Josie and Roy (in their 60’s) from Warkworth, North Auckland:
Retired teacher and park ranger, Josie and Roy, started tiny home living about a year into the pandemic. It was a logical way to live harmoniously with family on shared land.
Perched on their large 8 acre rural plot in the trees with amazing views of Mahurangi, they live next door to the original family home of 19 years, where their daughter and her 3 kids now live. This arrangement lets them be near each other but with plenty of space to do their own thing as well. It’s the best of both worlds, especially during a never ending lockdown. Previously they had been too far away from their daughter and grandkids and wanted to be able to support each other in uncertain times.
Their 40m2 Premium Tiny Home from Unit2go gives them all the space they need. They say they don’t know if it’s forever but whatever the future holds they now have options, they could sell the unit one day or use it as a way to add value to their land later, it gives them another asset.
Roy thinks that the layout of their unit is perfect, the entrance and glazing is particularly good. The bathroom is at one end, with a partition inside it and slider door. The bedroom is big enough for a king bed (with a metre either side. The lounge and dining is one space (6x4m) and is enough space for two people. It’s nice and simple.. “It’s never going to be luxury but the quality of finish is good. Some others we looked at were basic and the finishing was average, paint finish and joins were pretty average too, with basic rough sawn ply and batten, tin roof, not very rigid, almost like a garden shed. This is better because it’s on steel skids, it’s got cavity construction, and solid beams. It’s a lot more robust, has a build guarantee, structurally it will last 50 years. It’s double glazed, with a solid steel roof and well painted weather boards. We have no long term concerns, it will just need a little maintenance. It’s pretty hardy.” says Roy.
Roy is passionate about tiny homes as a great solution for New Zealand’s housing problem too. “In this country we’ve never done the tiny house thing. We’ve grown up with the quarter acre dream, with all the space around. Land is now such a big cost, a home and income or a granny flat is a good idea. We can utilise land better with tiny homes, still build private houses but make them transportable. Covid is also having a big impact, rent was going to spiral out of control for our daughter, people can’t afford to get onto the property ladder but can afford to share property. If we ramp up production of houses like these they will be less expensive with economies of scale.” He says he would like to see NZ use government land to get hundreds more people into homes of their own.
Tiny houses are also quick to clean, and they’re easier to maintain. And most importantly it’s quicker to get a beer from the fridge, or dinner on the table! It’s like staying in an apartment when you’re travelling. “We’ve already recommended it to others!” says Josie.
After researching the options it was a very seamless process for Josie and Roy, Unit2go were able to easily get the house onto an awkward section. The service was great and overall they felt it was quite straightforward.
They think their unit was relatively cheap but it’s also tidy and functional, everything works. It will need a paint finish again soon-ish but that’s ok. For it’s delivered state, Roy and Josie believe it’s good value for money compared to the competition, some others are cheaper but unfinished.
It’s working out very nicely for Roy, Josie and their family. They are in a great spot with a very nice view, they’re near the rest of the family but still have their own space. Josie says “it really feels like ours now, with our own bookcase, sofa, favourite chairs, pictures etc in place. Our intention was to add to it with new furnishings but the existing furniture worked well in here. It’s nice, fresh, new, comfortable and very homely.”
New Zealand Made license nr: 176949
Licensed Building Practitioner
