Couple Lisa Tranter and Matt Hobbs builds tiny home on wheels for just $90,000

A couple has built a tiny home on wheels for just $90,000, complete with a living area, a ‘full-size’ kitchen, bathroom, a fireplace and a stairway to the bedroom.

Lisa Tranter, 31, and her boyfriend Matt Hobbs, 32, were inspired to downsize by the increasingly popular ‘tiny house movement’ and created their dream home that’s practical, spacious, and packed with everything they need.

The couple moved into their house with outdoor entertaining 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.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the duo revealed the benefits of living in a tiny home that takes no more than 30 minutes to clean – as they offered a glimpse inside their space.

A couple has built a tiny home on wheels for just $90,000, complete with natural surroundings and outdoor entertaining

The property features plenty of storage spaces and a living area with book shelves, a big TV screen and comfortable seating

The property features plenty of storage spaces and a living area with book shelves, a big TV screen and comfortable seating

Lisa Tranter, 31, and her boyfriend Matt Hobbs, 32, moved into their spectacular house in the Blue Mountains in December

Lisa Tranter, 31, and her boyfriend Matt Hobbs, 32, moved into their spectacular house in the Blue Mountains in December

‘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 via their Instagram page – 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.’

The property measures about 22 square metres on the lower floor, and roughly 10 square metres in the loft space upstairs.

The tiny home has been completely decked out with everything they need, including a bed, a bathroom, a fireplace, air conditioning, solar panels for electricity and a ‘full-size’ kitchen with all the modern amenities. 

The couple have strategically placed the fridge and oven under the stairway to make some extra storage space.  

‘We wanted a full-sized kitchen with full-sized appliances, so we built the kitchen around those,’ the couple said.

‘The bathroom is a space we often use together so we made it large enough that we can both be in there without getting in each others way.’ 

The 'full-size' kitchen has all the modern amenities, including a fridge and oven fitted under the stairs to make extra space

The ‘full-size’ kitchen has all the modern amenities, including a fridge and oven fitted under the stairs to make extra space

The home has been completely decked out with everything they need, including a living area and solar panels for electricity

The home has been completely decked out with everything they need, including a living area and solar panels for electricity

The tiny home has been completely decked out with everything they need, including a kitchen with all the modern amenities

The tiny home has been completely decked out with everything they need, including a kitchen with all the modern amenities

Lisa – who’s a barista and cafe manager – said building a tiny home was a dream of hers for years.

‘I’ve had had a mild obsession for the last five years, with the intention of buying and building my own tiny home before I met Matt, who I then convinced not too long after we started dating,’ she said.

And so the couple set out to buy their own block of land with picturesque views of the natural surroundings in the Blue Mountains so they could build their dream home.

Matt – who’s a plumber by trade but now owns his own bathroom and kitchen renovations company – built their home from scratch over three months.

‘The build roughly took three months, and at a rough estimate we would put the cost at around $90,000,’ the couple said.

‘However, we did a lot of the work ourselves as well as calling in heaps of favours from tradie friends and family.’ 

When Matt is watching TV downstairs, Lisa goes up to the loft where the bedroom is, away from the noise, so she can study

When Matt is watching TV downstairs, Lisa goes up to the loft where the bedroom is, away from the noise, so she can study

The property measures about 22 square metres on the lower floor, and roughly 10 square metres in the loft space upstairs

The property measures about 22 square metres on the lower floor, and roughly 10 square metres in the loft space upstairs

Since moving into the tiny home, the couple said there’s only been minor challenges about living in such close proximity to one another.

‘Often when I need to study, Matt wants to watch TV. We don’t have any doors to close so it’s hard to block out the sound,’ Lisa said.

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.

The bedroom is located in the loft upstairs, and has giant windows overlooking the surroundings of the Blue Mountains

The bedroom is located in the loft upstairs, and has giant windows overlooking the surroundings of the Blue Mountains

The couple also built a tiny door, so their pet cats Hunter and Chief can run freely from the home into their own space outside

The couple also built a tiny door, so their pet cats Hunter and Chief can run freely from the home into their own space outside

The couple said one of the best parts about living in a tiny home is it takes no more than 30 minutes to clean the entire space

The couple said one of the best parts about living in a tiny home is it takes no more than 30 minutes to clean the entire space

Lisa said her favourite features of the home are the ‘louvered’ window in the bathroom, the feature panel over the front door and the floor transition.

‘Matt loves the bathroom in general as he was able to try things out that he wouldn’t normally have a chance to do with a client bathroom,’ she said.

For any Australians who are keen to build a tiny home but don’t know where to start, the couple said it was very important to know where you’re planning to ‘park’ your property.

‘The issue people face is finding a place to actually park their house,’ Lisa said.

‘If you look at most of the people who actually live in a tiny house, it’s often on their families’ property or they are renting a spot of land from someone – and it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

‘Those who are lucky like us have the opportunity to own the land they park on and still have that mortgage.  

‘Next, decide what it is you actually need to live with – often it’s less than what you already have. Start to practice some aspects of minimalism, downsize things, throw or give away stuff you haven’t used in ages, and avoid buying more things.’



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