Tiny Houzz Tour: Living the Good Life on a Small Scale
This owner-built home may be on the tiny side, but it provided the perfect space for this family's big dreams to come true
Deirdre Avenell
19 May 2016
Houzz editorial team. DIY/decorating nut, photographer and jewellery designer.
As the old saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. It was in this spirit that Murray Goodchild and his wife Vicky decided to embark on the adventure of a lifetime: building their very own tiny house. When the small family were told they had to move out of their house, Murray was determined not to enter back into the rental market. “It’s money down the drain and provides no long-term certainty in terms of being able to stay in one place,” he says.
So, not having the resources to apply for a home loan, they decided to try something different instead, and joined a movement still in its infancy in Australia. “Building a tiny house on wheels seemed to offer a solution, given its affordability and movability,” Murray continues. “Vicky and I both earn modest incomes… We try to live simply, doing what we love.” Thankfully, their new home – a 10-square-metre tiny house perched on a farm in Victoria’s Yarra Valley – gives them the opportunity to do just that.
So, not having the resources to apply for a home loan, they decided to try something different instead, and joined a movement still in its infancy in Australia. “Building a tiny house on wheels seemed to offer a solution, given its affordability and movability,” Murray continues. “Vicky and I both earn modest incomes… We try to live simply, doing what we love.” Thankfully, their new home – a 10-square-metre tiny house perched on a farm in Victoria’s Yarra Valley – gives them the opportunity to do just that.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Murray Goodchild, an acupuncturist, his wife Vicky, a yoga instructor, and their 4-year-old daughter Grace
Location: Yarra Valley, Victoria
Size: 9.9 square metres (with a 5-square-metre deck); the house sits on a 15-acre property
Budget: $12,000, for everything including solar panels, plumbing, furniture and accessories
That’s interesting: While on the small side, the open-plan home includes a living room/kitchen, a bathroom, study nook, a bedroom mezzanine and another bedroom above the bathroom. And the whole home can be moved to a different site with relative ease. It’s mobile!
Who lives here: Murray Goodchild, an acupuncturist, his wife Vicky, a yoga instructor, and their 4-year-old daughter Grace
Location: Yarra Valley, Victoria
Size: 9.9 square metres (with a 5-square-metre deck); the house sits on a 15-acre property
Budget: $12,000, for everything including solar panels, plumbing, furniture and accessories
That’s interesting: While on the small side, the open-plan home includes a living room/kitchen, a bathroom, study nook, a bedroom mezzanine and another bedroom above the bathroom. And the whole home can be moved to a different site with relative ease. It’s mobile!
The idea to live the tiny life came to Murray when he met a man who was building a tiny house for himself, and instantly fell in love with the idea. “[I loved] how little space you actually needed to live, and how the life that you lived in it could be so surprisingly rich,” Murray says of his initial attraction to the concept.
But what about his wife’s reaction to the idea of downsizing to such a drastic degree? “She was rapt,” Murray says. “It made so much sense for the position we were in.”
But what about his wife’s reaction to the idea of downsizing to such a drastic degree? “She was rapt,” Murray says. “It made so much sense for the position we were in.”
“The design process began with us asking what we needed the space to do,” Murray says. “Vicky and I both work for ourselves, so we needed room for admin/office type stuff and, of course, room for Gracie to grow and flourish.”
With neither Murray nor Vicky having much in the way of practical building experience, the couple turned to the most valuable source around for the information they needed to get their project started the right way: the internet. “We spent literally hundreds of hours on the net soaking up all of the inspiration we could,” Murray says. “From there we developed a concept of what could work for us.”
With neither Murray nor Vicky having much in the way of practical building experience, the couple turned to the most valuable source around for the information they needed to get their project started the right way: the internet. “We spent literally hundreds of hours on the net soaking up all of the inspiration we could,” Murray says. “From there we developed a concept of what could work for us.”
Having gone so far with the design process by themselves already, Murray and Vicky then took the next step and decided to take on the actual construction work as well. Why? Well, aside from the obvious bonus of financial savings, they also loved the idea of the hands-on nature of building their home themselves. “I think the more you’re connected to the story of where the things you have and use come from, the richer and more meaningful your life can be,” Murray explains.
That was March 2015 and now, a year later, the Goodchild family are finally able to add the finishing touches to their house. To keep costs down, Murray says he constantly asked himself: “Can I make it myself?” and “What else could I use instead?” There was one thing he did splurge on, however: “I bought an absolute kick-ass set of drills for the job as I knew I couldn’t afford to be let down with [not having] those,” Murray says proudly.
