Granny flat yes. Tiny house no.

It's not the cost of houses thats causing the problems in Sydney and Melbourne, it's the cost of the land that the houses are located on. Property prices in regional areas are not out of reach of the average earner. While I'm big on sustainability and using our land and resources efficiently and effectively I'm not a fan of tiny houses, I think they are a gimmick.

We live in 54sq metres. We built brand new 10 years ago out of necessity as we bought bare land. Told ourselves it would be temporary 2-3 year. At the time small houses were unheard of and we had a deadline to get out of our rental so built a house grade double garage sized shell and fitted interior ourselves. Double glazed al joinery,up spec' insulation, we live in very cold climate winter, very hot summer. New kitchen, bathroom etc; Storage is a problem but if starting again now there is so much more available in fittings etc; it has done us very well and taught us most of the things that we used to think were important is just stuff! We don't go without, have aircon, dishwasher etc; but we don't collect any clutter. We are now in the process of thinking about buliding a house, we won't be going too big but just a little more space would be nice!

I downsized gradually over a number of years from the 23 room 'museum' in a different state to my now tiny 2bed, 1 bath manufactured home. I went a step too far buying a glam one bed apartment and lived there going slowly mad for 5 years before buying this one.

I love the idea of the tiny house movement but think one has to be a lot younger than me to get into it and there's always the parking and storage issues. Storage space was my issue in the one bedder and whilst I had a large courtyard for entertaining I still felt confined and it was a large apt apparently. There are more 'tiny' options available than the caravan type that are in vogue now and I recommend thorough research if tiny is your goal.

I ripped out the kitchen in this house and designed a very good practical one which opened a lot of space enabling me to have a 2 seater couch, ottoman tv/reading area, my much loved cabinet as well as a spacious dining area leaving the main living room free to be the 'good' reception room. It doesn't look at all cluttered however one has to work at not buying extra 'stuff' in tiny houses. Each living area is semi open to the other allowing for private space without closing the place in and I have a lot of windows/sliders so it's very light now. (I also made a lot of insulation upgrades, necessary in this type of abode in this location)

The bedrooms are smaller than I'm used to but have BIR's, it has a decent sized laundry room and the soaring gable ceilings help create interior spaciousness. The only bathroom is ensuite size, there's only me most of the time so it's not a problem and it will look more spacious when I get to renovate it.

I used to consider manufactured homes with suspicion until I checked them out and like all housing options one has to do the homework especially when it comes to location (as with all tiny houses). I'm very lucky to have found the perfect spot for me with great amenities, very close to the city. It was the most affordable option too compared to buying a regular house in Melbourne which for me is a waste at this stage of my life, I'd rather have a life.

I like the concept of a tiny house for a holiday but to live in - not for me. I also watch some programs and see so of the most usual layouts of some of the units and can't see how they would work long term. Some however are extremely clever in their design and functionality. I also am very concious that people are not always going to be able to climb up small ladders to loft space e.g. if you injure yourself you are stuck if you can not climb up to bed or up to get your clothes or similar. I love my space, I love my collection of precious items but if it meant that I could buy a house that was entirely mine, in today's unaffordable market.... I guess I would consider it, but otherwise it would drive me insane.

I think the tiny houses are great but to live in one, not for me. I love & need space. Have watched a show where the family of 4 built one in their backyard & sold the main house. The idea of living in such a small space with 2 kids, how can it work?? Kids need growing space, room to play, room to study. Would go stir crazy when the weather is bad. No thanks. Couldnt live in a caravan for too long either, holiday maybe but permanently no!!

I think they are very cute and cleverly designed for economy and space utilisation. Were I a heck of a lot younger and on my own, yes, I would try it out for a time; however, I'm not and I have discovered I really thrive better with lots of space around me. I hated living in the 'burbs and would not ever want to go back.

Oh, no, it's definitely not about me. I am sure that under no circumstances would I agree to live in such a tiny house.

Oh, no, it's definitely not about me. I am sure that under no circumstances would I agree to live in such a tiny house. Just terrible conditions for me. I like when I have a lot of space. I need space so that I can feel free. That's why I decided to take out a mortgage on a very large two-storey house to meet my space needs. When I took out a mortgage, I consulted with a mortgage broker using Mortgage Advice York. Thanks to him, I am sure that none of the payments will be missed, and I will close my mortgage on time.

