WHAT’S trending in college??!!
TINY HOUSES on college campuses are trending! College student millennials have been receiving student debt and Joe Weber, a Junior at University of Texas at Austin, has found a possible solution. After taking a college course, he has utilized skills that he has learned to create a 145-square-footed house on his friend’s property. The total for the construction is $20,000. In addition, with his change of living, he now has small utility and mortgage costs.
The Institute for college access & success states that, “Seven in 10 seniors (69%) who graduated from public and nonprofit colleges in 2013 had student loan debt, with an average of $28,400 per borrower. This represents a two percent increase from the average debt of 2012 public and nonprofit graduates” (http://ticas.org/posd/map-state-data). Looks like Joe is on his way to graduating debt-free!
In addition to the price, he says that this is a lifestyle for him. He was inspired by his childhood memories of tree houses and the simple living that he witnessed when recently traveling to Central America. He also wanted a sense of ownership after living in a apartment for some time and this was his solution.
Included in the house is a main loft bed, a bench that transforms into a cot for guests, storage/ cubby spaces as steps that lead to his bed, a built-in desk, and a small pantry. On the first floor, there is also a kitchenette that includes a sink (with a shower adjacent to it!), a stove, a water heater, and a mini fridge. In the future, he will be installing a toilet. To continue his goal of being environmental sustainable, he hopefully will be installing solar panels and a rain barrel.
He has currently built a 18-foot trailer to make the unit transportable. Looks like this trensetta is well on his way with the possible answer to the number of millennial college students out there with loan debts!