The tiny house fad is one that has been gaining interest steadily over the past few years. As a “grass-roots” approach to home-ownership that is gaining global traction.
What’s the appeal?
Well, it fits in rather well with another movement; minimalism, which means living a life with less clutter and noise. Basically, if it doesn’t stimulate your happiness or fulfil a function, you don’t need it. It’s gotta go. It also means that you can live economically, living off of re-usable energy such as solar for energy or rain water for your plumbing. For this reason, it’s also eco-friendly, as it allows you to live sustainably and reduce wastage and carbon emissions.
One ambitious young English man set out to make his own tiny home, at the age of 17!
Now 20-years-old, it took Tom three years to build his own tiny home.
Starting when he was 17 and during his carpentry apprenticeship, he decided to embark on the remarkable journey to begin building not just a normal house, but a tiny house. How tiny you might ask? The entire house measure in at 16 x 8 feet. That’s…pretty small for a house!
While this may seem like a smaller task to take on, in fact building a tiny house presents its own unique challengers. Designing and creating a tiny house that’s efficient with space, storage and energy requires a highly industrious mind.
Tom built his tiny house on his grandparents’ land.
Given the land as a starting point to build, Tom saw an opportunity to take advantage and create a home of his own. What motivated Tom?
“Well it’s just all the problems with the housing crisis. Also I just want my own freedom to just go out and build what I want to build. “
Three years later, he has his very own tiny house!
Now having finished his apprenticeship, and a fully fledged carpenter himself, he’s accomplished what he set out to do. Giving his home a rustic, traditional English feel, he’s created a home that anyone could be jealous of.
And it only cost him under $8,000 USD!
He had to get thrifty with his resources.
With a deck and kitchen counter made from scaffolder’s planks, and siding which he got for a great price because it was resting on a wasp’s nest, Tom’s home is a masterpiece of cost-cutting.
“I like using reclaimed timber because it’s got heritage behind it.”
In tiny houses every inch counts, and Tom’s kitchen makes the most of effective usage of space.
Zooming out, you can see just how much Tom fit into his home.
His bedroom has become a loft, and just out of the kitchen is a small desk with a single swivel chair.
Getting up to his bedroom is as easy as lowering a rope.
The key to maximizing space in a tiny house is to be able to easily transform your living space with inventive solutions. A lowering ladder to get to your loft bedroom allows you to easily stack your living areas.
Looking at the reverse, you can see Tom has made it rather homely.
In the view from the kitchen, you can see that Tom has quite the setup. With a soft couch lining one wall, complete with scenic wall poster, the scape moves around to a broad window and a cozy little fireplace (sole source of heat in the house) and a TV on a swivel which allows it to face either the lounge or the bedroom.
And the inventiveness of the property doesn’t stop at the exterior.
Tom gains electrical power from solar panels, and collects rain through an ingenious system of rain filtering. Inside, he has a 50 litre water heater, which he says is good for a four minute shower leaving enough hot water to do the washing up.
It seems that Tom has everything he could possibly want.
“It’s got everything I need innit? I don’t need anything more, got TV, got power, it’s all perfect, yeah.”
Watch the full video below to see Tom’s handy-work!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
