This Spacious Tiny House is Like a Mini Mansion

Today we visit a home that encapsulates so many of my absolute favourite things. Gorgeous, cosy design, incredible landscaping and multi-generational living. Hi Linda, how are you? Hey Bryce, how are you? Very well thank you, it's so nice to meet you. Thank you. And, oh my gosh, what a gorgeous spot you've got here. Thank you so much, I'm very proud of this place. It's been a pretty quick process. I've been lying here watching the view and enjoying the scenery and everything, so I was thinking this would be a nice place to really just settle for a while. Yeah. This is on my parents' property and I was living in Adelaide before, so I decided to move up here, parents are getting on, so at least I'm nice and close to them, but far enough where we still have our own privacy. Yeah. Yeah, I'm enjoying it right here and the view as well, so can't go wrong with that. Absolutely not. And so lovely that you could come back here from Adelaide to give your mum and dad a bit of support. Yeah, that's right, that was the idea. I mean, it was getting to a point where they can't travel down there and it's hard with work and gets expensive, so yeah. And of course the quiet benefit to all of that is you get this incredible parking spot. Lovely views from here, you've got all the birdsong and one's even come to join us today. Isn't that cute? Yeah, he's a regular, that's Kevin, so I do hand feeding, a bit of meat and some mealy worms. Yeah, he's quite friendly. Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen a kookaburra so tame before. So tame? No, yeah. Oh wow. Yeah, he's very friendly. And of course you've built this wonderful outdoor space onto your tiny house to really take advantage of all of this. Yeah, the deck is an add-on that was built by my cousin and it is actually separate to the house, that way it's not a permanent structure, this can be moved out later on. This is such a prime position for the tiny house, but it couldn't have been an easy spot to get it into. It was quite tricky, we've had a lot of rain, so we even had issues when I was doing the landscaping and getting the bobcat in to deliver rocks and things, and the truck did actually get bogged. So we were very nervous for the day of the delivery, but Rick was fantastic, he put it in no problems. Yeah, great. And why a tiny house? I just wanted to downsize. I had a massive house, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and I thought, well, why? So, you know, a larger family could go with that one. And also financially, I was looking at smaller apartments and there was nothing that I really was into. Also, I was watching your show and that gave me a little bit of inspiration sitting out here. And I was drawing up lots of plans and looking up suppliers and yeah, this one popped up and I fell in love with it. It is such a beautiful style, this house. Can you tell me about the design? Yeah, so it's 7.2 long by 4.2 high and three metres wide. Oh great, so it's a bit wider than normal then. It is, that was why I really liked it. So I was looking at other houses and yeah, being 2.4, it felt a little bit tight by the time you put in furniture. Yes. And this one was, yeah, suited me. And around the house, it is beautifully landscaped as well. Thank you. I do love my gardening and I do love my natives and it was something, an idea where it's just going to attract more birds. Yeah. Yeah, there's so much wildlife out here. Now and then I'll get a few wallabies hopping around as well and they like to pick up all the dropped bird seeds around. Oh, lovely. So it's cute, yeah. And especially having this multi-generational living setup, the way that the house is positioned is really ideal as well because out here, it's just such a private space for you. It is really private. It's not far, they can yell out if they want to. So I call it the village out here because if you run out of sugar or milk or something like that, you can just run down and grab some and help each other out. And I'm always around if they need a bit of a hand. Yeah, and such a peaceful spot just to just sit, relax and soak in all of those lovely views. It is. I spend so much time out here and that's the beauty of being on the Gold Coast. You've got that weather that's always available to you, even if it rains. I've got this lovely awning that's all protected, but I feel at peace sitting out here and just listening to everything because I don't know if you can hear the creek as well at the moment. Yeah, you have the creek running right through the bottom of the property. That's so lovely. It does. So that's the creek where growing up, I used to explore as a kid. So it's quite nostalgic to actually be here again. And I still go down there and sit down and do a bit of meditation and time out, yeah. Oh, lovely. So how long have your parents owned this property? Oh, they've been here since the 90s. Oh, wow. Yes, a long time. Oh, how special that you get to actually come back to your childhood property as well then. That makes it extra