Living in a tiny house can be an intriguing option, especially considering the rising property prices. It's great to see that Tiny Homes are gaining popularity in Australia as well.

A tiny house is a caravan. Just a fancy name.

I'm in New Zealand ( as a lot of you know ) and our rules are different , and will maybe act as a warning .

Councils seem to be left-leaning , and therefore see anyone with property as a continual source of money . They make the rules with that in mind . Of course , what they don't seem to be able to comprehend is thaat every action has an equal and opposite reaction .

Anyone subdividing an existing section or doing a subdivision has to pay a 'development contribution' . In most cities this is $50,000-100,000 . Per section/title . so they think they are hitting the greedy landowner , but of course , it is the person buying the smaller property that effectively pays this -- I don't think most councils can appreciate that .

As a slight side issue , one large company has bought several hundred rural acres , and are trying to build their own town -- factories for themselves and support businesses , as well as shops and groceries and takeaways and gas stations and the lot . 1000's of houses to buy or rent or rent to own . And they want to pay for their own streets , and sewerage scheme , and power , and water , and parks , and upkeep . The council involved , predictably , has spent $10's of millions of ratepayers money fighting them every step of the way , changing the rules , all the usual tricks .

So a tiny home here isn't classed as a caravan , it needs to have permanent water and sewerage and power , so , yes you guessed , needs to have someone pay a development contribution . It needs to comply with all the building regulations , so you can't have it for only 'summertime' use or similar . In Aus , you have a lot of areas that are effectively off-grid , because power and sewerage would be way too impractical , but here you cannot opt-out .

And even caravans cannot be 'lived in' permanently , with the exception of some caravan parks , and I think even then technically the caravan has to be moved once every 3 months or similar . Park a caravan at your house , have the grandkids stay for 2 weeks , you probably get away with it . But have them and their Mum live there -- you then need to permanently connect it to your services , and , you guessed it , pay a development fee ! Same with mobile homes and the like .

My mobile home I have had it deregistered , and re-registered it as a mobile office , in my businesses name . This is because Mobile Homes are not allowed to park overnight and be slept in , on the streets or carparks in most towns . Of course , if I got a ticket and disputed it , the relevant council may show local CCTV footage , or ask for an accomodation receipt from a nearby business , but at least it will tie them up in court for at least a couple of hours or more -- they probably have lawyers on the payroll , but if they are paying $300 an hour , plus 3 or 4 council employees time , plus the Judge and court people -- its cost them way more than the $200-500 fine .

So long story short -- tiny homes are a legal nightmare in NZ , as is almost anything that doesn't look like a conventional house .

One other thought -- this thread is labelled 'Mortgage Buster' , and obviously a tiny house is less $$$$ so a lower mortgage . Thats a good theory .

But what is the resale like , and will your bank or financier finance a tiny home , and if so , at what rate ? Here in NZ , an average house with a section can be bought on a 20% deposit , and over the years , the average interest rate is approx 7% . A personal loan or car loan is more like 10-18% interest , ironically you can get a personal loan at a lower rate if you have a house , and can increase your mortgage .

But heres the 'killer' -- houses , on average , increase in value by approx 100% every 10 years , or 8 or 9% compounding . So you are paying 7% on an asset that is increasing by 8 or 9% .

Does your tiny home increase at that rate , or does it depreciate like a car ? You pay $100k , and put it on a $300k section . Possibly , the section will be worth $600k in 10 years , but what if the used tiny home is only worth $50k ? Instead of an $800k house , you have a $650k asset , that you may have been paying a higher interest rate for ?

Or even worse -- you don't own the section , but instead pay $100 a week to park it somewhere -- tghat may rise to $200 a week in 10 years ? So in 10 years , you've lost $50k on your tiny home , and paid nearly $100k for site rental , plus possibly paid $200k in interest -- you'd probably be way better off renting !

I wish builders would employ some of the tiny home architectural “tricks” when they build apartments. I don’t want a tiny home, but I do want a more efficient apartment