After a contractor quoted them $63,000, a woman and her husband built her mom a tiny home for half the cost

Heidecker, 32, lives in central Texas with her husband and four children, ranging in age from 5 months to 7 years. In 2024, amid some health issues, Heidecker's mother moved onto the property in an RV.

"We decided it was the best move to have her a little bit closer," Heidecker told Business Insider. "And it worked out."

Heidecker said her mom was happy to be closer, but she liked that the RV gave her independence.

"It was important for her to have her own space," she said.

Meanwhile, Heidecker and her husband built a barndominium on their property for their family and moved into it in March of 2025. When the project was finished, they started talking about creating a more permanent space for Heidecker's mom.

They knew they wanted Heidecker's mom to continue living with them, but they weren't sure if the RV would be a long-term solution.

"We started just playing with the idea of building a shell and a little barndo like ours, but tiny," Heidecker said. They started referring to the future home as a "tiny casita."

Heidecker and her husband looked into quotes for a contracting team to build a small barndominium they hoped would be about 20 by 20 feet, or around 400 square feet. Heidecker said she was shocked by the pricing.

"We got a couple of quotes for two different sizes," Heidecker said. "One of them was a 20-by-30 for $97,000 turnkey."

She said they also got a quote for a 20-by-15-foot home for $63,000.

The estimates they got for having a team handle all the work on the house were beyond the Heideckers' budget, so they decided to do as much of the labor as possible themselves.

Heidecker and her husband didn't have professional building experience before building the tiny home.

"He's a pilot by trade," Heidecker said of her husband. "While he was getting his career started, he did work a few months building a tiny container home, so he picked up a few things here and there."

For anything her husband didn't know how to build, they researched it themselves.

"We were literally looking everything up and watching videos and just figuring everything out," she said.

In September, Heidecker's mom went to Mexico for about six weeks to visit family, so Heidecker and her husband decided to use the time to bring the tiny home to life.

They designed the layout themselves but hired builders to create the exterior shell and pour concrete for the flooring because it would have been too challenging for them to do on their own with no experience.

They also had professionals handle the electrical wiring to ensure it was safe.

Heidecker's husband is a pilot, while she's a content creator and stay-at-home mom. Since they're both busy, they had to be strategic to make time for the home.

"As he would get out of work, it was like, 'OK, let's go to work and let's go do this,'" Heidecker said. "And it was a lot of work."

Heidecker also said it was "crazy with the kids," because her mom wasn't there to help watch them while they worked on the house. She tried to keep them out of the way when her husband was working, and she provided hands-on help when her children were sleeping.

"I definitely did let him take the lead on it," she said about her husband, adding that they made sure to work together as a team, though there were a few arguments along the way.

"He was thinking about what was easier to build, and I was thinking more about the aesthetics of it," Heidecker said. "But we were like, 'OK, this just made our marriage stronger.'"

The Heideckers used the look of their own barndominium to create the tiny home.

It had the same black roof and framing, as well as the white walls.

"They literally are matching, but it's just a mini house," Heidecker said.

Heidecker and her husband created the layout for the tiny home themselves, rather than following a premade design, to ensure it would work for Heidecker's mom's life.

"Basically, you open the door, and it's this open area of the living room, the kitchen with the laundry area, and then her bedroom is in the back and the bathroom right next to it," Heidecker said.

The space has white walls, and windows ensure it receives ample natural light.

They decorated the living area with a couch, a printed rug, and plants that bring life to the space.

"It's just so cozy," Heidecker said. "It's small, but at the same time, it's so livable and is such a good space."

They've even considered doing a staycation in the tiny house if they ever want to decompress.

Despite the small square footage, the kitchen has a full-sized oven, stove, and refrigerator.

It also features an island with a butcher-block countertop, which complements the wood cabinetry lining the space.

It has a washer-dryer as well, so Heidecker's mom doesn't have to come to the main house to do her laundry.

The bedroom sits at the back of the house and is large enough for a queen-sized bed, despite the home's small square footage.

It also features a built-in closet and space for a dresser, so there's no shortage of storage.

The construction ultimately took eight weeks instead of six, partly because the team that built the shell needed a full two weeks, as Heidecker told Business Insider.

Heidecker's mom moved into the tiny home in November 2025, though the bathroom wasn't finished yet.

"We do still have to finish the shower, but due to the holidays and budget and all that, we're waiting until the beginning of the year," Heidecker said.

Heidecker's mom has been showering in the main house in the meantime.

Given the estimates from professionals were $97,000 or $63,000, Heidecker said her family felt proud they were able to complete the tiny home for around $33,000, which included everything from the shell to insulation. Heidecker thinks they saved the most in labor costs.

"I really think that at least in labor, we were probably saving about $20,000 or so or more," Heidecker said.

She also said they sought discounts when buying home supplies.

"We pretty much bought everything at Lowe's," she said. "We did a lot of bulk buying, so we got really good discounts, and they had some good sales on appliances."

Heidecker added that it felt like there was a time when they went to Lowe's daily to ensure they were taking advantage of sales.

"We bought a few things that were on sale for Black Friday and on Amazon, so we got good deals on that, too," she said.

"We probably could have made it slightly bigger but kept it within the same budget," Heidecker said, particularly because she plans for her mom to age in the space and would want it to be easily suited for wheelchair use if needed down the line.

"We plan on her being with us forever, as far as I know, and we just never know where her health could go," Heidecker added. "Having just a little bit more space would have been nice, but the shower is big enough."

Heidecker also said she wished they had made the house sit a little higher.

"I think this would probably be the biggest mistake," she said. "The concrete, we needed it to be slightly lifted, just a little bit more than it is. But we can work with that. There are other things that we can do to fix it."

Heidecker said it made her happy to have a more permanent space for her mom and that it makes her mom "feel more at home."

Additionally, her kids adore the tiny house and often walk across the yard to have sleepovers at their grandmother's house.

"My 2-year-old, we have to keep an eye on him because he'll literally get out of the house and walk to grandma's house," Heidecker said.

For anyone wanting to take on a similar project, Heidecker recommends enjoying the process, even when it gets difficult.

"It's so fun, especially when you're doing it yourself," she said.