Bryce: For some, Tiny Homes are a long-term solution.
B: For others, they're just a stepping stone.
B: We're about to meet a young couple who've built their very own Tiny House on wheels...
B:...which has now become a kind of "enabler" for them to now look ...
B:...at purchasing a larger house, where they can start thinking about...
B:...adding a few more members to the family.
B: Hey, how's it going? Holly: Hi there!
H: Good, how are you? B: Nice to meet you, Holly! H: Nice to meet you!
B: G'day Oli, how you doin', mate?
B: This, here, is a VERY impressive looking Tiny House!
H&O: Thanks!
B: She is a big one, as well, so ...
B: ... how big is this one, actually?
H: Ah, 7 metres by 3 metres (23 feet by 10 feet)
B: 7 by 3?
H: Yeah... so we went wider. B: Definitely.
B: Not one that you'll want to be transporting on the road very often?
H: No, for us it was always... the point was to move it just once or twice, and then just leave it...
H: ...onsite, and, yeah, we thought it was worth some extra stress transporting it for the extra space living in it.
O: So, I've always been obsessed with Tiny Apartments and things like that ...
O: ... and, um, I was actually just watching one of YOUR videos
O: ... the one on Brett*, and Holly saw it... (*Amazing DIY Off-Grid Modern Tiny House)
O: ...and was like "man, what's this, this is pretty interesting".
O: And so we watched it together, ay, and... H: And I said we should do it!
O: We should do it!
O: So, yeah, we started, like, taking things out on the floor and...
H: Yeah... O: Every time we were at the beach, drawing things in the sand and...
H: Yeah, we had, like, full-on tape measures and stuff
H: ....and we'd draw up floor plans, and we went through heaps of different designs... lots and lots of different plans.
H: All sorts of stuff ...
H: But basically the main thing that made us do it was just that we wanted the adventure.
O: Yeah, the adventure...
B: Well, the place looks REALLY nice from the outside.
B: Let's have a look on inside, see what you've done. H: Awesome, come on in.
B: What a lovely home!
H: Yeah, she's cool, hey? Thank you!
B: It's all so open and light, isn't it?
H: Yeah, that was a big part for us.
H: We have 9 windows and this tiny little space and it was always about making it light and airy...
H: ... and getting the sunshine in, all the time. O: Yeah
O: So we'd seen, like, a lot of those American-style Tiny Houses...
O: And they didn't really work for how we like to live and, um, you know, they're pretty amazing but...
O: ... we tried to take the "Kiwi approach" to it, you know - open plan...
O: ... big doors looking out onto the view and the deck. H: Yeah
O: It was the main thing we had in mind when we built it actually, was the light, bright open feel.
B: I really love what you've done here with this climbing wall.
B: This is such a clever way of getting into the loft.
H: Yeah, it's cool, ay?
H: So, it mainly...it was just that we didn't really...we didn't really know where a ladder could go ...
H: ... and we didn't really want to cut off any of that opening.
H: So, instead Oli, yeah, Oli decided on a climbing wall. I was pretty against it at the start...
H: But now, I really like it.
H: I think it's cool to have the "pops" of green and everything as well.
H: Lots of people were, um, a little bit "anti" having a climbing wall as the ONLY way to get up there!
H: But, you know, the whole thing about a Tiny House is, you built it for YOU, right ...
H: ... you don't build it for resale value or, for you know, anyone else, you build it for the people who are gonna live in it.
H: When we, um, if we watch movies and we have cups of tea and stuff...
H: ... we do have to pass it up, like, because it's quite hard to climb up with a cup of tea!
H: So yeah.... O: It's good, you get very quick at it too, ay?
B: Can I have a go? H & O: Yeah!
B: All right, everyone in the world can watch me fumble as I get up this thing.
B: Although, maybe I'm almost tall enough just to... I've really got an advantage here, ay?
O: You can just step up!
B: Oh - now that ... is cool! H: Yeah!
B: That is a seriously cool way of getting into a loft!
B: And, and what an amazing space this is ... I mean, comfortable, you've got all these cushions, awesome TV...
H: Yeah, so we wanted the TV to be up, out of the way, you know, we didn't want it to be the feature of the room....
H: ...because it's such a small space, so if there was a TV, say, right here on THIS wall...
H: ... it would be quite overpowering, but we did want to be able to watch movies and, you know...