nice for you. It is, yeah. Oh, lovely. Love the sign you've had made down there. Oh, thanks. I saw that online and got it custom made. I thought, well, why not? Creekview Manor, tiny home, you know, just a little play on words. Yeah. And yeah, like the little kookaburra on there because as you know, you've got plenty of them around. Very fitting. Well, already I can just see that you have created such a magical space for yourself here. And I cannot wait to see inside your home. Can we have a look? Yes, please do. Thank you. This is absolutely brilliant. What a lovely spacious design. And how unique having both the staircase there and then the walkway connecting to the lofts. I really like that feature. Yeah, thanks. That was something that I've changed. Originally, this had a ladder that was going up and that was something I wanted to avoid. It's nothing worse than having to get up three o'clock in the morning and having to go down the ladder. True. And they were very accommodating with changing the design up. So we've got this gantry that walks across from one room to the other. Brilliant. And from down here as well, it also gives us this lovely height in the centre of the home and an exceptionally spacious kitchen you've got. Yeah, the kitchen was really important. I do love my cooking and I do love my entertaining. And that's something a lot of people say first thing when they walk in was that, wow, it's a lot bigger than I thought it was. Yeah, absolutely. It really does have that sense of spaciousness in here. And I can tell that this is the kitchen of somebody that really loves to cook. You've got all the toys in here and it's just so well thought out. It definitely is. And there's so much storage. The great thing is I was able to come up with whatever sort of style I wanted, really. So I decided not to have any handles. That way it's just a nice, smooth, clean lines. And there's lots of storage all in here with all my food processors and everything like that. So that's all hidden away. And I've also got a table feature that comes out as well. So then when you do have more people, I can just lay all the food out while entertaining. Yeah. That is so clever. What a great feature. And lovely position for the sink as well. Obviously taking in all of those perfect views out there. Yeah, I absolutely love it. I mean, I don't actually mind washing the dishes because it is such a beautiful view. I can hear the creek from the window. I can see the birds come up and they usually let me know when they're hungry. Yeah. So yeah, I'll go out there and feed them. And yeah, it is a lovely view. Yeah. Great full-size appliances all throughout the home as well. I see a nice size fridge, great oven and even a dishwasher hidden away there. Yeah, that was a little addition. I really didn't think I needed it. But when you've got people coming over and that's the last thing you want to do. So it's something I can just hide everything away. Yeah, it's always nice to have. Yeah. Yeah, it is. I've gotten quite used to it. Yeah. And yeah, having the two burner has been enough, surprisingly. Usually I've got like multiple pans going on at the same time but I'm able to adjust with that. And there's also the barbecue outside too as a backup. There's also like a full-size oven so I can put my large big dishes in there. And yeah, it's really practical. Definitely the kitchen of someone who loves to cook. Yeah, it is. And you've built on so much storage into the stairs as well. There is, there's storage drawers in the stairs as well as in the front and the side doors as well. Yeah. Half is for the kitchen, half is my wardrobe. Brilliant. Nice and easy. And such cool style in here as well. I love all of your art features. Thank you. Yeah, a few things from when I've travelled. These are artworks from like friends that I've known that have been illustrators as well. I just like something that's just warm and cosy and comfortable and it's just me. Most small houses will probably think about going minimalistic. I tried that. I can't do it. I'm like, I need my things around me. I've got a lot of greenery outside and I want to bring that in as well. I totally understand. You've even got some really beautiful flowers and everything in here. It all just looks so nice. It really does have that sort of cosy home vibe, doesn't it? Thank you. Yeah. These flowers are just collected from around the gardens and hopefully my neighbour doesn't mind me stealing some water from them. I'm sure they'll be okay with it. I'm sure they will. And lovely, comfortable looking lounge space too. And drenched in sun right now. This looks really wonderful. I love this lounge. It's a spot where I can just chill, have a read of my book or have a coffee and just look straight out on there. And yeah, the morning sun that comes in, it's warm and inviting. Yeah, it certainly is. And again, I just noticed all of these wonderful little knickknacks everywhere that you've collected. There really is something special to being able to introduce all of those things