waihi couple love their tiny house - solar powered street lights
Housing shortages and alternative lifestyles have prompted a couple to build a small house.
It took them three months to call it "Sweet Home", but Simon father and Ona Seni did it a few weeks ago. Their 7.
2 m long 2.
The house is now located 5 metres wide on the outer sea beach.
The couple will move the house to laglen this summer.
About a year ago, after looking for an ideal home, they decided to build their own home.
"We wanted to move to lahlgren and find a house for rent. there was nothing.
"This is a key part of the 195 Air rental that we have available in last August without a house to rent," Simon said . ".
Mr. Ona said they made conscious choices in the face of housing reality.
"We may have cleaned up a room and made it work, but the problem is that there is not enough housing to meet the needs and there are families on the street even in La Glen.
We also realized that if there was a house that was free, we would give it to a family.
"They started building their new home with a trailer that welded a steel frame and became a skeleton.
In the absence of labor costs, they completed the work for $40,000, making full use of bargains and recycled materials.
Kitchen Table Top 100 recycled-year-
They fixed the old rimu and matai.
The Carpenters and windows come from the same place.
Insulation is provided free of charge and as a builder Simon knows what direction to follow.
Most of the materials are purchased locally at Waihi, although they can save "cost" by going to the big shops in Tauranga ".
"I am very convinced to leave the money in the community and we have spent so much money in local shops and handyman places.
"We ended up being friends and some people wanted to see the little house," Simon said . ".
Despite the price.
The house with small efficiency is also self-
Plenty of temptation for them.
Their house was built with solar energy-
Powered lights and configurable toilets.
Ona says the number one "trouble" for people to get out of the grid is sewage systems and solar energy.
She said it was a game of "trial and error.
"When you get the hang of it and look around you will find out how easy it is.
The motto of "minimize" is also very attractive.
"I always find that I have been trying not to be a consumer because we are programmed to buy. . .
I'm happy with very few things but always find the urge to have more.
I have to catch myself and say I can't have it, I shouldn't have it, I don't need it because I can get through without it.
"Small houses are becoming more and more popular.
In America, "Little-
With rising rents and house prices, the housing movement has taken root in San Francisco.
According to a survey of 2017 by the National Association of Realtors, the largest trade association in the United States, the home size of buyers (37-51 years)
2100 square feet, the median home purchase for buyers aged 36 and under and 71 and above was 1800.
In San Francisco, space is a luxury, says Ona.
Ona is an American who lived with Simon four years ago.
"The housing situation in San Francisco is very similar to that in New Zealand.
All my apartments are small and you have a small room to accommodate all the apartments and everyone lives like this and they pay a huge price for it.
If you move there, you must be ready to put all your big furniture behind and take away the essentials.
Practice is a good attitude.
"San Francisco is also where they started to design and build their first small house.
Ona said she had harvested "50 million white hairs" while building the second house ".
But it's priceless to see how friends react when they move.
"Great.
People are happy to be in the House and say it feels spacious.
"Once, there were 23 of us," Simon said . ".