H: ...TV shows and stuff, so we set it up, UP there.
B: While I'm up here, I really like the use of the LED lights, this is really nice.
O: Yeah, we stole them from Holly's auntie...
H: Yeah, my auntie, she had a fairy light chandelier, and we just thought it was a cool idea.
B: Well, I'm gonna climb on down and we can have a look at the kitchen.
O: Sweet H: Cool
B: This kitchen is really lovely, it's so open, it's so inviting.
B: You just want to get in here and start cooking, don't you?
H: Yeah, it's great, it's awesome.
H: We just, um, so, we wanted it to be a big enough space because we usually cook together...
H: .... so we wanted to have enough room.
H: And, I guess it still is a small kitchen...
H: ....but it just worked.
O: And one thing we wanted to do, that's because there's two of us living here ...
O: ... and we still live, you know, a very normal life.
O: We have "9 to 5" jobs and everything...
O: ... so we didn't want to compromise on too many things.
O: So our fridge is actually bigger than the last fridge we had.
O: We've got a full size oven, full size double sink.
O: You know, so we wanted to make sure that we could actually fit all those things in.
H: We did, um, we were gonna put in a gas hob - we actually bought a gas hob and everything...
H: ... but we just never got around to it.
H: And we used our little camping stove.
H: We cooked Christmas dinner on it actually, and so that's the ultimate test.
H: If you can cook Christmas dinner .... so yeah, yeah, it's been awesome!
B: Now this is something you don't see very often in a Tiny House.
H: A full table! B: A full dining table.
B: And I suppose as well, this is the sort of thing you can do, just by pushing it ...
B: ... that little bit further to that 3m mark, ay? H: Yeah
H: Because if it was 2.4m, you wouldn't really...you know, it's quite a luxury to have that much space ...
H: ... to have that big of a table. But it's such a usable space as well.
H: Like, we do use it for, you know, you sit down and you work here, you're on your laptop....
H: ... and all that sort of stuff? And obviously, you're doing...so I think it's amazing to have a table.
O: And one thing we didn't want to do is have all the "transforming" furniture...
O: Like that's...There's some really cool ideas but because there's two of us living in here...
O: ... you don't want to have to, you know, fold your bed up to make your coffee in the morning...
O: ... and what not, so same thing with the table, wanted to have proper fixed furniture.
O: It makes it feel more like an actual home as well, doesn't it?
H: Yeah O: Rather than a camping trip or something, you know?
H: Yeah, so we still do have a lot of the cool little storage solutions and that kind of thing...
H: ... that you have in Tiny Houses, you know.
H: But, yeah, it's just because there's two of us, we didn't want to have too many transforming things.
O: And we had the space to do it, you know ....that's what we decided from the start, make it a bit bigger.
O: Don't move it often, and we can fit in the things that we want.
B: Very nice, very comfortable looking lounge here as well.
H: Yeah, they're cool, those were old cushions that we actually took off some couches that we have ...
H: ...and up-cycled them and, yeah, there's all storage under there and that's why, obviously, you build a couch.
H: I think with all the upholstering and everything, it probably would have worked out cheaper to just...
H: ...buy a couch and put it in here but like, you know, in a Tiny House, you need to use the space.
H: You know, it needs to be storage. And under there, it swallows up so much stuff.
H: It's got all of our camping stuff, yeah, like backpacks, all that sort of thing.
B: And so your bathroom I'm guessing is through that door...is it?
O: Yep, just under here...
O: So this is the bathroom. H: Yeah
B: This is lovely.
O: So we managed to fit a full 900mm by 900mm shower and that's because...
O: ...we pushed out over the drawbar.
So that's where that sits. B: Right.
O: We've got a smaller bit still pretty big size vanity, standard composting toilet, and, yeah!
B: So what about this space here? What goes in there?
H: So that's the other part that was over the drawbar, obviously. And that's the washing machine.
O: Yeah, so that's our laundry. We've got a normal full-size household washing machine.
O: And just some coat storage, and, yeah. H: Yeah.
O: We didn't want the washing machine to be as noticeable as they are in a lot of other Tiny Houses.
O: So, we put it in there and you can shut your door and never see it again, so, it's good.
B: And, we've still got the sleeping loft to go.
B: Shall we have a look at that? H: Yeah, come on up.
H: So, we built it so that we could stand up....
H: ... beside the bed and get into the bed.
