Lisa Tranter and Matt Hobbs are an example of the ultra-modern couple: they are young professionals who met online, fell in love, then built their own home--but it's not just your ordinary suburban house. They made an incredibly sleek, ultra-modern tiny home in the Blue Mountains of NSW.
Built in the middle of a 16-acre property, 22 sqm. "tiny house" is set on wheels and cost just around $90,000.
Even though it's considered tiny, the house has the complete home layout: a living area, a 'full-size' kitchen, bathroom, a fireplace and a stairway to the bedroom. The home itself is long, lean and features new appliances, air-conditioning, a fantastic kitchen, lots of overhead light and ample, well-decorated space for the couple and their beloved pets.
A Bite-Sized Dream Home
It was actually Lisa who inspired Matt in one of their dates to consider downsizing to a smaller abode because of her fascination with the increasingly popular 'tiny house movement'. Since Matt is actually a builder, they both created their dream home that's practical, spacious, and packed with everything they need.
The couple moved into their house in the Blue Mountains, just west of Sydney, in early December.
The pair spent three months building the property, measuring 2.5 metres wide, 9 metres long and 4.3 metres high, on a land they purchased together in a secluded area in July last year.
The Bills are Tiny
Not only does this tiny home costs only a fraction of the average one, it's also very easy and cheap to maintain.
'Cleaning on a bad day is 30 minutes max. We have no desire or room to fill excess space with things so we aren’t feeding the consumerist agenda,' the couple said.
The pair - who document their tiny house adventures on Instagram - said downsizing has helped them save up to $2,000 on electricity a year.
'The bills are tiny,' Lisa said.
'The power with the air conditioning running virtually all the time over summer was about $300 per quarter. The four bedroom house we were in before was about $800 per quarter, with solar already installed so it's a huge saving now.
'Water is about $140. We wanted to see how much we consumed before going off grid, so we could accurately work out how many solar panels or water tanks to put in.'
We Have No Plans to Leave Our Little Oasis
The couple said they have no plans to move the house on wheels any time soon but they have the option if they ever decide to relocate.
'The block is surrounded by bush, with a protected creek in the gully. It's a very pretty spot, so we have no plans to leave our little oasis,' they said.
Four months since moving in, the duo said they are yet to experience anything bad.
'We have yet to encounter a bad thing about it. We have everything we need day to day because we took the time to tailor the house to suit our needs and lifestyles,' Lisa said.