Alek Lisefski was tired of paying rent in high-end towns like Santa Monica and Boulder so he decided to build his own house on wheels. He and his girlfriend Anjali Krystofiak moved in with her parents and put their rent money toward building Alek’s design. With no construction experience, it took Alek 6 months (while simultaneously working as a web designer) and $30,000 (this was his dream home so he used higher-end materials) to complete the 240-square-foot home.

When Anjali enrolled in graduate school in Northern California the couple hitched up their home and towed it 2300 miles from Iowa to Sebastopol, California. Here the median home price is over $600,000 and median rent is $1850. Alek and Anjali are parked behind someone else’s home and in lieu of paying rent they maintain the landscaping. (See The Tiny Project for the couple’s blog and their house plans for sale).