This Couple's DIY Tiny House Is A Real Stunner

for a truly intrepid couple there's no greater adventure than building a house together and today we're about to meet an inspiring couple who have diyed an incredible tiny house that allows them to spend more time in the great outdoors [Music] hi hilda how are you good thanks how are you i'm very well thank you good day michelle great to meet you yes thanks welcome here thank you very much i'm very excited to be here and super excited to see this beautiful home of yours thank you so first of all what was it that inspired you to build a tiny house i guess it came when we became residents in new zealand and we looked at some more permanent housing options and looking into mortgages and everything that didn't really suit us so um yeah tiny house was a really good option for us i never really fancied the idea of having a mortgage and i just liked a small house because i don't need a big house and for me i think itanius can be a permanent living solution because we still don't want to acquire any stuff anyway so that's probably the main reason that's yeah we've been enjoying here for almost three years now already and it's yeah it's great it's been perfect yeah because you both originally came to new zealand as backpackers didn't you and decided to stay yes yeah yeah as we were traveling around we just fell in love with the country and especially nature and we haven't left so i came to new zealand 10 years ago and you came here about 8 years ago and we met each other down south in the middle of the beautiful mountains and we love our hiking and going outdoors so um yeah we pretty much started doing that together and haven't stopped and we've done lots of hiking cycle touring yeah lots of adventures together yeah because of that lifestyle being in the outdoors all the time we always had the urge to travel and not work as much and that is one of the reasons we chose to build the tania so we would be more financially free and just lock up the door and go away for a couple months for traveling daily every every year and yeah the tiniest just gives us that freedom of movement because especially with all that experience backpacking it really does teach you about how little you really need doesn't it yeah that's right when we're hiking or cycle touring we can just lift whatever's in our bags and it's heaps so for us living in a tiny house we have a lot of stuff actually [Laughter] and now this tiny house just looks great you actually did this tiny house build as a diy project didn't you uh yeah we built everything ourselves it was a great project every weekend slaving away yeah it took us maybe a year to build it all and how did you find the process of diy building we loved it actually yeah we just sort of took it step by step most weekends we have friends come around we've made it a lot of fun and um yeah we actually really enjoyed it it was a great experience good relationship test we still together you survived it yeah it was perfect we just yeah things went quite smoothly actually we didn't have too many uh hiccups and issues along the way and this home is obviously beautifully built can you tell me a little bit about its design yeah the design came as we were building uh we had some friends who had some good ideas about using cedar and corner soakers so he said well oh yeah that sounds good let's go for it so we bought it and we built it so yeah as we went along things came about and this ended to be the result without yeah any idea beforehand which is quite cool actually yeah and in this build you utilized a lot of reclaimed materials didn't you correct yeah and we found lots of second-hand stuff at some of the places here around christchurch we started with just buying the secondhand windows and the doors and stuff and sort of build around that yeah fantastic such a good way of doing it and you've found a really really nice place to park it haven't you yeah we're pretty lucky yeah we love it that we can see the cows and the horses and the pukekos and yeah every day is different what we see out of the window and you've expanded as well you've planted all of these beautiful gardens yeah we love gardening we love um that we can eat from our garden every day pretty much and yeah just really happy with it yeah and it looks great who needs a supermarket when you've got a veggie garden like that right yes you haven't been in the veggie store for quite a while and i really like some of the extra little details that you built into this house as well like the flower box that you've built on top of the drawbar that looks so good oh thanks yeah i love my flowers um so yeah i just put the requests out and michelle builds it [Laughter] it's a good way of doing it yeah and what are you doing for power and water here uh we have normal power we just locked into the workshop from the neighbor and there's a well on this property so we use the well water as our supply with a small water tower that gives off enough pressure for the taps and the shower and what size is the tiny house uh it's two and a half meters wide and seven meters long yeah yeah and it's about four meters high great size yeah well the house looks so good from the outside and i cannot wait to see what you've built inside should we check it out yeah that's cool oh now this is just lovely immediately stepping in here you're just totally hit by all of this gorgeous timber in here it's everywhere yeah lots of rainbow we ended up with more remo than we actually planned on the ceiling and the floor it's yeah it's great yeah rimu is such a character-filled and beautiful timber it really just accentuates any home doesn't it yeah and it gives a real cozy feeling it's very nice and talking about that cozy feeling you've done such a great