Grace and Jacob Kocher, 26, had been living in an RV for three years when they decided it was time to find a place to settle down.
“We lived mostly on the road for years and had a history of living small, so we knew we wanted our next step to be small as well,” Grace tells CNBC Make It.
The Kochers traveled to 25 states before settling in Florida, where they spent several months looking at tiny houses. Grace saw an article about old cabins from Disney’s Fort Wilderness for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Fort Wilderness is a camping resort in the Magic Kingdom Resort Area at Walt Disney World Resort.
The Kocher’s moved into their Florida cabin this August.
Grace and Jacob Kocher
When Grace saw the listing for a one-bedroom, one-bath, 500-square-foot cabin for $49,900, she immediately sent it to her father. Her family had spent many years vacationing at Fort Wilderness. Like Grace, Jacob had lived in cabins throughout his childhood.
“We grew up going to cabins, and when this came along, I knew right away that we were going to have to put a lot of work into it, but it seemed like a really good option,” says Grace. “It was a good price for what it was.”
Grace and Jacob saw tiny homes selling for over $100,000 and were determined to keep the cost under $125,000 with financing options. They didn’t want to have too much debt, the couple says.
Jacob says he knew buying the cabin could be a smart investment for them.
A look at the bathroom before the couple began the renovation.
Grace and Jacob Kocher
“We were looking for a long time and it was kind of hard to make a decision. But when this came up, I knew we had to see if we could do it,” says Jacobs. “We were most passionate about how the inside of the cabin looked, and we liked it a lot more than most of the other homes we looked at.”
Although the couple wasn’t allowed to see the cabin in person before agreeing to buy it, Grace says she felt good about making the decision based on the photos.
“We got really lucky with this one because there wasn’t a lot of damage, unlike others we saw for sale,” says Grace. “I guess I didn’t think too much about it, other than the fact that it was a lot more economical for us than getting something like the regular module in-house.”
“I also had peace of mind because it was built in 1998, so I knew it was built to last. It also came from Disney World, and they always do things the right way,” she adds.
All furniture and appliances inside are included in the sale of the cabin.
Grace and Jacob Kocher
Grace and Jacob signed the bill of sale in April and paid $53,375, including taxes, for the cabin. It was delivered to them in June in a semi-giant, which Jacob admits was an overwhelming experience.
“It was a lot of mixed feelings because we didn’t know exactly what to expect,” he says. “But I think when it was parked in our lot, it was very exciting to see it there and see what we were going to do with it.”
“With any renovation, you don’t know where to start. We knew what the next steps were, but it was overwhelming to have so much in front of us,” adds Grace.
Since taking possession of the Disney Fort Wilderness cabin earlier this year, the couple has been busy doing much of the renovation work.
“We hired someone for the major major things like plumbing and electrical. We had help here and there, but mostly we figured it out ourselves,” says Jacob. “It’s been really nice because nowadays you can just look something up on the internet and figure it out.”
The couple painted and updated the fixtures in the bathroom.
Grace and Jacob Kocher
“We were on our own at first, especially the first few months. We learned a lot about each other and figuring all this stuff out together was just a really fun experience,” adds Grace. “We can look back and say we’re really proud of what we were able to do together.”
The Kochers have declined to disclose how much they have spent on renovations so far.
Included in the purchase of the cabin were all the furniture and appliances inside. It had a set of double bunk beds, a sofa, TV and more. The two sold most of it to help with their renovation costs.
“We wanted to renovate it to be ours, so we ended up selling a lot of it,” says Grace. “It was really cool because we connected with a lot of people who really love Disney and were able to get a piece of the cabin without having to buy one.”
While cleaning out the cabin, Grace and Jacob found an old Fort Wilderness-branded hotel phone and random trinkets, including a miniature Sven, the fictional reindeer from “Frozen.”
The couple installed brand new appliances in the kitchen.
Grace and Jacob Kocher
The couple really wanted to make the cabin their own—they painted the kitchen, changed the kitchen faucet and other fixtures, the lighting, painted the bathroom, and added new furniture.
Grace and Jacob spent their first night together at the cabin in August. When they moved in, the renovations were not yet complete, but they were able to make the cabin livable.
“It’s crazy how quickly it felt like home,” says Grace.
The couple added a new sofa and painted the living room after taking possession of the cabin in June.
Grace and Jacob Kocher
The couple says they don’t see themselves parting ways with their Disney cabin anytime soon.
“It would be nice if we had a different adventure later in life and maybe make this more of a rental,” says Grace. “I know that life happens and that we may have to sell it at some point, but it would be nice if we could keep it and let other people experience it too.”
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