Family Builds Two Remarkable Tiny Houses Together

This stunning DIY project was constructed together as a family, and looks toward a future where the daughters might be able to live mortgage-free.

For many people, a tiny house represents more financial freedom and the possibility to live a fuller life within a smaller footprint—both literally and ecologically. Nevertheless, behind the dream, there are always some practical questions to consider. For instance, where do you find a place to park your tiny house? What about buying insurance or permits? What do you do if you’re thinking about tiny living but have kids?

For some, that last question can be a big one, as it can be perceived as a barrier to switching over to a tiny house. But for some, this issue can be reframed as a creative challenge, as Australian architect Wayne and partner Anthea have done. They are parents to two young adults, Darienne and Remony, and have recently embarked on their own tiny house adventure in not one—but two!—tiny houses, one for the parents and another for the two daughters. This DIY project was constructed together as a family, and as the couple explains, also looks toward a future where their daughters might be able to live mortgage-free. Check out the family’s set of distinctive tiny houses in this tour from Living Big in a Tiny House:

The family is now based on a farm in Torquay, Victoria, after having moved here three years ago with their tiny houses. The homes are parked on 160 acres of land that a family friend owns, with Wayne and Anthea helping out on the farm in exchange for parking their tiny homes on the land.

The two tiny homes measure roughly the same at 28 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 14 feet tall (8.5 by 2.4 by 4.3 meters). Each is equipped with a large array of solar photovoltaics and storage space. Some of the features differ according to the tastes and needs of their occupants, such as having a recessed entry or an outdoor roof deck.

Generally, their corrugated metal- and wood-clad exteriors look quite unique, thanks to the combined design input from each member of the family. As Wayne explains:

“We wanted to make some references to caravans, so we’ve got horizontal windows, but we also wanted them to be able to hide in paddocks like this, amongst other classic farm sheds, so [we used] corrugated steel where that fits in, and also thrown in some pressed metal.”

Stepping inside Wayne and Anthea’s tiny home, we see a beautifully appointed space that feels airy yet stimulating, thanks to the eclectic combination of textures and materials.

There is a long steel-covered counter in the kitchen on one side, which is naturally lit by a long, horizontal window, and a long strip of LED lights above. There’s plenty of storage above and below in a series of open shelves and cabinets, while the apartment-sized refrigerator sits in its own nook in the entry area.

Opposite the kitchen, there is another counter for extra space for preparing food. This counter also has a flip-up extension to turn it into a four-person dining table, which the whole family gathers around for meals during most weekdays.

The metal countertop extends over into the sitting area at one end of the house, where it can be used as an extra work surface, or as a spot to sit on and lounge around with a book.

The sitting area is populated with a number of vibrantly colored cushions, while the rear wall is clad with DIY denim tiles that were made with over 50 pairs of old jeans that the family salvaged from their downsizing efforts. These tiles act as acoustic insulation and as a convenient pinboard to pin up drawings.

The huge sliding window here is a stroke of DIY genius; Wayne wanted to experiment with incorporating sunshading into the window itself, in order to eliminate the need for a bulky eave. What he came up with was using sawed off portions of plastic piping that looks visually interesting, and provides integrated sunshading.

Besides that, there are also a couple of unique lamps which were made out of dried algae by a local artisan.

The other side of the home uses a lot of translucent polycarbonate sheeting, which helps to diffuse the sunlight, while also showing some of the underlying timber framing.

At the other end of the home, we find a bathroom that is full of handmade touches, like this sink and composting toilet.

The shower is actually a corrugated metal-clad bump-out that is topped with a dome skylight.

Upstairs in the loft, the couple have a cozy bedroom …

… another workspace at the ledge of the loft.

The daughters’ tiny house has a similar footprint, with a few differences in the layout, with the bathroom being more or less the same.

First, they have two sleeping lofts that can be closed off with curtains to give each young woman her privacy.

They also share this comfy net in between their lofts for lounging in.

All told, Wayne says that each house cost about $70,000 in materials to build, plus $10,500 in solar equipment, and not including all of the family’s hours of loving labor. Ultimately, the project was something that brought the family closer together in a perhaps unconventional but deeply rewarding way, and as Wayne explains, it’s also a way to potentially offer some financial security to their children:

“We built two [tiny houses], and yes, maybe one day when Anthea and I have had enough [each daughter] can take one [tiny house] each and go different directions and perhaps live their lives without a mortgage.”