Imagine living in a small eco-house in the middle of rural Australia. Sounds too idyllic to be true but this young couple from Queensland, Australia, managed to construct a tiny house all by themselves for only $12,000!
Australia is famous for its high standard of living, stunning natural beauty, vibrant cities, and of course, koalas and kangaroos, however, it’s one of the most expensive countries in the world. It means building a home in Australia can be quite costly.
Simone and Sam build an amazing home for only $12,000 and fulfilled their goal of staying debt-free
We meet Simone and Sam, who both studied wildlife and environmental sciences, in front of their tiny eco-home located in Brisbane, Queensland. Already at first glance, we notice that the house is in harmony with its surroundings. The colors blend perfectly with the environment. Simone and Sam’s new home was built on Simone’s three-acre property at the back of her parent’s house.
“Basically we were looking at buying a normal house and it just didn’t match our lifestyle, our values, and whatnot, so we rather than feel defeated by that and worried about getting a huge mortgage we just decided to do it ourselves,” Sam said.
They came up with the idea watching YouTube videos, so they moved back home with their parents to save money to build their new home
They ended up saving money they’d otherwise use for paying a year’s worth of rent and could make their dream finally come true! With the help of Simone’s dad, the couple built the new house as a DIY project.
The couple also has big plans for the property. Using their skillset, they plan to regenerate the property and eventually grow their food there.
The house was actually made of an old caravan trailer someone stripped out but it looks great on the inside
As we step inside the house, we immediately notice that it looks great! Simone, her dad, and Sam did a great job of maximizing space and creating an impression of a large and comfortable home. The couple brought many plants inside that fit perfectly into the design and give the place a luxurious and natural appearance at the same time.
“We wanted to bring a lot of nature inside and indoor plants. Plants in general is something that we both love.”
Many windows contribute to the illusion of space, as well as bring plenty of natural light into the house
You’d hardly notice the windows are actually secondhand. Respraying these old windows gave them a second lease of life and let plenty of sunlight inside, allowing all the plants to thrive.
Simone and Sam plan on launching an online business so they needed plenty of space to work from home, prompting them to come up with an original work area design solution.
“We’re actually encroached into the drawbar here, so soft of got a freebie space-wise with this desk in this bay window setup.”
Right next, Sam shows us the couch standing directly opposite the entrance, with a perfect view of the property, ideal for the couple when they’re in the need of relaxing and simply enjoying nature outside.
A small kitchen space opens out to the gardens providing the couple with modern kitchen essentials
Everything inside this amazing tiny home feels in harmony with nature, the kitchen being no exception. Simone and Sam wanted to enjoy the view while preparing food. Even though they do their cooking on a single element, that’s quite enough for the couple.
They’ve been equally resourceful when it comes to storage space solution. They’ve put all their wardrobe under the stairs consisting of storage cubes. Despite the minimum amount of storage, it wasn’t too much of an issue for the couple.
When you enter the bathroom, you discover the couple’s best-hidden secret
Showering in the forest? That’s how we can best describe the feeling we’ve got looking at the bathroom. We find a large plant dominating the space inside, a result of Simone’s and Sam’s fascination with outdoor showers. They wanted that rustic Australian outdoor shower feel and used natural materials such as timber and corrugated sheets.
Heading upstairs, we realize the stair railing has been made of Eucalyptus tree branches
Trees and nature elements dominate the whole house. In contrast with the deeper tone flooring on the lower story, the bedroom flooring boasts a bright color. The sleeping loft looks very spacious but the view steals the spotlight! You have the impression of sleeping in a lush Australian jungle teeming with wildlife.
“We’ve got two different species of birds that are nesting to our right and directly behind our bedhead,” Simone explains.
Simone and Sam had built a beautiful home for themselves where they can enjoy spending time in harmony with the environment. They’ve also been able to save enough money to start their own business.
“You can do your own thing, you can build your own thing and this (house) is like a physical manifestation of it.”
