Dale Cocca is building a house. Not just any house, a tiny house.

Home design is something he’s always been interested in, but it wasn’t until last May before it came to life.

“I want to make sure I’m taking attention to make is exactly right, this came out all right,” said Cocca, of Syracuse.

He’s been working on it for more than a year. When he’s not working on it, he’s likely hosting trivia somewhere in Syracuse. On Thursdays, you can find him at Beer Belly Deli. There, he is well liked and draws a big crowd.

Eventually when he’s done with work, he wants to come back to a home that is about 200 square feet, every inch of which is carefully considered.

“It’s nice when you’re building something. You don’t have to worry about an expensive change order, you just have to be OK with undoing the work you already did,” said Cocca.

His motivation is wanting something practical and low-maintenance.

“I like the idea of it doing what it needs to use. How many houses have a dining room that doesn’t get used?” said Cocca.

Plus, it reduces his ecological footprint and helps save money.

He estimates all the materials he needs will cost around $35,000. A big chunk of that is for the solar panels for electricity.

The home is designed to be off the grid, meaning it likely won’t be connected to gas or water wells.

To supplement, he plans to collect water from off the roof and use a tankless hot water heater.

“The point is I basically have to conserve resources," said Cocca.

Dale says the hardest part of building a tiny home isn’t the actual work, but the decisions he has to make along the way. He hasn't made the biggest decision yet.

“ 'Where are you going to put it?' It’s a really good question. I don’t have a great answer for it right now,” said Cocca.

He expects to have that answer by the time he finishes.