Single mum left broke and homeless by divorce builds her own home for less than £8,000 – using materials from the local DIY store
Charlotte Sapwell, 27, from Victoria, Australia, was left on the brink of homelessness after splitting from her partner but turned her life around after building a tiny home in her grandad's back garden
A SINGLE mum who was left broke and homeless after her divorce has built her own home for less than £8,000.
Charlotte Sapwell, 27, from Victoria, Australia, was left on the brink of homelessness after splitting from her partner but turned her life around after building a tiny home in her grandad's back garden using materials from the local DIY store.
Mum-of-two Charlotte had nowhere to sleep after the split, but refused to be burdened with a £238,000 home loan.
Charlotte, who is mum to two young sons aged two and six, decided to construct her own home on a budget and she and her grandad worked tirelessly for five months to build her cosy new three metre by six metre house.
Charlotte says she built 99 per cent of the house herself, while was down to her handyman grandad – who also loaned her the money needed to start the project.
The duo sourced wood and other materials from a local warehouse and followed a strict budget of just under $13,000 AUD (£7,738).
Five months later, Charlotte went from not being able to even afford rent, to a home owner.
She told : “I went from living in a massive home with my husband and kids, to a tiny rented unit to this small space, and out of all the places I've lived this is my favourite.
“It is all mine. The kids are right there all the time and we are so close. Yes it means we have virtually zero privacy from each other but I love it.”
The little home features a combined lounge room, kitchen, dining room as well as a main bedroom, where Charlotte sleeps, and a kid’s room for her two boys.
A small amount of the house was funded by selling spare possessions on Gumtree and Charlotte admits to splurging on “luxury” linoleum flooring inside.
The mum’s tight budget was well spent on construction, insulation and furnishings, sourced from IKEA and Kmart.
Charlotte says she has now learnt to “embrace minimalism”.
She added: “I don't know how long we will stay in this space, but I can't imagine living anywhere else but a tiny home now.”
Now, Charlotte is in the process of building another small home for her grandmother and hopes to one day start her own company building and selling tiny properties.
She added: “I just want other females to know they are capable of anything.
“Anyone can build their future.”
Previously, we reported on the homeless teenager who became the first person to move into £40k jumbo jet-inspired "micro-home".
And the single girl who bought £130k flat with just a £10k deposit.
