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Jun 11, 2023

An Ohio Couple Spent $100,000 to Build Tiny Home Out of a Grain Silo

Matt and Shelley Carter transformed a used grain silo into a 500-square-foot tiny home in Hocking Hills, Ohio. The Silo Cottage is the couple's third and newest tiny home, which is available for rent

Matt and Shelley Carter transformed a used grain silo into a 500-square-foot tiny home in Hocking Hills, Ohio.

The Silo Cottage is the couple's third and newest tiny home, which is available for rent on Airbnb for $285 a night, or through their company's website, Hocking Hills Cottage Company. The home has 25-foot ceilings and a cozy interior for two guests, including one bedroom and one bathroom.

"The Silo House was everything we expected and more," one guest wrote on Airbnb in June. "We couldn't have had a better experience. It's unique, extremely well done, quiet, and private."

Here's how Matt, 36, and Shelley, 43, built The Silo Cottage.

The Carters began building the tiny home in July 2021 and finished by September 2022. Matt, a contractor, told Insider that they paid for about 85% to 90% of the project out of pocket, putting the total cost at about $100,000.

Before The Silo Cottage, the Carters built two shipping-container homes, Nova and Luna.

Shelley said they found the used grain silo a few hours north in Ashland County, where farmers are often invested in grain crops. The silo is a large load to transport, so Matt and Shelley asked members of a local Amish community for help dismantling it.

Then, the couple, their parents, and a friend of Matt's helped transport the dismantled silo to Hocking Hills, where the group reassembled it.

After building two shipping-container tiny homes, Matt and Shelley said they chose a grain silo because they wanted a unique build.

"I regretted it about halfway through because of how much work it was to build in circles," Matt joked.

Shelley said many people think The Silo Cottage is also a shipping-container home, but she and Matt built the house's wings — where the bedroom and bathroom are located — with wood frames.

The wood frames help The Silo Cottage match Nova and Luna's exteriors, giving all the tiny homes one cohesive aesthetic.

Matt said that the lack of corners meant renovations on the silo were slightly harder than the ones on the shipping containers. One particular sour point was installing studs, which are wooden boards used to frame the inside of a home.

"The silo is by far the hardest build I've ever done in my life," Matt said. "You think you know numbers until you start going in circles, and it makes a difference. It definitely took a toll on my mind."

He added: "I actually built the walls once, tore them down, and then rebuilt them a different way, just to make it easy."

According to Matt, hanging the home's drywall was a hassle because it didn't easily bend around the circular shape. Plus, the ceiling is covered in tongue-and-groove boards, which meant Matt had to make 867 cuts in the ceiling to install each piece properly.

Matt said he did the plumbing, electrical work, and other needed elements for a tiny home with the help of Shelley. They haven't relied on construction crews yet.

"We just really enjoy doing this type of work," Shelley said, adding that designing and building houses is one of the couple's favorite things to do.

And it's paid off. The money Shelley and Matt made from the Hocking Hills Cottage Company allowed them to buy their dream home: a 106-acre farm about two miles from the cottages.

Shelley reiterated that she and Matt built everything a guest sees in the house. While Matt handled much of the construction, Shelley helped design and decorate The Silo Cottage.

The living room has pristine white walls paired with hardwood floors and an exposed-cedar ceiling, where a chandelier hangs above the couch. Behind the couch is the kitchen, which Shelley created with black cabinets and a black-tile wall. There's a table with two chairs nearby meant for meals.

Shelley said white walls with black and wood accents are her go-to aesthetic.

The smart TV sits above an indoor fireplace, which comes in handy, Shelley said. While their busy season is summer, they also schedule quite a few bookings during winter. Behind the TV and fireplace is black-wood paneling to match the home's motif.

The Silo Cottage has all the bells and whistles, including air conditioning, heating, an induction stovetop in the kitchen, a refrigerator, and WiFi.

Shelley's go-to motif continues into the bedroom, where the white walls are paired with a black accent wall at the head of the bed. The wood floors are covered in a patterned rug that matches the bedding.

The bedroom also has a TV mounted on the wall so guests can watch their favorite shows while relaxing in bed. From the bed, guests can also see some of the grain silo's circular walls, which the couple left partially exposed.

The Silo Cottage's hardwood floors extend into the bathroom, with one wall accented with gray wallpaper. There's one shower, a vanity mirror, and one toilet. Like the bedroom, guests will notice part of the grain silo's shape exposed as a fun feature.

The Carters took advantage of the expansive property by creating a spacious backyard. The space features a hot tub, two individual porch swings, and a gravel walkway that leads to the seating area.

One guest who stayed at The Silo Cottage wrote it was "an excellent getaway" in one Airbnb review.

"A very unique and beautiful place with all the comforts of home, including Hot Tub, Fire Place, His / Her Swing, and Grill," they wrote. "I would highly recommend this place to anyone who wants to get away and enjoy a quiet, peaceful getaway!"

Shelley said seeing similar reviews made their building experience worth it. Recently, one guest noted that the space felt personal to Shelley and Matt.

"I said, 'It is so personal because every blood, sweat and tear, that's me and my husband,'" she said. "It's been life-changing for us."

Axel Springer, Insider Inc.'s parent company, is an investor in Airbnb.

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