Man Couldn't Afford To Buy A Home, So He Built One After Watching YouTube Tutorials

We live a world where getting on the property ladder is harder than ever before - particularly if you live in a major city like New York. Unless you're lucky enough to inherit a property (or a substantial amount of money), you're going to have to accept that renting is going to be your life, while, perhaps, putting back the odd $100 to buy a place when you retire.

Jason Miles from Nashville, Tennessee, however, was determined not to resign himself to this fate. Instead, he decided to get creative with what resources he had and, using YouTube tutorial videos, he built the home of his dreams.

Credit: Trip Advisor

This decision was, in part, the result of ever-increasing rents in big cities. His rent had gone up from $872 to $1,242 over a six-year period, the Tennesseean reported; that's an increase of 70%. And, as all renters know, he had absolutely nothing to show for the large amount of money that he was shelling out on accommodation.

But even when Miles finally resolved to buy a property of his own, he struggled immensely. Country Living reported:

"I spent all of 2015 perusing listings and going to open houses, only to have the homes that were in my price range snapped up by other buyers the day they came onto the market, or, in many cases, before the homes were even officially for sale."

Credit: Jason Miles

After this, Miles knew that if he was going to achieve his dream, his only option would be to think outside the box:

"As a native of Nashville, a lifelong resident born and bred here, I'm somewhat of a unicorn. Nearly a hundred people a day move to my city, and most come from other parts of the country where the cost of living is higher. Many come here with lucrative job offers in hand. Needless to say, they're bringing equity with them and can (usually) easily afford housing. For those of us who've been here a while, however, it's not so simple."

Credit: Jason Miles

Prior to deciding to build his own house, Miles was living in a tiny apartment that measured 600-square-foot. So, even though his new home looked small from the outside, it was bigger than his previous accommodation at 800-square-foot.

Better still, unlike other similarly small homes like RVs, the home is built on a solid foundation which means that its value won't decrease in the same way because it is, to all intents and purposes, a house.

Credit: Jason Miles

Miles revealed that he had to work for six hours during the week and 18 hours a day on the weekends, utilizing YouTube videos where necessary to build his tiny and, if I do say so myself, very cozy looking home.

"My home is definitely a labor of love that took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears," he said.

Credit: Jason Miles

Thanks to his decision to think outside the box, the Nashville native is saving an impressive $300 a month on rent. He's also making $20,000 a year interest on the land because he opted for a 15-year mortgage and not a 30-year one. And his tiny home has been valued at $40,000, which is more than what it cost him to build!

As the pictures above demonstrate, Miles' tiny home is equipped with a good sized bedroom, bathroom, living area, kitchen and even storage space for his guitars and speakers. Now that's what I call smart living.