this time, it could be your tiny house. That’s right, this one is for sale, and it could be yours for a cool $48,000. That sounds like a lot, but it’s nothing for a house.

The brightly colored house is called the Toybox Home, and it was designed by Frank Henderson and Paul Schultz. In all, it has 140 square feet of space, divided into a living area, sleeping loft, kitchen, and bath. Besides being adorable, it also features environmentally conscious elements for an even tinier footprint.

The outside is brightly colored and cheerful.

Toybox Tiny Home

The house can be hitched up to a vehicle for easy transport.

Toybox Tiny Home

The white part is thermoplastic, which is very durable, as well as UV- and heat-resistant. This helps regulate the interior temperature without extra power.

Toybox Tiny Home

The Toybox also features a planter around its base for vegetation. It has its own irrigation system that recycles water from the sinks, so gardening is easy and cuts down on water use. Plenty of windows and a sliding glass door provide ventilation and natural light.

The interior is sleek and modern, and appears much larger than it actually is.

Toybox Tiny Home

Toybox Tiny Home

Inside, the modern home features space-saving elements like storage cubes that double as seating. It also has a fold-up table (under the window), whose size can be changed to accommodate one or more people.

Toybox Tiny Home

The kitchen is compact as well, with the refrigerator and freezer tucked under the sink. The sink is eco-friendly, too, with a low-flow marine faucet to reduce water use.

Extra storage is in the walls, and the far wall here leads to the 20-square-foot bathroom.

Toybox Tiny Home

Here, we can see the table folded up against the wall to create more space when not in use.

Toybox Tiny Home

The bathroom itself converts into a shower, all thanks to an extendable faucet.

Toybox Tiny Home

Simply pull out the faucet, clip it to the wall, and it becomes a shower. The water is then collected and used to irrigate the planter outside. Behind the shower wall, there’s a closet that houses a 20-gallon water heater, as well as space for clothing.

Above the bathroom is the sleeping loft, which can accommodate a king-size mattress.

Toybox Tiny Home

The three windows provide natural light and fresh air. There’s also a light switch up there so the inhabitants can switch off all the lights in the home without getting out of bed.

Toybox Tiny Home

(via Design Taxi)

If you’re worried about the elements battering this little house, don’t fret. The whole thing is insulated with blown-in fiberglass, and it features radiant floor heating to keep things cozy in cold weather.

Right now, the Toybox is located in Lake Forest, Illinois, and is still on the market. You can see it, as well as other available tiny houses, on Tiny House Listings if you’re thinking of downsizing. You can also see more photos on its official website.

Tiny houses are an ever-growing trend, especially as space and materials become scarcer. People now realize that big footprints come with big consequences for our fragile planet, so tiny living can help make those footprints a little smaller. Many people are ditching the suburban ideal and opting for something more unique and compact. What’s even cooler is that many are making their homes themselves.

That’s what Dipa Vasudeva Das decided to do. For Das, mobility was key. Instead of building a mobile home from scratch, he opted for a big renovation instead.

At first, this was just your average white van.

Divine Factory

The inside was also pretty boring, but Das had a vision.

Divine Factory

Once he figured out a plan, he immediately got to work.

Divine Factory

First, he mapped out all of the under-floor storage.

Divine Factory

As with any tiny home, clever storage is key.

He covered the walls with wooden beams to get rid of that industrial vibe.

Divine Factory

He also added an awesome skylight.

Divine Factory

Because the van doesn’t have windows, getting a little light in there is important.

After hours of work, the interior was finished.

Divine Factory

It doesn’t even look like a van anymore!

The furniture is cleverly secured so that nothing rattles around while he’s on the go.

Divine Factory

He even added a little wood-burning stove.

Divine Factory

He traded in those factory doors for some wooden ones. They make the van feel much more welcoming.

Divine Factory

Under the doors are two pull-out storage units. They lock from the outside so nothing gets stolen.

Divine Factory

One of the doors has a removable panel to let in light and fresh air.

Divine Factory

The back of the van opens to reveal this fold-out patio. Who doesn’t love some extra hangout space?

Divine Factory

There’s also more storage. This is where Das keeps his bikes when he’s not using them.

Divine Factory

Das travels around in his home so that he can meet new people and share his photography at festivals. He also likes to host parties, so he needs the interior to be warm, inviting, and accommodating.

Divine Factory

He spruces the place up with colorful rugs, pillows, and accessories. The main space can be converted into a place for work, sleep, or entertaining. There are extra bits of furniture stored under the floorboards.

This little table can be pulled up if he needs to do some work on the computer…

Divine Factory

…and extra seating can be folded out to accommodate guests.

Divine Factory

Speaking of guests, the van can hold quite a few of them!

Divine Factory

Including that adorable guy at the bottom.

At night, the living space can be cleared to make room for a fairly large bed.

Divine Factory

That floorboard storage is a real lifesaver.

Divine Factory

As for the wood-burning stove, it gives the place a cozy glow and some heat in the winter.

Divine Factory

And it works well, since Das installed a chimney to take care of the smoke.

Divine Factory

Das takes his van on all kinds of adventures, setting up camp with the help of a few outdoor accessories.

Divine Factory

Draping some tapestries over the van helps it look a little cozier.

Divine Factory

(via 22 Words)

Das spends his time traveling around so that he can share his photographs and music with the people he encounters along the way. His mission is to spread a philosophy of peace.

You can read more about his awesome adventures on his blog.