A couple built their home themselves to save money. Their mortgage is less than $900 a month.

• Maddy and Drew Olson wanted to own a home, but they didn’t want an expensive mortgage.
• They bought a lot and built a house themselves in Washington, setting their budget at $209,000.
• Because they built the house themselves, their mortgage is less than $1,000.

Becoming homeowners has long been a goal for Maddy and Drew Olson.

Olson wanted the home to feel sunny.

The Olsons hope their current home enables them to build something larger down the line.

Olson credits their self-build as the reason that the dream is feasible.

“We’re in a really good position now where if we found a lot tomorrow, we would be in a position that we could buy it,” Olson said. “We couldn’t buy it cash, but we could buy it and build a house and be able to rent this out.”