Tag: tiny house

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Architecture

Tiny House owners call for consistent planning approach

Tiny Houses are now undeniably a viable solution as a housing option and they’re here to stay. People are demanding them and companies are supplying them, but councils, who are responsible for planning legislation, are often not quite there yet.

The Australian Tiny House Association (ATHA) says many councils are stretched to their limits with Covid issues, budget constraints and a lack of resources and quality research to deal with this new housing model. This all creates an environment of confusion and hesitation to take action.

But they have a solution: “After many hundreds of hours, we have assembled a policy template as a guide for government agencies, which develops a framework and a consistent approach to the assessment of tiny houses under a planning system,” says ATHA president, Kim Connolly. “The outcome would be to lessen the confusion, and create intentional, actionable steps for councils so the community has confidence that they are actively providing a solution.”

ATHA members, who are structural engineers, town planners, tiny house builders and dwellers, have worked together to create the Tiny House Policy Template for all of Australia. It is designed to be used by local government planning and building officers to support the legal approval of tiny houses in their local area. There is a keen focus on safety and compliance.

“Now, more than ever, tiny houses provide a home for young couples entering the housing market; people downsizing; older, single women with superannuation funds too small to buy an average sized house; grown up children moving home because of Covid 19 issues; transient professionals such as travelling nurses or teachers; emergency accommodation due to fires or domestic violence; people looking for a sustainable, low-impact lifestyle and anyone needing secure, affordable housing,” Kim says.

“Because of Coronavirus, the average Australian is in need of diversifying their income streams. A tiny house in their backyard not only creates affordable housing for the tiny homeowner but also brings much-needed financial help to the mortgage owner while limiting urban sprawl.

“Tiny house sales are increasing because they are so badly needed at this moment in time. They are not a fad, they are an answer and we are helping councils to fast track the approval process and get people housed.”

You can find the policy template and more information on tiny house living on the Association’s website.

Tiny Houses Australia: all you need to know

Categories
Design Expert Tips

Tiny houses Australia: Everything you need to know

Tiny house

Housing affordability remains a hot button issue in Australia and our response to it is becoming increasingly creative. There’s the growth in apartment living, the rise in multi-generational homes, chic granny flats and, arguably the most newsworthy, the tiny house trend.

In fact, one Blue Mountains tiny house example had been viewed over 27 million times on YouTube at last count. But when it comes to these diminutive abodes, just who is living in them and how are they being used? And what are some of the more practical considerations when it comes to living in a tiny house?

Hauslein's Little Sojourner tiny house
Häuslein Tiny House Co’s Little Sojourner model

“Most of our customers live in their tiny houses full time or use them as guest accommodation, however many people use them as a home office, weekender, granny flat or Airbnb,” says Sarah Rohdich, the co-founder of Port Macquarie’s Häuslein Tiny House Co. And it seems the demand for the tiny house runs across demographics with interest stemming from retirees, young families and increasingly, singletons, both young and old.

“Demand is being fueled primarily by housing affordability, plus a desire to simplify and live with more flexibility,” says Sarah. And while, from the outset, it looks like living in a tiny house could simplify your life, there are plenty of practical considerations to make when considering one.

Tiny house
Häuslein Tiny House Co’s ‘Sojourner’ model

Parking & council issues
“A key consideration includes parking. If you don’t already own land, a tiny house owner will need to find somewhere they can park their house long term,” says Sarah who explains there’s increasing interest in renting out land for tiny house use. Sites such as tinyrealestate.com.au provide a platform for landowners to advertise their land for this use.

“Council is another consideration. Because tiny houses are legally classed as a caravan, they can be parked on the same block of land as an existing home and have a household member live in them full time, without any council approval required,” says Sarah, who believes this applies across Australia.

Also, according to Sarah, a tiny house can be parked on a vacant block of land and used up to 60 days per year for no longer than 48 hours at a time, without any council approval. “If the tiny house is to be used for long term living on a vacant block, as a primary dwelling, council approval (a DA) will be required,” says Sarah.

Lounge & kitchen
Lounge & kitchen

Power
Like a traditional caravan, a tiny house comes with a regular power plug and garden hose connection, however they are fully functional off the grid too. “You can go off grid with a solar/battery system, composting toilet and independent water supply and drainage systems. How you’re going to handle power, water, drainage and sewage are important factors to think through,” says Sarah.

Bedroom
Loft bedroom

Space constraints
A tiny house makes no bones about the fact that it is in fact tiny, so whether or not you’d be comfortable living in a confined space is another factor to consider. “If you’re going to move into a tiny house long term, one final consideration is how you’ll go downsizing and adjusting to a smaller space. Obviously, tiny houses are built to maximise living and storage, however there will still be some adjustments, and you’ll find lots of ways to be creative.”

