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Playbook: How a Carpenter Went From Broke to a $6M Tiny Home Empire
How a Carpenter Went From Broke to a $6M Tiny Home Empire
Chris Broomfield was tired.
Not of the work—he loved that. Tired of building something beautiful, handing over the keys, and walking away with nothing but a paycheck. For 35 years, he built gorgeous custom homes with million-dollar views as a carpenter. But none of them were his.
Even with his skills, he was still living paycheck to paycheck. No assets. No equity. Nothing to pass down. So he bought 5 acres of land in Remsen, New York (population 3,000) for $27,000 and built a single A-frame cabin with his own hands.
Today, that DIY project has grown into a 5-unit tiny home village projected to make $680,000 in 2026 and valued at $5.5 to $6 million.
Here's how a carpenter took back control and finally built his own legacy.
The First Build: An A-Frame Built on Scraps and Weekends
Chris couldn't afford a crew. So he got to work.
He built his first A-frame for $90,000 (a crew would've run $160,000). He used scrap materials, worked weekends, and paid as he went. But he added one feature that changed everything: A bed that slid outside when you hit a button. Like sleeping under the stars, but with walls nearby.
That feature put Evergreen Cabins on the map. He launched at $60 a night to see if people would bite. The first 6 months earned $7,000. Then he nudged the rate up.
Year two: $70,000
Year three: $100,000 to $115,000
His cash-on-cash return hit 94%. For context, traditional real estate averages 8–12%.
The Viral Moment: 7 Million Views in a Week
The treehouse you see up there was his second build, inspired by his kids. They also had the wild idea for a cable bridge to cross a ravine. And he built it with their help.
One night, a guest with only 1,000 followers posted a TikTok of the treehouse. Within a week, it had 7 million views. Thanks to that exposure—and an experience people genuinely craved—both cabins booked solid for three years.
Since then, he's scaled to five cabins, each with its own Instagram-worthy wow factor:
Birch Falls—a spa cabin with an indoor waterfall.
The Container Cabin—framed with his daughter's drawings, featuring the slide-out bed from the A-frame and a sky bubble on top of a hand-painted silo.
The Tiny House—his personal retreat, barely marketed, just a place to crash when he was up working.
STR Results & Performance
Thanks to his exceptional craftsmanship, he build interiors and exteriors that raised the standard and felt like a one-of-a-kind design experience. But did reinvesting all his earnings and scaling fast work? Here are the numbers:
• 2026 projected gross revenue: ~$680,000
• Annual net profit (cash flow): ~$428,000
• Monthly overhead: ~$21,000 (mortgage, taxes, utilities, insurance, etc.)
• Valuation: $5.5 to $6 million
That's on 5 acres he bought for $27,000 in the middle of nowhere.
The Evergreen Cabins Playbook: What Chris Did Differently
1. He built a brand, not just a job.
90% of his bookings are direct. He owns the guest relationship. He's also built an email list with over 60,000 emails and an Instagram account with almost 200,000 followers.
2. He made it personal.
His kids designed the treehouse. His daughter's drawings are built into the container cabin designs. Those personal touches create a story and experience guests genuinely connect with.
3. He used his hidden advantage.
Chris is a carpenter. He built the A-frame for $90,000 instead of $160,000. He built the treehouse in 13 weeks instead of 9 to 18 months. You might not be a carpenter, but you have a skill that gives you an edge. Find it and use it.
4. He never dropped the ball on interiors.
The location is beautiful, but he didn't use the outdoors as an excuse to slack on the interiors. Every cabin has custom millwork and intentional, immersive design. It looks nothing like other cabins on the market.
5. He created a scroll-stopping wow factor for every stay.
The slide-out bed. The cable bridge. The interior waterfall. The sky bubble. Every unit has a signature feature guests can't get anywhere else.
Want to Read the Full Evergreen Cabins Story?
There's a ton more to learn from the Evergreen Cabins playbook. Read the full blog to see:
• The costly beginner mistake that lost him thousands (and how to avoid it)
• More amazing shots of his wildly unique cabins (a sky bubble...enough said)
• How he achieved 90% direct bookings and a 60k email list
• More strategies you can steal for your own STRs
Five acres changed Chris' life.
He quit his job, found a new purpose, and built generational wealth for his family.
And it's never too late to start building your own legacy.
Cheers,
The Host Camp Team
P.S. Check out Evergreen Cabins on Instagram and their website.
