A Millennial spent $3,000 to build a tiny house on her family’s land

• Nikky de Graaf, 30, moved to the countryside to live in a cottage on her parents’ land.
• She tried living in the city during university, but found it too expensive and stressful.
• She spent $3,000 to furnish the tiny house and doesn’t feel like she’s missing out on life in the big city.

This essay, as stated, is based on a conversation with Nikky de Graaf, a 30-year-old photographer and YouTube content creator living in the Netherlands. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I have lived in the country most of my life. I was born in a very small town with a population of about 1,500 people. The school I went to had only 90 students in eight classes.

I was always curious what it would be like to live in the city. When I was 20, I finally had the chance to move to Utrecht – a city that is only 25 minutes by train from Amsterdam. — for the university.

There, about 45 minutes from my hometown, I lived in an old apartment building on a busy street. My room was about 160 square meters and I shared the kitchen and bathroom with other people on the same floor.

The rent was 450 euros every month, and that was almost 10 years ago. I’m sure prices have gone up like crazy since then. Most of the other tenants in the building were students like me, but there were also some professionals.

I only lasted a few months before moving out

I couldn’t really afford the rent and I really didn’t like the stress of the city. It was always crowded and full of people and sounds — I couldn’t relax.

My parents had divorced right before I went to university, and once I moved out of that tiny room, I ended up living with my dad for a few years, about 20 minutes outside of Utrecht.

My mother had remarried and around the time I graduated in 2020 with a degree in photography and communication, she and my stepfather were looking to move to a larger property in the countryside.

They wanted enough space for my grandmother to live with them. They asked my brother and I if we wanted to move too and we both accepted the offer.

But I still wanted to keep some of my independence

My brother and I chose to live in our own little houses on their land.

I searched online for a cheap mobile home and found one for sale a few hours away from where we live. I paid 1,500 euros, or $1,660, for it. It wasn’t in the best shape and needed a lot of work, but we didn’t have a lot of money, so the cheaper the better.

I spent another 1,250 euros to have it moved to the site by a professional small house moving company.

I started living in it right away, when we had no water or electricity, just a mattress and nothing else. But it was an amazing experience.

It took me a few months to get the place in shape. Now, it has everything I need: a toilet, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and living room. The entire cottage measures approximately 355 square meters and is made of wood.

With help from my father and brother, I built a deck in the front so I could have more outdoor living space.

My cabin is at the far end of the property, nestled under tall trees next to a pond. It has a beautiful view of the surrounding fields and I really like it.

We have a very small farming town and several smaller towns nearby. Depending on traffic, larger cities are about 40 minutes to an hour away.

My routine varies from day to day

Most of my income comes from advertising photography for companies, along with stock photography and video.

Since I started my YouTube channel, my daily routine has been a little more focused on farm work, since I shoot those projects for my channel.

I’m trying to grow my YouTube channel. Maybe one day it will be big enough to be my main source of income, but for now it isn’t.

My mornings usually start with waking up and taking care of the animals. We have chickens, horses, pigs, dogs and cats.

I assume projects to help maintain the property, such as gathering firewood for the winter or building and repairing animal shelters. I like to work with my hands.

I see my mother almost every day; sometimes I go to her house to say hello. I also spend time with my grandmother; she is getting old and i would like to be around if she needs my help.

There’s enough distance between my cabin and the house that we can’t see each other if we don’t want to, but of course it’s nice to interact regularly.

I don’t feel like I’m missing out on life in the big city

We have an extraordinary relationship with our closest neighbors. When the power goes out, everyone gathers around to see if anyone needs help. I think it’s amazing.

I can go out to eat and I like to do that with friends, we just need to travel a little further. And we may not have as many options as you might find in the city, but that doesn’t really matter.

I meet my university friends two or three times a year when I go to Amsterdam, because that’s where they live now.

I have some childhood friends who live in the countryside near me and I see them about twice a month.

I love this life and I don’t miss any of the city activities, because living in the country gives me many other things to enjoy.

In retrospect, I don’t think I really saw myself living in the city anyway, since I always wanted to be close to nature.

I like where I live now, but I would like to see more of the world. I think I might one day move to another country and live there in the country. I don’t think I will settle in another city.