Build a tiny house with no experience using ChatGPT for quantities, purchase order and cost-splitting, while catching frequent errors

Posted

Mar 7, 2026 by Simone Solazzo and Anne Leijdekkers, as told to Joshua Nelken-Zitser (Business Insider)

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Last checked

Oct 17, 2026

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Method:

How we verify

Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.

Outcome

With no building experience, Simone Solazzo and Anne Leijdekkers built a tiny home in the Netherlands over five months in 2025, asking ChatGPT questions constantly. It helped them think through deviations from the plan, do sums and measurements, work out quantities and buying order for around 250 items, and split costs between them. But they often doubted its guidance, and an architect friend showed its answers were frequently wrong; sometimes it stated false things when it didn't know. They relied on the friend and family for ventilation, insulation, electricity and water.

Agent

ChatGPT

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.

Let's work this out together. I'll tell you what I know, you suggest options and ask what you need, and we'll narrow it down step by step. Nothing gets booked, bought or sent until I say so.

Goal: Help me plan a big DIY build: materials, quantities, buying order and budget, while I check the technical details with an expert.

What I'll share as we go:
- Plans or drawings with measurements
- My experience and who can help me
- Budget and how costs are split
- Local building rules I know about

Safety first: if this involves gas, the electrical panel or mains wiring, structural work, or anything that smells of burning or gas, stop and tell me to call a licensed professional.

Rules:
- Show your working for every quantity and add a waste allowance.
- Group purchases by build stage so I buy in the right order.
- Say clearly when you're unsure; never guess on structural, electrical, ventilation or insulation questions.
- Mark anything that needs checking by a qualified builder, electrician or plumber.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.

Output: A staged materials list with quantities and costs, a buying timeline, and a cost split.

You'll know it worked when: I buy the right amounts in the right order and the expert checks back up the plan.

Let's work this out together. I'll tell you what I know, you suggest options and ask what you need, and we'll narrow it down step by step. Nothing gets booked, bought or sent until I say so.

Goal: Help me plan a big DIY build: materials, quantities, buying order and budget, while I check the technical details with an expert.

What I'll share as we go:
- Plans or drawings with measurements
- My experience and who can help me
- Budget and how costs are split
- Local building rules I know about

Safety first: if this involves gas, the electrical panel or mains wiring, structural work, or anything that smells of burning or gas, stop and tell me to call a licensed professional.

Rules:
- Show your working for every quantity and add a waste allowance.
- Group purchases by build stage so I buy in the right order.
- Say clearly when you're unsure; never guess on structural, electrical, ventilation or insulation questions.
- Mark anything that needs checking by a qualified builder, electrician or plumber.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.
- Keep a list of every answer I should double-check with an expert.

Output: A staged materials list with quantities and costs, a buying timeline, and a cost split.

You'll know it worked when: I buy the right amounts in the right order and the expert checks back up the plan.

Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.

Source

https://www.businessinsider.com/built-tiny-home-house-using-chatgpt-ai-useful-guidance-was-2026-3