H: But I don't know if you're going to be able to stand up, Bryce!
B: Hey, that's such a neat idea, ay!
B: I can at least stand up here on the step. H: That's all right.
B: This is really good, it's really unusual to have this much space.
B: Where did you actually get this extra height from?
O: So, we hadn't seen this done anywhere, but we were thinking that some of your kitchen things...
O: ... they don't need to be full height, so, pantry, fridge, for example, don't need to be full height.
O: So we thought if you drop the floor above those, and then, you know, come up to the normal loft height...
O: ... then you basically "steal some height" to stand up in your loft.
O: Which I haven't seen in any other Tiny House.
H: So, it works, I think because we're both quite short.
H: So we can stand up here, but I think you're a little bit higher/taller and obviously, you can't.
O: Yeah, it's such a nice comfortable space up here, ay, we love sleeping in this bed.
O: We have the best sleeps.
H: Also obviously because it's at the top, it's the warmest part.
H: So that's amazing and in the winter time, you know, it's nice and warm.
H: ... up here in bed, and in the summer time, that's why we've got the windows.
H: So we can vent it, if you just open both of those, you get a really nice cross breeze.
H: Yeah, it works really well, if you want to air the whole Tiny House out, we just open this window...
H: ... and the one at the other end and the whole thing just gets nice and cool.
H: One of the biggest things about us building a Tiny House was that we built one because we wanted to live ...
H: ... somewhere that was double-glazed, insulated and nice and warm...
H: ... and we couldn't afford that in a normal sized house.
H: So, yeah, we went for a Tiny House.
H: That's why we haven't really cut any costs anywhere.
H: You know, we've got brand new joinery and everything, and it's beautiful and warm in here.
Because it wasn't really about saving money, it was more about living somewhere amazing.
H: So, all together I think it's been about NZD $45,000? O: Yeah
H: But that's including the couch and all the curtains and everything.
H: So much more expensive than a lot of Tiny Houses.
H: But as I say, it was more about... we had more money than time...
H: ...because we were both working full-time jobs and doing everything on the weekends...
H: ...so we didn't have enough time to, sort of, source everything...
O: So it's all brand new stuff, all brand new double-glazing, so it fits exactly how we want it...
O: Brand new trailer - the trailer alone cost NZD $10,000 ....
O: That's just material costs too, so $45k material costs.
O: We've paid a professional plumber and sparkie (electrician) so that's included in that.
O: But everything else is just materials.
O: If we were to look at our hourly rate ....
O: Just the time spent actually doing the work, but the time spent researching and sourcing and learning...you know..
O: So a lot of the time goes into that. But yeah, $45k. H: Fun time though.
O: It is, yeah. H: It is cool.
B: So, you started building this Tiny House two years ago?
B: You've been living in it for almost a year now.
B: And you're about to be selling it...
B: How does that feel now?
O: It's sad, ay... really sad to part with it. H: It is a bit sad.
H: Yeah, it's a lovely place to live, like it is, it's so beautiful.
H: But, it's kinda, it's just the right time for us.
H: And it's been our big stepping stone to let us get into the property market.
H: Because it's... quite a hard move to make. To get enough of a deposit together and everything.
H: And... that's why we decided to do the Tiny House, there was the adventure as well ...
H: ...and also the financial side and so hopefully...
H: ...with selling the Tiny House and selling our land, we'll have a pretty good head-start.
H: You know, to get a normal house, to raise a family, and, yeah.
B: This home is so functional and you have packed in so many really clever little features.
B: I love the climbing wall.
B: I REALLY love what you've done here, with dropping down the loft space as well.
B: That's such a clever way of approaching and really thinking 3-dimensionally with your space.
B: So congratulations to you as on that.
B: Thank you so much for showing me your home. H & O: Thank you
B: It's absolutely beautiful, and all the best for your next adventures.
O: Cheers H: Thanks
B: What I really love about this Tiny House is that Oli and Holly ...
B: ...have managed to build a home which truly encompasses them as individuals.
B: They both have this wonderful adventurous spirit ...
B: ...and that's evident in so many of the decisions that they've made in this house.
B: For one, actually making the decision to build a Tiny House on wheels...
B: ...but also things like this fantastic climbing wall.
B: I think the big challenge for them now is going to be finding a family home...
B:...that they can move into that actually embodies that same spirit.
B: I wish them luck.