She has designed tiny homes for six years and lives in one herself. What she asks buyers before they choose a plan, and the mistake she made in her own first home.

Stairs cost about nine square feet. See how five homeowners used that space instead, from a 399 square foot cottage to a 14 foot wide build.

Debra designed her own tiny home floor plan, then found a builder who would build it. Inside her custom tiny home, the bump-outs and the one-level layout.

Wanda sold her Florida house and built a 450 sq ft South Carolina tiny home on a foundation, debt-free. See the full cost breakdown and what she would change.