What is the tiny house movement in Australia?

29 Apr.,2024

 

Leading the Tiny House Movement in Australia

It is rare for one not to be intrigued when they first come across a Tiny House. The reason? There are many. Tiny Houses and the movement of Tiny Living offers not only cost effective and simplified living solutions, but also provides an opportunity to create personal and financial freedom.

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At Aussie Tiny Houses we are passionate about tiny living and providing alternatives to the current housing market. To own your own home in Australia has almost become an impossible dream and for those fortunate enough to have acquired a large mortgage find themselves over committed and bound by it, working long hours just to stay afloat.

Tiny Houses are a fantastic alternative with prices starting at $101,900 AUD for a Turn Key complete Home.

An affordable price tag however, does not mean sacrificing on quality. Our team of industry experts has been designing and building Tiny Houses in Australia since 2017. We specialise in optimising small spaces and designing beautiful, practical and affordable living solutions to help you create your Tiny House vision.

We are passionate about sustainability and offer complete off grid alternatives that will enable you to greatly reduce your ongoing living costs. Our off grid solutions include solar power systems, composting toilets, rain water harvesting and greywater systems.

Every Tiny House in our wide range of Models is designed by our In-House Designers Richard Smith (B.Arch) and Jessica Love (B.Int Arch) and then built to exceed Australian Standards.

We work closely with you to ensure your needs are met and options explored, bringing your Tiny House dream to life. From singles to couples, retirees to families, no client is the same but all are drawn to the idea of a simpler life. Offering a more cost effective lifestyle, with more time to spend living (rather than working) and a view to minimising their attachment to material possessions.

“People are slowly waking up to the world we live in and choosing to live differently. Living Tiny is not only about housing, it’s also about lifestyle. A lifestyle where spending time outdoors is more important than time indoors. Nature is more appealing than large residential homes and time and freedom are more valuable than objects and possessions.”
(Fabio Paulucci, Founder of Aussie Tiny Houses)

Australian councils are opening the door to tiny houses as ...

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Soaring rents and home prices, increasing mortgage stress, record immigration and a growing population are fueling a housing crisis and increasing homelessness. In the face of this pressing need, tiny houses offer an alternative housing option.

Tiny houses have become popular in the United States. Their popularity is growing in other developed countries such as the UK and Canada. In Australia, however, planning and housing regulations present many barriers to using tiny houses as permanent homes.

Dire statistics highlight the need to find homes for Australians quickly and cheaply. The unmet need for social housing has been estimated at 437,000 households. The 2021 census counted 122,494 people as homeless. By 2022, more than 640,000 households' housing needs were not being met.

Some local councils now see tiny houses as part of the solution to these problems. They are taking steps to make it easier for people to live in them.

Australia is trailing a global movement

The tiny house movement is built on several values. These include a preference for smaller homes, the pursuit of minimalism, the desire to live more sustainably, and a rejection of the prevailing consumer culture.

The 2018 International Housing Code defines tiny houses as dwellings of 400 square feet (37 square meters) in area or less. In Australia, dwellings under 50 square meters are commonly regarded as tiny houses.

The two main types are tiny houses on foundations and tiny houses on wheels. The latter is built on a trailer and must comply with road-legal dimensions and vehicle regulations.

Tiny houses have long been used as dwellings overseas. Faced with high property prices and land scarcity, those who enjoy the convenience of city life with a minimalist lifestyle have embraced tiny homes.

Examples include micro-homes in Tokyo. Japanese micro-homes are often sited on irregular leftover pieces of land.

In the US, the Occupy Madison Village is a tiny house commune in Madison, Wisconsin. It provides housing, communal living, and community-based decision-making for homeless people to promote their sense of belonging and social participation.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Tiny house Australia.

What's happening in Australia?

In Australia, the various barriers to tiny house living include local government planning schemes, time limits, and other restrictions on occupancy and connection to utilities. Over the past year, local councils have begun to make it easier to live in a tiny house.

The Shire of Esperance in Western Australia was the first local council in the country to recognize tiny houses as permanent dwellings in December 2022.

Tiny house villages have been built across the United States.

Mount Alexander Shire Council in Victoria removed the permit requirement for residents to park tiny houses on wheels on properties with existing dwellings in June 2023.

The Shire of Capel in Western Australia adopted a tiny house policy to allow ancillary dwellings and tiny house communities in August 2023.

The Surf Coast Shire in Victoria is starting a two-year trial of domestic use of tiny houses on wheels in 2024.

These changes are likely to help people who are struggling to find an affordable home and those on long waiting lists for social housing.

A cheaper and faster way to house people

Tiny houses offer a cost-effective and prompt solution to the issues of affordable housing and homelessness. Their small size means they can be built more quickly and cheaply.

The construction cost of a tiny house is typically A$80,000-$160,000. The median house price for Australian capital cities is now more than $900,000—and around $650,000 for units.

On average, it takes four to 12 months to build a house in Australia after the purchase of land and design approval. It takes only about four weeks to build a tiny house commercially.

The average new house size in Australia is the biggest in the world. Average floor area has been between 230 and 246 square meters for the past 20 years. Large houses use more materials and energy to build and run, adding to living costs.

Shrinking our environmental footprints

Tiny houses promote liveable space downsizing and simpler lifestyles. They also demonstrate a stronger responsibility for environmental stewardship. Some have rainwater tanks, composting toilets, solar panels and batteries and can operate completely off-grid.

Because tiny houses use fewer resources, their occupants' environmental footprint is smaller. They represent a shift towards more sustainable living by prioritizing lower energy use (heating, cooling and lighting) and greenhouse gas emissions. These signify a commitment to limit climate change and global warming by moving towards Australia's net-zero carbon emission target by 2050.

The global tiny house movement represents a concerted effort to reduce the huge environmental footprint of the building and construction industry. At the same time, high-performing, energy-efficient tiny houses cut occupants' living costs.

Tiny houses do not cater for all households. They suit certain demographics, especially single and partnered people with no children or retirees.

Tiny houses can add much-needed diversity to Australians' housing options. As councils are recognizing, they're a way of quickly expanding the affordable housing supply in a community. Lower running costs and a smaller environmental footprint are added bonuses.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Citation: Australian councils are opening the door to tiny houses as a quick, affordable and green solution (2023, December 8) retrieved 29 April 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2023-12-australian-councils-door-tiny-houses.html

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