By Mark McConville
ONE CANNY university student has built himself a tiny 230-square-foot house to live a debt-free life at a cost of just £10k.
Incredible images show the build in its entirety as it starts out as planks of wood before being formed into walls and a roof, while the interior is fully decorated after its sparse beginnings.
Other pictures show Bradley, from Jacksonville, Florida, USA, entertaining in his house with a packed room full of people enjoying themselves, other students partying on the porch and Bradley paddling in a canoe outside the house after a flood.
Bradley explained why he chose to build himself a house while at university and even scored a prime location right in the centre of Jacksonville while still enjoying the woods and a nearby creek.
“It started off more financial than anything,” he said.
“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.”
The home is roughly 27 x 8.5ft 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.
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.”
Bradley also explained how he’s finding living in the tiny house and what the build taught him about himself.
“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.”
For more information see https://www.instagram.com/rolling_quarters_tinyhouse/
