Taking on the massive project of building your own can be daunting for anyone but that’s exactly what newly-divorced Kelly Lewis did. When she was faced with the task of providing a comfortable home for her three children, she decided to learn how to build and she ended up with the coziest tiny house made almost entirely of recyclable materials.
After getting a divorce and re-evaluating her life, she realized she was nowhere near where she wanted to be at 29. So she decided to take it back to what really mattered and ended up purchasing a beautiful piece of land and dived into researching the tiny house movement.
The home she built was 12’x16’ and is 192 square feet which proved to be all her little family needed.
The home is still in the process of being built and is going on the second year of construction since Kelly has done almost all of the construction on her own with the exception of the framing. Of course, she did have the help of friends and her tiniest helpers, her own kids.
She designed the house using a ruler and pencil and took the rest one step at a time including learning how to install things like a composting toilet and a wood burning stove. Her goal is to live completely off-grid.
Although her new home is still a work in progress, Kelly says she wouldn’t change anything about it as she’s become a stronger person with every step along the way. Her tiny house has taught her about what really matters in life and that more is not always better.
To see more of her story and the home she’s building, watch her video at
She’s selling the exact plans on her Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/thecabinchick/
Hi. I am a single mom of 3 also. We currently live in housing. My situation is probably a bit different. We were in a domestic violence situation and my children’s father hardly ever pays child support. I do work and have managed to save a little money. So my questions are: How much land did you decide to get? And: How did you get the money for the land? And: How are your children handling the situation especially since it is winter? I want to move out of this place so bad. In fact, I was ready 5 years ago when we had to move here. If you have any tips, I would gladly love to hear them. I’m also wondering if you went with solar power? What kind of problems you incurred during the build and now after? That’s a lot of questions for now. I wish you the best and hope you find the time to respond. Thank you. Lisa