The buzz term ‘housing crisis’ slips from the lips of every politician on Earth looking for a vote, and every young person seeking escape from the monthly extortion of rent. The general solutions suggested are enormous in scale and fearfully expensive. But actually, there is a tiny way out.

Finding a new home is never, ever, easy no matter the reason behind the move; young people looking for independence, mature people looking to scale down (while still being able to live it up) and of course the need for aged care and housing for older Australians.

The newest solution (which also happens to offer biggest bang for your buck) would have to be a ‘tiny house on wheels’. A complete home for as little as $50,000 (some as low as $40,000) delivered on a registered trailer. Before your preconceived ideas ruin this elegant solution, consider the product.

A tiny house, as defined by the Australian Tiny House Association is a moveable dwelling suitable for permanent residential use with self-contained amenities and services and the option to be grid connected.

See? The big problem has a small solution.

Young people are more likely to be able to save say, $90,000, rather than $290,000. And the investment in the Tiny House (unlike rent money) has on ongoing value in the resale market.

In the multi-generational housing situation, there is often a large renovation cost involved in adaption, not to mention Council intrusion, however in the Tiny House scenario the younger family might stay in the big house (for a fee one hopes), while Mum can have a brand new, tiny home in the back yard. And then, if ageing becomes tricky, family is right there when needed and aged care accommodation (another social sticking point) might be avoided. Surprisingly, there is also a growing market of single women in their 60s.

Michael Duffy is the boss at Highland Tiny Homes, where he and his two sons have built a reputation for creating state of the art tiny homes in the picturesque Southern Highlands of NSW. Their designs/architecture are extraordinarily cunning, a puzzle of problems resolved into a multi space home. Smaller, in this case, is far more impressive than bigger.

“We found a few younger couples who have bought our places, and after a couple of years have saved enough for their deposit, and after five years they’ve got all their money (that they spent on the Tiny House) back,” says Duffy.

The move, he says, with a smile, does make for some re thinking on the buyer’s part. “People have to pair back, they have to divest, part of the price is ditching those twenty pairs of shoes”.

Image: Delilah 6000 tiny home / https://alphalinetinyhomes.com.au/delilah-6000/

But aside from that sacrifice, new tiny homes offer a great deal. They have fully tiled bathrooms, many have double French doors and giant picture windows. Power is by way of solar panels and batteries, (though most can also be connected to mains where available), waste is handled via a plumbed toilet (or a compost toilet), water comes in from whatever source is available and the rest is like any full-sized home, with options varying from triple glazing to loft bedrooms.

But there must be rules you say, and you’re right. If a tiny house keeps its wheels under it, it falls under the rules of a caravan/vehicle. And a caravan can park on private property just about anywhere. If, however, a tiny house is placed on skids, or on a cement foundation, it does become red tape magnet, and a DA becomes involved.

Encouragingly councils around the country are starting to see how these portable homes have a future in housing, with many councils in WA, VIC and at least one in NSW developing positive, pro tiny house, policies. The list of manufacturers, understandably, is growing.

Since its inception Highland Tiny Houses has sold over 100 homes, with an ever-changing clientele.

“In the beginning 50 percent of our business was AirBnB, but now residential clients make up 60 percent of our order.” Attendance at Tiny Homes annual conventions is now in the tens of thousands, with crowds admiring the beautiful, sometimes even glamorous interior finishing.

Enter Mel Brown. An experienced interior designer, who has a particularly rare subset of talents; she also designs for tiny houses.

“Every design has its challenges,” says Brown, who was intrigued when Michael Duffy called her five years ago.
“I hadn’t done a tiny home and I said let’s see what we can do.” The relationship has thrived, and the interiors of these homes are solid, warm, friendly and quite chic.

“We generally work on one design a year. We work out together who the target market is.”
Considerations are different when designing for a tiny house – whereas budget and product longevity are always important, with a tiny house weight is also a consideration (there is a five-tonne limit on tiny houses), as are strong fittings that can handle travel.

Not an issue for a Potts Point pied de terre.

For Brown, the work has added to her design concepts.
“I’m now able to offer somebody in a standard size home more options of how to use their space, of utilizing space differently.”

Tiny houses, as a permanent dwelling, is a fresh concept in the bewildering labyrinth of housing shortages.

Will there be cowboys? Yes, buyer beware until regulations settle in.
Will some councils have issues? Yes, until they are educated.

Is it a no brainer solution? Yes, with a capital Y.

Main Image: Envato

Prue Miller

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