job of creating this wonderful little lounge look over here thanks yeah and we wanted to create a typical tiny house so far which can be used for storage and be turned into a guest bed at the same time so we made our own design and it works great fantastic always great to have that multi-function built into the lounge space isn't it because the storage is so valuable and it is nice to be able to have an option for a spare bed in a tiny house that's right yeah and great to see the wood stove in the corner there yeah the sparky looks yeah nice and gives lots of heat and there's so many different options but this was just the one that fitted best the way it looks and the design and the quality of it all it's been a great purchase and really happy with it brilliant extra storage up here which is very important yeah it's great um we've got pretty much all our hiking and camping gear in there and just anytime when we go away on a trip we take the baskets down and got everything we need nice and easy you've got a nifty transforming table here i see yeah the dining table we use it as a multifunctional item as well so we can flap it open for dining and it's easy and nicely tucked away when you don't need it very nice and then over here we have your kitchen and oh my gosh the timber on this bench is so beautiful yeah we're really lucky with a friend who does woodwork and had beautiful timber left over so he made a really nice benchtop for us and it's nice to see here on the bench you've also included this handy little fold up extension that's right um it's really handy if we have more people around to create a bit more bench space or if we have a really good cook up yeah we can create that extra space and if we don't need it we'll just leave it hinged down and i really like the design of this kitchen it definitely looks incredibly functional can you tell me a little bit about how it's all laid out here uh yo the kitchen layout started with a coffee machine that's the one we bought to keep everybody happy while uh helping us doing the builds very important so that was pretty much set in stone and the rest was just ordinary sized kitchen one of the demands from hilda i really wanted just normal size appliances in space to cook because we use it every day pretty much all day yeah and you've done a great job of fitting everything in well i like how you've got the extra bench space over there it definitely makes it very functional for two people to be working in the kitchen at the same time yes that's right it doesn't feel crammed at all and it definitely is an added luxury by having the washing machine in the kitchen as well isn't it yeah i wouldn't want to live in a house without a washing machine i totally understand and lots of storage in here yeah too much we don't even use all the storage we still got lots of space left so that is great and we also got the toe kick which we changed into drawers at the same time so there's another place of storage you've especially done a really good job here with your stair design because you've managed to build a lot of extra storage into here haven't you yeah we can just fit in all our clothes all our kits and stuff yeah and it's functional to walk upstairs at the same time and i really like the way that you've added the remo up here in the kitchen ceiling as well have you just taken the two by four supports and re-clad that in the reamer is that how that's done yes yeah we still had some remo left over so we sliced all the remo in half and pretty much glued everything on the beams to give it the feature and also additional strength to the to the structure excellent that is beautifully done and i really like the spice rack that you've added in there too yeah one of my favorite things in the kitchen actually yeah it turned out great because we used double wall because the showers on the other side and we had the space a little saying oh come to make there something with spices so we just started building it and it yeah cluttered again with with rumor and yeah this is what there was all this beautiful it turned into a lovely little feature there in the kitchen i really like that and then through the door there i'm guessing we have your bathroom that's right great can we take a look sure oh this is very nice i especially like with the way that this window is positioned it's so idyllic isn't it with the horse out there it really looks like a picture window yeah it doesn't it's changing every day again it's uh or horses or cows it's yeah it's very diverse yeah it's wonderful to have those rural views yeah yeah yeah good amount of storage in the corner there yeah that's right perfect for towels and just our toiletries and of course a compost material yeah excellent it is great to see the bamboo composting toilet there how are you finding that yeah it's nice yeah it's easy you just empty the bucket every week and doesn't need additional electricity and no fans so it's just easy and simple to use nice tidy vanity there as well yeah one of our other um little second-hand finds and it almost looks brand new and we paint hardly anything for it so yeah we love those little things excellent those little fines can really make a space kind of yeah yeah good sized shower in here too yeah normal size and we really like it that it has a bi-fold door so it's good for a small area but still a normal size shower also a great addition to the shower is the shower dome because after three years of showering we noticed that some of the paint is coming off uh and now they especially make them for tiny houses just having 100 ml height instead of 150. really yeah so that's a great addition to the shower for us absolutely and it's so cool that they're now actually making them specifically for tiny houses that's crazy yes yes