Tiny house movement continuing to grow via boomers
MELBOURNE: Divorced women in their 60s, the homeless, the grey nomads and the downsizers are all contributing to the growth of the tiny house market.
The compact homes are also popular for a variety of reasons including for their potential to bridge the cost of housing affordability and to ease the burden on the rental market while lessening the impact on the environment.
They also have the ability to mitigate a number of social problems such as providing transitional housing for the homeless and people fleeing family violence.
With a decade of experience as a carpenter, Ballarat’s Ashley Quiddington started building tiny homes due to an interest in sustainability and affordable living.
He has built three of the homes since establishing his small business, Little Living Tiny Homes, last year and believes that tiny homes on wheels are a great alternative to traditional homes while promoting a minimalist lifestyle.
“I love the off-grid aspect of tiny homes as these promote comfort, save water, reduce environmental impacts and are cost effective to live in,” he said.
Most of the enquiries he receives are from young couples wanting to get into the housing market for an affordable price, retirees and families wishing to downsize, families with teenagers wanting more independence and people wishing to purchase a tiny house to rent out for a little extra income.
He said there was a lot of interest in tiny houses as the momentum behind the movement continues to grow.
“There are a lot of factors why people are looking at tiny homes – they open up a lot more options,” he said.
Tiny houses are self-contained units – with a bedroom, living and dining areas, kitchen, bathroom and laundry space – and can be customised according to personal taste.
They can be made to be off-grid too, with composting toilets, solar panels and a water tank on site.
Tiny houses on wheels, like which Mr Quiddington builds, can be hooked up to a car and moved to a different site if need be.
Everything is possible, including a loft bedroom or bunk beds for children, though the width, height and length of the houses are restricted.
Mr Quiddington said there had been enough interest that his business, which currently has three employees, can continue to grow and promote the movement.
Jayne Varney and Sharon Stone utilise their tiny house as an extra room when they have guests but also rent it out on Air BnB.
Their tiny house was bought from a couple in Ballarat.
The pair had never seen or heard of a tiny house when they set their eyes upon the little abode.
“When we found it and discovered all the love that went into building it, we thought, it’s just so different to other tiny houses,” Ms Stone said.
Creswick is growing and with tourism in the region booming, the women thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to tap into the accommodation market with a pet-friendly alternative.
Ms Varney said their style of tiny house would be perfect for an elderly parent or teenager, who could live somewhat independently but close by on the same property.
Earlier this year Launch Housing opened the first six of 57 tiny homes, built in Horsham, in Melbourne’s inner west.
The Harris Transportable Housing Project is situated on nine parcels of vacant VicRoads land in Footscray and Maidstone and provides long-term accommodation for six individuals experiencing homelessness to live independently.
According to research commissioned by the agency, 116,000 Australians experience homelessness each night, but it doesn’t have to be this way, with the project demonstrating how unused government land can be transformed to curb the crisis and provide a roof for those who desperately need one.
Meanwhile, when constructed, the Transition Village Wallan, to also be situated on land leased from VicRoads, will provide a safe place for people experiencing homelessness to live for 12 months. The idea behind the village, which is supported by Mitchell Shire Council, is community helping its own to get back on their feet.
People who live at the sustainable village will be mentored by a community member, assisted with managing their well-being and helped with training and education to build their resilience and confidence.
Terry Demeo, Director Infrastructure and Environment, said people needed to be aware that tiny houses were simply very compact dwellings. To this end, they require a permit and there are no exceptions under the Building Act or Building Regulations.
He said that if a tiny house was to be lived in as a traditional house, a class 1 building, the structure is required to comply with all the normal requirements for a house under the Building Act, Regulations and National Construction Code.
“The Planning Scheme doesn’t recognise the difference between a ‘tiny house’ and any other house. Under the Planning Scheme, all houses are referred to as dwellings. Dwellings are generally permitted across the city (sometimes subject to a planning permit) but normally not in industrial areas,” he said.
Neville Ivey, Director of Community Development, said the council was in the process of developing an Affordable Housing background paper to identify the current supply and demand of affordable housing across the city.
He said the City of Ballarat was conscious of the demand for affordable housing and would be developing an Affordable Housing Strategy to investigate the opportunities to address some of these challenges.