into your home because the minimalist look, it works for tiny houses and obviously it's practical for some reasons. But to be able to surround your home with all of this character, it really personalises it and does make the space somehow so much more welcoming. Thank you for that. I've had comments that people have come and said, wow, yeah, it does feel very homely. Yeah. So yeah, I'm pretty proud of it. As you should be. Nice timber features in this home too. Thank you. This was an addition to it. And that was something because I like the warmth, bit of timber around the place creates that warm sort of feeling. So yeah, gorgeous maple, gorgeous timber trimmings. That was an addition. So it does all add up, but it's worth it. Yeah. And maple especially is such a beautiful timber. You don't actually see maple used very often in Australian homes, but it's such a lovely timber. It is. It's just that nice light colour. So the design is, I guess you could go beachy, you could go all sorts with this sort of style. Yeah. You could do a lot with it. You could. And are you connected to mains power and water here? No, I've actually set up a water tank just around the side. Oh, great. So that's just all connected to the house. And I've got grey water going into the garden. And with the power, it is connected to the grid. I was just able to just plug it in from the shed. Yeah, perfect. And then the bathroom is through that door there. Can we have a look at that? Yeah, let's do it. Okay. Oh, again, lovely design in here. Nice big shower you've got there. Yeah, I am really happy with the design of the shower. It's really nice to have that space. If you're a bigger person as well, you've got that height. Yes. And there's a nice shower head as well. So yeah, happy with the design. Yeah, lovely. And great sized vanity as well. Lots of space here. A bit of additional storage and even a washing machine. It's nice to see that. Yeah, there was a cupboard for the washing machine, but my washing machine was a little bit too big. But yeah, it's got plenty of space. There's plenty of cupboard storage as well as all the mirrors of storage all behind it as well. Perfect. The benchtop also has that extra space where you can use it for when you are doing your washing. Yeah, great design. And there's the composting toilet as well. Yeah, the composting toilet has been actually rather easy to use. If you use it properly, you can use it in the gardens like with all the waste. Yeah. So it's really environmentally friendly. Yeah, becomes a resource. Yes, it does. And then the lofts are upstairs. Can we go check that out? Yeah, sure. Okay. I really like how you've added the yoga mats to these steps. That's just so comfy underfoot. Yeah, it is a good addition, isn't it? It's just comfortable because the steps are a little bit higher than normal. It's just more comfortable on your feet. Yeah, it's all squishy. I don't know why more people aren't doing this. This is actually genius. Thank you. Oh, that is really nice. And I love the style up here. That corner window just makes this loft feel so expansive. The corner window was an addition in the design and that was something I really wanted because I knew where the house was going to be positioned. It's going to be going out there, looking out in nature. And I can see the stars at night while I'm sleeping and I can see the sun come up. It's just really comfy. It's just a chill way to wake up. And it does feel so spacious up here as well. I think the window really contributes to the sense of space but it's also actually just quite a big loft as well, isn't it? It is. A lot of the houses I was looking at had designs where you would sort of crawl into your bed. You couldn't actually stand up. Whereas this, this is perfect. There's plenty of height for me. Probably not so much for yourself. Not quite. No, just a little shy. Yeah, but it is higher than a lot of the designs. That's what I like. And I can see you've got quite a bit more storage up here as well for bed sheets and things and then an extension of your wardrobe as well. Yeah, well, as you know, it's really important to have storage and try to use whatever space you have. This was part of the design and I just added on some more wardrobes. I just like having the open storage where you can just see it and get to it. Yeah, projector up there makes a nice addition as well. It is. There's not so much space to actually have a TV. So that's a great addition. You can just put the screen up and just watch at the end of your bed. Yeah, projectors are such a great option as well because they're so unobtrusive and it does allow you to have a bigger, more immersive viewing experience when you want but then get everything just completely out of the way when you're not watching it. Yeah, when I'm not watching it, I can just pack it up and put it away. Perfect. And then you've got your home office here as well which is obviously such an important part of this home for you. I do work from home so I needed that space to be able to have my own little