That was March 2015 and now, a year later, the Goodchild family are finally able to add the finishing touches to their house. To keep costs down, Murray says he constantly asked himself: “Can I make it myself?” and “What else could I use instead?” There was one thing he did splurge on, however: “I bought an absolute kick-ass set of drills for the job as I knew I couldn’t afford to be let down with [not having] those,” Murray says proudly.
It was important that the Goodchild’s home was tailored to the enhance the lives they wished to lead. For example, because Murray wanted a flat surface upon which to do yoga, he built the floor above the wheel wells of the trailer, rather than alongside them. “This meant that the height of the house ended up being 4.5 metres,” he says.
The average ceiling height in Australian homes is 2.4 metres, and when you consider that this has to take in the height of a trailer, as well as a loft area for sleeping, things can get a little bit cramped. Within this small home, therefore, no space is wasted, and most areas serve a double purpose.
The average ceiling height in Australian homes is 2.4 metres, and when you consider that this has to take in the height of a trailer, as well as a loft area for sleeping, things can get a little bit cramped. Within this small home, therefore, no space is wasted, and most areas serve a double purpose.
For instance, the kitchen also doubles as a dining area, with the help of a pull-out dining table. The table itself actually does triple duty, as a kitchen bench used for preparing meals, a dining table for enjoying those meals, and as a craft table. There is even a double-sided set of pull-out drawers (seen in the right of this picture), which holds kitchen essentials in the front three drawers, and – once you pull the cabinet out and turn it around – serves as storage for crafting supplies in the back.
Also, the kitchen sink actually holds a double basin, but laminated wood and ply boards – handmade by Murray to fit into the larger side of the sink and the draining rack – create extra prep space when the sinks aren’t in use.
Also, the kitchen sink actually holds a double basin, but laminated wood and ply boards – handmade by Murray to fit into the larger side of the sink and the draining rack – create extra prep space when the sinks aren’t in use.
The materials used throughout the house were chosen for a combination of reasons: they had to be durable, available, of low cost and light, as well as being able to fit in with the aesthetics of the home. “It was always a case of designing with the elements at hand and not the other way around,” Murray says. “For example, it was only once I had the windows that I could finish the framing plans that would house the windows. Working the other way around is when your costs go through the roof.”
The couch in the living space was handmade by Vicky and Murray, as was the bulk of the furniture and furnishings found throughout the home. Sitting atop a wooden frame (with built-in storage, of course), the cushions were crafted out of an old futon that the couple found in hard rubbish.
They cut and reassembled the foam and padding to suit their own configuration, then covered each individual piece in fabric that was just the right shade of green.
They cut and reassembled the foam and padding to suit their own configuration, then covered each individual piece in fabric that was just the right shade of green.
One of the most unique considerations of building a tiny home, and one of the trickier rules to work within, is fitting everything needed for a family to live comfortably within a limited height. While sleeping quarters were added easily enough in the purpose-build loft spaces at either end of the house, there was still a requirement for separate spaces for the couple to work from home, and for the occasional bit of alone time.
“A little glitch along the way, during the building phase, was when I installed the mezzanine and felt the openness of the space shut down in an instant,” Murray says, in explanation of his initial attempt to add this extra space. “After some impromptu rearranging, I came up with something that allowed the space to breathe, but because it was not in accordance with the original plan, it created a few design anomalies, like a window about 2.5 metres up the wall that no one could reach.”
The solution? The solid mezzanine space was instead turned into a more open catwalk. “There is a low slatted floor over the couch that allows you to stand up on the second level. The slats allow light to pass through, so you don’t feel cooped in below on the couch. It’s not an idea I’ve seen anywhere else.”
The solution? The solid mezzanine space was instead turned into a more open catwalk. “There is a low slatted floor over the couch that allows you to stand up on the second level. The slats allow light to pass through, so you don’t feel cooped in below on the couch. It’s not an idea I’ve seen anywhere else.”
“A realisation that awakened in me during the build was the way that changing levels allows you to occupy different air space,” Murray says of the way they’ve managed to make the most of the space available. “A number of conversations can be going on at once in a small space and not feel too busy, because the lines of communication are not intercepting each other.”
Surrounding the catwalk on the upper level of the home, this natural branch provides an organically shaped railing for added security and a beautiful, natural aesthetic. The branch was found while Murray was out on a riverside walk, and adds to the rustic appeal of the recycled timber home.