Bathroom & laundry
Bathroom & laundry

Cost
Sarah’s smallest tiny house model (the Little Sojourner) starts at $79,000 while her largest offering (the Grand Sojourner) starts at $110,000. There are a variety of available extras that can bump the price up – adding full off grid power, reverse cycle AC, keyless entry, an appliance package, light fittings, curtains and blinds will add about $30,000 to $40,000 to the total bill.

“When you think about it though, depending on which options you go for, you can have a fully functioning, high quality, ultra-comfortable and relocatable home for under, or just over $100,000.”

Hauslein's larger Grand Sojourner model
Häuslein Tiny House Co’s larger Grand Sojourner model

Photography: Scott Rohdich and Zane Wilson

For more on Häuslein Tiny House Co | Inner-city ‘dollhouse’ built on tiny block

Categories
Architecture Design Interviews

Tiny house Sydney: ultra modern and ultra small!

Tiny house

With its origins in sustainability and the simple living movement, the tiny house trend has been bubbling along for a while now and this latest one, located in the Blue Mountains just outside of Sydney, is a real treat. Sitting on 16 acres, the house is only 2.5 metres wide but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in ingenuity.

Tiny house

The house sits on a block that became available as a result of the bushfires that ravaged the area a few years ago. “The block came up for sale after the previous owner decided it was time for them to move on. After their house burnt down in bushfires, they weren’t in a position to rebuild,” says one of the home’s owners Lisa Tranter who shares it with her partner Matt Hobbs.

The compact kitchen looking up to one of the loft bedrooms. The stairs contain storage inside them.
The view from the compact kitchen looking up to one of the loft bedrooms. The stairs are storage compartments too. Clever!

Kitchen
Kitchen

But if you’re anything like me you’re probably wondering why you would build a tiny house when you’ve got all that space (literally 16 acres!) but Lisa explains it’s an issue of ethics. “Living relatively minimally makes you think about what you actually need versus what you want on a day-to-day basis. We don’t need much, the need for a big house goes against our ethics and the idea of living sustainably and minimally. Also, there really is only about an acre of land that is usable as the rest is dense bush and cliff,” says Lisa.

Main bedroom
Main bedroom

Initially inspired by the tiny house movement in the US, Lisa soon became obsessed with the idea and often found herself falling down the ‘tiny house’ social media rabbit hole for hours on end. “When Matt and I met, I spoke about tiny houses virtually non-stop, talking about ideas, companies already building and ways for me to get one. He started looking into them as well and as our relationship progressed, he thought it would be a good challenge,” says Lisa. Rather conveniently, Matt is a plumber by trade and runs his own bathroom and kitchen renovation business, Hobbs Bathroom Co, and thus built much of the home himself.

Matt and Lisa in their bedroom
Matt and Lisa in their bedroom

“We did most of the work ourselves, calling in favours from friends and family with tradie backgrounds to help when needed which definitely kept the cost down for us,” says Lisa of the home that was initially built on wheels with a view to be able to move it around in future. “The house is on wheels because we had planned to be able to move it however as we own the land and don’t intend on going anywhere any time soon, that’s kind of been made redundant. It’s still an option though should we decide to move,” says Lisa.

Bathroom
Bathroom

The multi-level property boasts 22 square metres of space on the ground floor coupled with approximately 10 metres in loft space and features two bedrooms, a kitchen, lounge room and full-size bathroom complete with double showers which is rather impressive for such a small footprint.

Double shower
Double shower

The other most notable feature is the cat run that is attached to the back of the property. “The idea for the cat run came about due to the bush surrounds. We didn’t want the cats to kill anything they shouldn’t like birds, frogs and lizards. Likewise, we wanted them to be safe, especially in summer when the snakes are active. And that’s not to mention the problems of kitty litter in a confined space,” says Lisa of her rescue cats.

Cat run
Cat run

And while the home is utilitarian it doesn’t suffer in a design sense with plenty of lovely details including a lounge room ceiling feature. “The light feature above the couch is made from recycled construction steel, vintage style bulbs, a few fairly lights and some fake plants. Matt and I have the ability to kill even the hardiest of plants, so we went for the fake ones for ease of care,” says Lisa

Lounge room
Lounge room

Unsurprisingly, the house has received a flurry of interest globally since YouTube creator Bryce Langston, of Living Big in a Tiny House travelled to Sydney to film the home on wheels – his video is now trending on YouTube and has been watched almost 13 million times!

Watch the video | Inner-city ‘dollhouse’ built on tiny block