corner. So that's a really nice addition. You could use that space as an extra room but yeah, at the moment, it's my little office. Great. And what do you do for work? So I work in admin and sales for a recycling company. Oh, great. Yeah, they create composite materials out of plastics, really. It has been nice being able to work from home as well. I'm very fortunate to be able to do that. Yeah. And so how long have you been living here now? It's almost exactly a year. So we're like here on your anniversary. Yeah, close to it. Awesome. This house arrived early July, then I got the deck built and by the time I had all my storage and furniture come move in, it was August. Amazing. And how is life working out for you in the tiny house? It's been really cruisy. It doesn't take much for me to keep the place clean. There's less housework. I get to just chill outside with a cup of tea and be with the animals. And yeah, it's a great lifestyle. Yeah. When you think of life now compared to when you had your four-bedroom home, how are things different? It's definitely much more relaxed. I'm outside more because we do have that great weather. I'm always outside. I'm always out and about in the garden rather than doing the housework. Yeah. And how are you finding the multi-generational setup and now being so much closer to your parents? Well, there is that cost factor. So you do save being able to live in a multi-generational property. You're also making housing more available for others as well. You've got all this land and all this space. Why not utilise it? And you're nearby if your parents need you. Yeah. It's nice to have that peace of mind, isn't it? It is. I think the reality is it's quite hard watching your parents age and being able to come back home and be in a situation where you can support them like they once supported us. I think that's actually quite beautiful. It's less pressure on services as well. And you know that they're getting the best care if you're doing it yourself. Very true. I love the surprise that people get when they come and see the place because they do have this idea in their head. But then when they see it, they're like, wow, this is a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. And yeah, the space. I've seen little apartments around that's a lot smaller than this. And you don't have the natural light at all. So it doesn't feel like a small space for me at all. It's really cosy and it's peaceful for me. And can we talk about the cost that was involved in building your home? I probably went a little bit over budget, which is probably normal. I think most people say that. I think it is. Yeah. Because yes, you have a starting price for this particular size. It was around $130,000. But with the little additional add-ons of the cabinetry and the timber features and the extra big large window. Yeah, looking at it, probably closer to $150,000. So worth it for all those additions though, eh? Yeah, it is, definitely. And what do you think the future holds for you now? This wasn't a permanent plan. I sort of gave myself maybe five, ten years. See where I go from there. There's an opportunity to turn it into an Airbnb. Yep. Or I might find land somewhere else. There's lots of organisations around where they do hire out their blocks. Yes. So I could look into that. There's lots of opportunities. Yeah. I think that's one of the really great things about a tiny house is that it does give you that freedom and flexibility that as your life circumstance changes, so too can the usage of the tiny house. As you say, it could be sold, it could be moved, it could be Airbnb'd one day. It does give you all of those options in the future. Yeah, that was something that I really needed to think about. Life changes all the time. Like five years ago, my life was very different. So I didn't want to be stuck in a situation where I couldn't change it. Yeah. Yeah, I wanted something that I could be more flexible with that. And this, having a tiny house just gives you that flexibility. Yeah, absolutely. Well, I think this really is such a beautiful home that you've created for yourself. Standing here now, looking out onto those gorgeous views, this really is just such a peaceful and serene home that you've created. Thank you so much for sharing it with me. Thanks so much, Bryce. It's been a pleasure. Linda's home is beautiful. It's filled with this wonderful, almost cottage-like charm. And everywhere you look, there's all of these wonderful art pieces and things that are just designed to make you feel good. And this is a home that does truly make you feel good. Beyond that, though, I absolutely love what Linda is doing to connect herself with her parents. Those of you who know me know that I am such a huge advocate for multi-generational living. This is something that I would love to see so much more normalized in our society. Her being here now and helping to support her parents, I think, is just so special. And beyond that, this is just a wonderful living situation that she's created for herself.