perfect yeah i think that's uh it's a great solution for many definitely and then above us now we have your sleeping loft can we check that out definitely come on oh now this is just so nice and cozy up here yeah it is real it's real nice and cozy again because of all the remo and quite a big windows for being up here and it's nice for the fresh air and and the lights yeah it's it's perfect yeah that's what you really need in a loft especially on the summer days it's nice that we can open both windows and just have that breeze come through or in winter if we have the fire going a little bit too much before sleeping it's nice that you can just open them up yeah and i especially like this wonderful curvature that you've got on the roof up here how did that all come about well that just happened as we were building the roof because it's such a shallow angle and we got some braces in the roof so it ended up being quite a smooth end instead of having the dip points yeah very very nicely done so you've been living in the tiny house now for three years how are you finding life here we love it we still love it every day yeah it works perfect for us it's not too big and it's not too small it just gives you the freedom of doing stuff you we lock the door if you want to go on a big trip and we'll when we come back you don't have any issues with neighbors because you're being on somebody else's property of course it gives you the security as well there's already somebody on the property and that works the other way around when they are away we can look after the property with all the animals that's perfect yeah it's good and you're both such adventurous souls you love getting out into the wilderness so having a nice simple small home that's easy to lock up and lets you get out for more of your adventures must be such a good option for you yeah it is it just saves you of um having to pack boxes if you go overseas for a few months you use mitchell set you just lock up and it's there again when you come home yeah and especially having built this yourselves as a diy project you must just have such a wonderful sense of pride wrapped up in this home yes yeah every time especially if you've been away for a couple days or a week you've still got that urge for oh it's exciting to get back again because you know you've done it all yourself and that gives that extra feeling which you probably don't have if you just purchase the house which yeah it's a good feeling you've done such a lovely job with creating this home for yourselves can you talk to me a little bit about the budget that was involved in building this yeah of course i think the budget ended up being close to sixty thousand dollars uh of course that is mainly materials um because we did all the work ourselves yeah and we're really happy with it and especially utilizing all of the wonderful reclaimed materials it's just added so much gorgeous character in addition to helping to save a little bit of money on the build yes yeah and good for the environment at the same time which we really love so yeah it was win-win absolutely so what do you think the future holds for you both now oh that's a tricky question uh we don't really like to look ahead too far at the moment we're just enjoying being in new zealand and the outdoors and living in artanias and whatever comes we'll find out in in a year and two years we don't know yeah so we've lived here for three years now we still love it every day every morning when i get up and you're in the kitchen you're like oh yeah it's still really good design we planned it right and i guess when we started building we sometimes talked about maybe renting it out and if it would be overseas but i think we're a little bit too proud of it to actually do that here i think the location for us is a big part being outside with the animals you see cows and you see horses and the sunrise is different every morning so it's just nice especially summer you wake up you go outside pretty much 9 out of 10 times when it's nice weather and you just sit outside it's nice and quiet it's it's a nice lifestyle on a small lifestyle block for us yeah it's a pursuit of happiness really just every day you try to enjoy it and live in the moment you've both done such a beautiful job with this home this really is a wonderful project that you brought to life thank you both so much for sharing it thank you for coming thanks thank you hilda and michelle are such a fun-loving and adventurous couple and i really love the way that they've built a home that truly encapsulates their lives this is a great example of how downsizing a home really can upsize your life and there's no doubt in my mind that this house is going to facilitate some huge adventures for this couple in the future [Music] if you dream of hitting the open road and traveling all over the continent then this next giveaway from amaze is definitely one that you're going to be interested in the team at omaze are giving away an airstream caravel and a 2021 ford f-150 you can set out for adventure with your very own airstream caraval 20 fb that comfortably sleeps for as well as a brand new 2021 ford f-150 lariat to tow it with you can hit the road and explore like never before the airstream caraval is perfect for trips with friends or family forget roughing it because this new 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Channel: Living Big In A Tiny House

Views: 983,980

Keywords: living big in a tiny house, tiny house, tiny home, tiny house tour, small spaces, small space design, architecture, home design, alternative living, diy, diy tiny house, tiny house building, tiny house 2021, bryce langston, living big

Id: ReFSrLSTUvQ

Length: 17min 17sec (1037 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 23 2021