Also on the home’s upper level, accessed by the catwalk, a large loft space serves as the couple’s bedroom. Timber shelves supported by more branches give the space the feeling of having grown, rather than having been built.
Thanks to the relatively large windows, this space feels open and bright, despite its low ceiling height. When open, the windows also help to create a pleasant cross breeze, great for warm summer nights.
Thanks to the relatively large windows, this space feels open and bright, despite its low ceiling height. When open, the windows also help to create a pleasant cross breeze, great for warm summer nights.
The bedroom is a particular favourite for Murray, both for sleeping in and just for relaxing when the mood takes him. “I like sitting up on the bed in the mezzanine,” he says, “as the air flow is amazing and you feel perfectly secluded like you’re at the top of a tree.”
The couple learnt how to do more specialist trades along the way. For example, Murray constructed the house’s plumbing system himself and connected it to an external rainwater tank, helping them to stay even further off the grid.
At the bottom of this hand-built shower cubicle, an ofuro-style Japanese soaking tub was also crafted by Murray out of plywood, then coated with epoxy to make it water tight. The bath, which is compact but quite deep, is filled from the rainwater tank, with water that has been heated with the use of a wood-burning system.
“A lot of the costs came at the end of the build with plumbing, electrics and paint,” Murray says. But it was thanks to a product called ‘Liming White’ that they were able to turn $130 worth of baltic pine lining boards into what Murray calls, “chic, rustic gorgeousness.”
At the bottom of this hand-built shower cubicle, an ofuro-style Japanese soaking tub was also crafted by Murray out of plywood, then coated with epoxy to make it water tight. The bath, which is compact but quite deep, is filled from the rainwater tank, with water that has been heated with the use of a wood-burning system.
“A lot of the costs came at the end of the build with plumbing, electrics and paint,” Murray says. But it was thanks to a product called ‘Liming White’ that they were able to turn $130 worth of baltic pine lining boards into what Murray calls, “chic, rustic gorgeousness.”
“Anyone who enters the tiny house immediately feels like they’re in a kid’s tree house because there’s a big focus on vertical space, which you can climb up into and make use of,” Murray says. In the space behind the bathroom, at the front of the house, a staircase (pictured here) leads up to Grace’s loft, and also doubles as built-in storage for her toys and other belongings.
This space, known as ‘the nook’ sits underneath Grace’s room at the front of the trailer just opposite the stairs, and offers members of the family a quiet place to retreat to, should some alone time be necessary.
The deliberately pared-back, simple and somewhat raw design of many of the house’s spaces was inspired by Japanese wabi-sabi style; the idea behind this style is about the beauty of the imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. This was one of several search terms the couple used when they were looking online for inspiration. Others were ‘Japanese’, ‘Zen’, ‘recycled’ and ‘upcycled’.
The deliberately pared-back, simple and somewhat raw design of many of the house’s spaces was inspired by Japanese wabi-sabi style; the idea behind this style is about the beauty of the imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. This was one of several search terms the couple used when they were looking online for inspiration. Others were ‘Japanese’, ‘Zen’, ‘recycled’ and ‘upcycled’.
Making the home’s levels accessible and safe for a child was one of the most important concerns for both Murray and Vicky when building their home. “Having a four year old, I’ve always needed to consider how Grace will handle any design elements,” Murray says. “For example, [I thought about] whether she’d be able to navigate the trap door in her bedroom, or whether the steps leading up to that same trap door were suited to her size.”
When Grace is in her bedroom, a sliding trap door covers the space at the top of the stairs for safety.
When Grace is in her bedroom, a sliding trap door covers the space at the top of the stairs for safety.
Dotted throughout the house, May Gibbs’ gumnut babies bring added interest and appeal to the home for Grace and the rest of the family. This pair nestle below the main light switches, which illuminate the home with a solar-powered glow.
The solar panels, seen here just off the home’s view-capturing deck, were one of the few elements of the build that Murray sought help with. “The prize for being an all-time legend goes to my dear friend Dominic Hawkins,” he says, “who has worked tirelessly to get me on solar power. He even provided the batteries free of charge, because they were being off-loaded at the end of their career.”
So, not only is the couple able to live off the grid, creating and storing their own power thanks to the sun, they also used recycled materials to help make this happen. This truly is an ecologically-friendly home. “Because he’s a genius, Dom has developed a way of reconditioning them and now I have batteries that capture energy from the sun. What a miracle.”
