When Yeli Heidecker and her husband, Benjamin, both 32, decided they were going to downsize to a barndominium — a building designed to look like a barn, but with a traditional living space inside — they started looking for the perfect lot.
In early 2024, the couple purchased a two-acre lot in west-central Texas for $45,000 and began construction on the barndominium. Around the same time, they convinced Yeli’s mom, Liliana Villanueva, to move down and live in an RV on the property.
Yeli says Villanueva was experiencing some health issues at the time. And because she is a stay-at-home mom and content creator, Yeli says it would be easy to be around to help her mom. Plus, the idea of having her kids’ grandmother close by sounded amazing, she adds.
The couple was able to build Yeli’s mom a tiny home for under $32,000.
Yeli Heidecker
But shortly after the couple moved into the barndominium in late 2025, they began considering a more permanent living arrangement for Villanueva, Yeli says.
“We were afraid she was gonna trip and fall and hurt herself or something. We had the bright idea to do a tiny barndo like ours, but we’ll do it ourselves,” Yeli tells CNBC Make It.
Going the DIY route
Before taking the DIY route, the Heideckers obtained quotes for a small barndominium measuring about 400 square feet. The quotes ranged from $63,000 to $93,000, so they decided the best option was to do it themselves and stick to a $30,000 budget.
On top of that, Yeli and Benjamin decided to surprise Villanueva by building the tiny home while she was in Mexico visiting family for six weeks.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat it, it was chaotic,” Yeli says. “It was definitely hard, but at the same time, it was so incredibly fulfilling and amazing to see all the work we did.”
The couple hired contractors to handle the shell, electrical work and concrete flooring for the barndominium. The rest of the work, including installing the kitchen, painting the house and putting up the walls and drywall, was done mostly by Benjamin, Yeli says, but she helped out when she wasn’t taking care of their four young children.
“It was special because we built this for Abuela,” Yeli says, using the word for grandmother in Spanish. “It was emotional seeing it finished because of all the memories of my husband and I working on it. It feels like it bonded us on a deeper level.”
The bedroom is big enough to fit a queen-sized bed.
Yeli Heidecker
When Villanueva returned to Texas in November 2025, she moved into the tiny home even though it wasn’t fully finished.
“It was the most beautiful surprise I could have found after getting back from my trip. I am very happy with it,” Villanueva tells CNBC Make It. “I laugh because the house is small, but I have absolutely everything I need. It’s perfect. I love that I’m close to my daughter and my grandchildren. I feel protected and feel safe.”
“As immigrants, when you come here, you’re fighting the American Dream, and while she’s never owned a home on paper, just seeing her have that for herself was very emotional,” Yeli adds.
Inside the tiny home
The one-bedroom, one-bathroom tiny home fits a washer and dryer as well as a full-size oven, stove and refrigerator. The Heideckers created the layout of the home with Villanueva’s specific needs in mind.
The tiny home has a washer and dryer, and a full-size stove, oven and refrigerator.
Yeli Heidecker
As of January, the only remaining task is tiling the bathroom, which Yeli says will happen soon.
Here’s a breakdown of the major expenses for the tiny home, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. All expenses are rounded.
- Trim: $250
- Paint: $350
- Flooring: $600
- AC mini split: $750
- Cabinets: $1,300
- Plumbing: $1,500
- Drywall and lumber: $1,700
- Electricity: $1,775
- Appliances: $2,000
- Insulation: $2,100
- Miscellaneous: $6,500
- Barn shell: $12,500
In total, the home cost $31,325, including a number of miscellaneous expenses, such as power tools, countertops, lighting and faucets.
Because the tiny home is on the same property as the Heideckers’, it doesn’t have separate utility bills. Instead, the couple covers all monthly expenses, such as water, electricity and gas, while Villanueva pays about $100 a month for cable TV.
Villanueva says she loves that the tiny home has everything she needs.
Yeli Heidecker
Since Villanueva moved in, Yeli says the only thing the couple regrets is not making the tiny home a little bigger, specifically in the bedroom. But for the mother and daughter, the best part is being able to live next to each other.
“It’s nice to see my kids being able to have Grandma just there, especially after we lived away from family for a very long time,” Yeli says.
Although the tiny home isn’t officially finished, Yeli and Villanueva say the barndominium and tiny home are their forever homes, respectively.
“I’m doing very well here and have no plans on ever leaving,” Villanueva says. “I have it very good here and get to enjoy it alongside my family.”
The couple built the tiny home to look like a mini version of their house.
Yeli Heideck
Despite how chaotic the process was for the couple to get the tiny house done in such a short amount of time, Yeli says she would do it all over again — and recommends it to others, too.
“It’s definitely worth it if you have aging parents, but even if you don’t have an aging parent, having a special unit for someone, or when you have family coming over, or something like that, it’s nice,” Yeli says.
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