A canny college student has built himself a tiny 230-square-foot house to live a debt-free life at a cost of just $14,000.
Incredible images show how Bradley, from Jacksonville, Florida, built the structure in its entirety, starting out with planks of wood before crafting walls and a roof, while the interior gets fully decorated after sparse beginnings.
Other pictures show how Bradley can now entertain in his house, with friends partying on the porch.
Crafty: College student Bradley, from Jacksonville, Florida, has built himself a tiny 230-square-foot house to live a debt-free life at a cost of just $14,000
Enjoying the space: Bradley can now entertain in his finished house; he is pictured with a group of friends over
Progress: Images show how Bradley started out with planks of wood before crafting walls
Proud: The student managed to fit a crowd of friends inside the tiny house he built himself
Barren: Incredible images show how the bare-bone structure turned into a complete home
It moves: Bradley nicknamed the home Rolling Quarters, a pun that alludes both to the fact that the home has wheels and to the idea that it helped the student save money
Bradley chose to build himself a house while in college and scored a prime location right in the center of Jacksonville, with woods and a creek nearby.
‘It started off more financial than anything,’ Bradley, who shared his story with the YouTube channel Living Big In A Tiny House, said of his project.
‘Right out of high school I went and paid a year’s worth of rent and decided that wasn’t for me. So I moved back home to save some money and pay for it all in cash to build it.
‘My family thought it was never going to happen until I took home a 27-foot-long flatbed trailer, and then they started to ask more questions and understood this is something I’m actually going to try and do.’
In the future, Bradley wants to use the savings afforded to him by his tiny home to purchase a regular-size home without borrowing money.
The home is roughly 27 x 8.5 feet in size and is entirely self-contained. The exterior is clad in long-lasting vinyl and is designed to be reminiscent of a Florida beach bungalow.
In true Southern style, the tiny house has a large porch, which enables Bradley to sit outside and enjoy the stunning views surrounding his home.
Past: ‘Out of high school I went and paid a year’s worth of rent and decided that wasn’t for me. So I moved back home to save some money and pay for it all in cash to build it, Bradley said
Believing: At first, Bradley’s family didn’t think he would go through with the project, but realized he was serious once he brought home a 27-foot trailer
A tiny living space: The home is roughly 27 x 8.5 feet in size and is entirely self-contained
Philosophy: ‘The whole idea was to pay for everything in cash and go against the societal flow of financing things,’ Bradley said of his project
Sharing: Bradley regularly shares photos of his home on his Instagram account, and has opened up about the building process and his reasons for going through withit
Getting the job done: Bradley chose to build himself a house while in college and scored a prime location right in the center of Jacksonville, with woods and a creek nearby
Style: The exterior is clad in long-lasting vinyl and is designed to be reminiscent of a Florida beach bungalow
Finished! Bradley now takes pride in having built his home himself and is happy every time he returns to it
Bradley calls his home Rolling Quarters, a play on words relating to the fact that his home is on wheels, but also hinting to the saving of money and the ethics of building a home without accumulating debt.
‘It’s kind of a two-fold meaning,’ he explained.
‘I thought about it for a long time, playing with a bunch of different puns, to name it and decided on Rolling Quarters. Obviously, it’s living quarters and it rolls.
‘The other thing is rolling quarters is like saving money. So, the whole idea was to pay for everything in cash and go against the societal flow of financing things.’
For Bradley the house is now a source of pride.
‘I love it so far,’ he said.
‘Every time I pull up at night to my house there’s a smile on my face because I built that and that’s where I’m staying.
‘It taught me I can do more than I think I can. Before doing some of the things, such as electrics, I thought I might contract that out but after I got my hands dirty and went through the whole process it seems a lot simpler now.’
Patience: Pictures of the building process show how the house came together bit by bit
Figuring it out: Bradley wasn’t always certain he would be able to build every element of the home, but he ended up learning new skills along the way
Power: At first, Bradley thought he would hire someone to install electricity in his home, but he managed to do it and says it now seems ‘a lot simpler’
Group: The student sometimes has visitors who come to enjoy his tiny home now that it is complete
Experience: By putting together his house, Bradley said he learned he can do more than he thought
Setback: In September, Bradley was heartbroken when his home became flooded in the wake of Hurricane Irma
Repairs: ‘Witnessing the transition from Rolling Quarters to Floating Quarters was a sad, angry experience,’ Bradley wrote. He has since worked to restore his house
In September, Bradley was heartbroken when his home became flooded in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
‘Everything happens for a reason, and the reason this happened is because I’m a big dummy and didn’t utilize those wheels under my house,’ he wrote on his Instagram account.
‘Witnessing the transition from Rolling Quarters to Floating Quarters was a sad, angry experience. I almost didn’t post this out of embarrassment / disappointment in myself, but I thought it’s fair to show the bad days of tiny life and not just the good ones. Lots of work to be done to fix this one.’
The student has since worked to restore his house, and has installed new floors.
He is also offering up his home for rent on AirBnB, at a price of $98 a night.
According to the listing, the house can accommodate three guests, and it is equipped with a composting toilet rather than a traditional flush toilet.
Bradley stated that the home is equipped with air conditioning, heating, wireless internet, a television, a convection oven and a counter-top two-burner stove.
The student, a minimalist, also explained why he chose to include a porch in the design of his abode as a way to reflect the way of life he aspires to, writing on Instagram: ‘The front porch carries great symbolism for American culture.
‘Generations ago, most houses were built with a front porch which encouraged taking life slow, conversation, and embraced community with those around you. Most modern homes lack a front porch as people live faster paced lives and come home to sit inside watching news that teaches we should fear our neighbors. A front porch was a necessity when designing my home.’