Amid spiraling mortgage costs and a volatile property market, one woman has found a way to make her "dream home" a reality—for under $20,000.
Adriana Cicero-Oringi, who lives in Texas, has shunned the traditional path to homeownership to build her own house in a different way: repurposing a storage building.
Speaking to Newsweek, the 30-year-old said the decision to build a home on a budget first came to her in the fall of 2021, and "wasn't a single lightbulb moment, but rather a gradual realization over time".
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Explaining she "always wanted a getaway home in the country," as she grew older, the idea of an "oasis" outside of the city—with minimal expenses and reducing her carbon footprint—"became increasingly appealing."
And after plenty of research over the years into "tiny house options", the concept of transforming a storage container "resonated with me the most".
She and her husband currently rent a townhouse in Dallas and plan to split their time between the city and the countryside "oasis" once it is completed.
According to Homeguide, the average cost of building a house in the U.S. is between $178,000 to $416,000 dollars, or $248,000 on average, a leap from Cicero-Oringi's modest budget.
The figures depend on the location, size of the home and how modern the features are, and generally costs between $100 to $155 per square foot.
At a national level, house prices were up more than 4 percent during the four weeks ending June 2, according to data from Redfin.
However, some areas are beginning to see falling house prices, including in Texas. But the median price of a home in Dallas, where Cicero-Oringi rents, is currently over $477,000, according to Realtor.com.
Read more: First-Time Homebuyer Guide
It's not just Texas where the housing market is struggling: across the U.S., mortgage rates are around 7 percent and prices remain high, with homeowners struggling to sell and more than three in five home listings sitting on the market for well over a month and increasing year-by-year, according to data from Redfin.
The increasing number of homes on the market, as well as slow demand due to costs, means "less-desirable listings are piling up, leaving some without a buyer," a Redfin analysis adds.
With Cicero-Oringi taking a completely different approach, she has developed a huge social media following as thousands watch her home-build journey online.
A video shared by Cicero-Oringi to her account @theageedit shows the progress so far, captioned: "POV: You order a custom storage building to build our tiny dream home."
The camera brings viewers into the building, first revealing an empty container with exposed beams and a floor plan of what she intends the finished project to look like.
With the help of her father, Cicero-Oringi measures the floor space of the 12x28 foot space, including a 6-foot porch, and discusses where the rooms will go in the "shell" of a building.
The senior account manager, content creator and business owner is aiming to transform the storage building into a one-bedroom apartment with a full bathroom including a walk-in shower, on land gifted to her by her father, who lives on the same plot.
"It provided a unique challenge that I was eager to tackle," she told Newsweek.
The storage shell cost $11,500, she explained, with the rest of the budget going on contractors and DIY projects which she's "paid as we go".
Read more: How to Calculate How Much House You Can Afford
Cicero-Oringi is far from the only person taking housing matters into her own hands amid soaring prices and inflation, from renting out a converted garden shed to living rent-free in a tiny home built from scratch.
But giving advice to anyone considering taking the same journey, Cicero-Oringi insisted it was "entirely possible with determination, careful planning, and a willingness to learn". However, it requires a huge amount of research and tackling hands-on work yourself, as "contractors are expensive".
Warning people to be prepared for "the time, money and effort involved," she also advised people to set "realistic expectations" and be flexible and adaptable to overcome any issues.
"Ultimately, the rewards of living sustainably and achieving financial freedom of owning a home on your terms make the journey worthwhile."
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Correction, 6.17.24, 7.40 a.m. ET: This story was updated to correct the spelling of Cicero-Oringi.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Rachael O'Connor is a Newsweek Life & Trends reporter based in Leeds, U.K. Her focus is on reporting trends from ... Read more
