We built a 'tiny home' for under $900

May 30, 2023

TWO brothers have shared how they built a completely functional camper on a tight budget.

Chay Denne detailed the entire process in a YouTube video that has been viewed nearly 250,000 times since it was uploaded on Wednesday.

"Everything you see in this camper, including the trailer, we did for under $900," Denne said in the video.

The final product had a mini-kitchen, a living room, and was big enough to comfortably sleep two people.

It also included an air conditioner, a functional sink, and plenty of electrical outlets.

Denne and his brother began the process with a used 48-square foot trailer that the duo bought for $100 on Facebook Marketplace.

"It was going to be the perfect base for our camper," Denne said.

The next big way the brothers saved money was by using windows from an old school bus instead of buying them new.

They had the windows laying around from an old project but Denne said they're easy to find on Facebook Marketplace.

He also saved money by making what he called "poor man's fiberglass" instead of buying the material from a store.

To do this, the brothers put several layers of cloth and glue over the trailer's wooden framing.

They made the material waterproof by covering it with a coat of paint.

This wasn't the only way the brothers used reclaimed materials to stay within budget.

They also made use of wood gleaned from pallets to build their countertops and built angle iron to seal the trailer's corners out of metal from the old school bus project.

Denne did choose to cut a few corners for this build.

Instead of springing for standard electrical wire, which can go for $100 a foot, he bought a long extension at just $25 per foot.

The YouTuber discouraged viewers from a making similar choice when buying their own wiring.

At the end of the video, Denne and his brother towed the trailer to a camp site and gave viewers a tour of their handiwork.