In 2024, I purchased a piece of land with a dream: to one day build a home of my own. When traditional financing wasn’t an option, I chose a different path—I decided to build a tiny house myself using my small savings account, determination, and a lot of hard work. I broke ground in June 2025 by hand digging 12 foundation footings and slowly began turning an empty piece of land into a future home. By July, I had poured the concrete footings. By the end of that month, the floor joists and subfloor were complete. In August, I started framing walls, and after months of steady progress—and the help of a friend who stepped in during a winter layoff—we had all four walls standing by October and a roof in place by the end of March. This isn’t just construction. It is years of saving, countless hours of physical labor, learning new skills, and building something with my own hands because I believe owning a home is still possible.
Due to significant delays in the building permit and inspections, I intentionally paused parts of construction and left the windows and doors out until everything was approved. I was trying to do things the right way and avoid having to redo work later. Then on May 28, 2026, everything changed. A powerful windstorm swept through the canyon with sustained 70 mph gusts. The open space where the sliding glass door would eventually go created enough lift for the wind to rock the structure. The concrete ties connecting the floor to the footings failed, and my tiny house came down. The roof and front wall were thrown more than 50 feet into my neighbor’s property, while the floor shifted several feet backward. After nearly two years of work and materials purchased from my now-depleted savings, I’m left starting over.
I’m asking for help—not to skip the work, but to regain the ability to rebuild what I worked so hard to create. Every donation will go toward replacing lost materials and helping me continue building the safe, stable home for my daughter and I that I’ve already invested so much of myself into. Thank you for reading my story, for sharing, and for any support you’re able to offer. Every bit helps more than you know.
Due to significant delays in the building permit and inspections, I intentionally paused parts of construction and left the windows and doors out until everything was approved. I was trying to do things the right way and avoid having to redo work later. Then on May 28, 2026, everything changed. A powerful windstorm swept through the canyon with sustained 70 mph gusts. The open space where the sliding glass door would eventually go created enough lift for the wind to rock the structure. The concrete ties connecting the floor to the footings failed, and my tiny house came down. The roof and front wall were thrown more than 50 feet into my neighbor’s property, while the floor shifted several feet backward. After nearly two years of work and materials purchased from my now-depleted savings, I’m left starting over.
I’m asking for help—not to skip the work, but to regain the ability to rebuild what I worked so hard to create. Every donation will go toward replacing lost materials and helping me continue building the safe, stable home for my daughter and I that I’ve already invested so much of myself into. Thank you for reading my story, for sharing, and for any support you’re able to offer. Every bit helps more than you know.