Katie Hoagland, a senior at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, in Melbourne, Florida, recently joined the likes of teenage builders Sicily Kolbeck and Austin Hay by successfully completing her own tiny house. Spurred by a commitment to environmental sustainability and helped by her father and an uncle who’s a general contractor, Katie took about five months to finish the 96-square-foot trailer shell she purchased from Wind River Tiny Homes.
Appropriately enough, Katie’s house gets all of its own electricity from solar power that runs the LED lighting and ventilation fans. A propane tank powers the refrigerator and the water heater that supplies hot water to both the shower and kitchen sink. Add in a composting toilet, and you have a house that’s completely off-grid without sacrificing any creature comforts. It is on the smaller end of the tiny house range, but the sleeping loft adds another 48 square feet and can accommodate a full-size bed.
