BY: MATTHEW CHIN
Design student Joel Weber is a third-year university student who found that living near campus was unaffordable, costing upwards of $800 per month in rent.
In Texas, the average tuition at Weber’s university, the University of Texas at Austin, is around $9,794 per year, resulting in the average student having a debt of $22,600 in Texas.
To live near his university without paying overpriced fares, Weber built his own mobile tiny home to shelter his broke student ass well after he graduates. The almost 13.5 sq. metre house costs $20,000 and was built with the help of a volunteer carpenter and an electrician. The main floor has a sitting area, kitchen, workspace, countertop, sink, and shower. There are stairs which double as shelves that lead to his bed hanging above the entrance of the home.
In Texas, the average student debt is $22,600. To live near his university without paying overpriced fares, Weber built his own mobile tiny home to shelter his broke student ass well after he graduates
The whole design took about a year to build, with materials made from reclaimed wood, energy efficient lights, and plenty of windows for natural lighting. Some of the parts were donated by locals in the community. A major downfall is that his home doesn’t have a toilet, forcing him to occupy nearby bathrooms.
The main floor has a sitting area, kitchen, workspace, countertop, sink, and shower.
The whole design took about a year to build, with materials made from reclaimed wood, energy efficient lights, and plenty of windows for natural lighting.
Apart from his schooling, Weber also has two jobs: landscaping and babysitting. To give back to the community, when Weber is hired to work for locals, he charges less.
The living space of Weber’s tiny home is mortgage free, with minimal utility costs. It is currently parked in his hometown of Dallas, Texas, and will be transported to his university after the summer.
In the future, Weber plans on improving the design by adding solar panels and rain collection to become self-sufficient. At 25, he feels that this could be his home forever and foster a simple lifestyle to appreciate more from life. Weber said in the Independent, “It’s more about how I can live simple and still be grateful.”
The living space of Weber’s tiny home is mortgage free, with minimal utility costs. At 25, he feels that this could be his home forever and foster a simple lifestyle to appreciate more from life. Weber said in the Independent, “It’s more about how I can live simple and still be grateful.”
Sources: telegraph.co.uk, dailymail.co.uk