So, not only is the couple able to live off the grid, creating and storing their own power thanks to the sun, they also used recycled materials to help make this happen. This truly is an ecologically-friendly home. “Because he’s a genius, Dom has developed a way of reconditioning them and now I have batteries that capture energy from the sun. What a miracle.”
Though the house may be small, it sits on a widespread block, which allows the Goodchild family to live the simple, sustainable life they have always coveted, surrounded by the beauty and bounty of the natural environment. But if the time comes and they want to move again, the house has been built on wheels for just that purpose.
For general access vehicles, the maximum height allowed on the roads is 4.3 metres. Murray overcame this problem by making the extremities of the roof above the sleeping lofts retractable! The roof can actually be lowered in order for the house to fit within the guidelines. “I built the house so that the roof can be lowered 50 centimetres,” Murray says. “There are hinges on the lower part of the main roof. The brown wedges that you see on the upper walls from the outside can be removed, so that the roof can be lowered.”
For general access vehicles, the maximum height allowed on the roads is 4.3 metres. Murray overcame this problem by making the extremities of the roof above the sleeping lofts retractable! The roof can actually be lowered in order for the house to fit within the guidelines. “I built the house so that the roof can be lowered 50 centimetres,” Murray says. “There are hinges on the lower part of the main roof. The brown wedges that you see on the upper walls from the outside can be removed, so that the roof can be lowered.”
“I’d say the house has great green credentials,” Murray says, taking into account all of the modifications he built in himself and with help from friends. “It’s off grid, which means it produces its own solar power, own solar and wood-fired hot water, harvests its own rainwater and recycles the greywater by watering the vegie beds, which grow our own food.”
This sustainability was of the utmost importance to the family, who have located their home on the border of Victoria’s PEACE Farm, with which they are closely associated. PEACE stands for Permaculture, Education, Art, Community and Enterprise, and the farm is an organic living and learning space that teaches the community about self-sustainable living.
This sustainability was of the utmost importance to the family, who have located their home on the border of Victoria’s PEACE Farm, with which they are closely associated. PEACE stands for Permaculture, Education, Art, Community and Enterprise, and the farm is an organic living and learning space that teaches the community about self-sustainable living.
Seen here is one of the beds Murray and Vicky built outside their home, enabling them to grow much of their own food and adding to their self-sufficient lifestyle.
Since moving into their newly built tiny house earlier this year, Murray, Vicky and Grace are loving the massive change in their lifestyle. “Because it’s such a scaled down existence,” Murray says, “a lot of time and energy gets freed up. The demands on us are less. We don’t have to pedal as fast to keep on top of things. We have no debt.”
The lack of debt is one of the most significant advantages of tiny house living. While property prices around Australia continue to increase, making the dream of home ownership unattainable for so many, and putting the majority of those who can enter the market in lifelong debt, the Goodchilds have found the best of both worlds; affordable housing and a sustainable lifestyle.
The intimate space of the tiny house has even helped to make their small family closer. “We spend a lot of time together and getting along is just a skill that has to be developed as part of the conditions of this lifestyle,” Murray explains.
The lack of debt is one of the most significant advantages of tiny house living. While property prices around Australia continue to increase, making the dream of home ownership unattainable for so many, and putting the majority of those who can enter the market in lifelong debt, the Goodchilds have found the best of both worlds; affordable housing and a sustainable lifestyle.
The intimate space of the tiny house has even helped to make their small family closer. “We spend a lot of time together and getting along is just a skill that has to be developed as part of the conditions of this lifestyle,” Murray explains.
Another big advantage is having more room to roam out of doors, thanks to the expansive plot of land on which their new home sits. The family keep their own chooks in a coop that is hopefully more secure than their last one, which was unfortunately infiltrated by a local fox.
Murray describes the experience of living in a tiny house as providing “lots of invitation to the outdoors, but still enough sheltering to feel protected and nurtured as well. I see the house as an interface with the world, not an attempt to contain the whole world within the four walls.”
Murray describes the experience of living in a tiny house as providing “lots of invitation to the outdoors, but still enough sheltering to feel protected and nurtured as well. I see the house as an interface with the world, not an attempt to contain the whole world within the four walls.”
When asked what advice he would give to anyone considering embarking on their own tiny house build, Murray says, quite simply: “Do it. You’ll find exactly what you need, when you need it, if you have faith in the process and your motivations.” Sounds like a good reason to give it a go.
For those who agree, Murray also provides the following guidance: “Much assistance came in the form of ideas developed when sharing our dreams with friends, family and other tiny house enthusiasts. Connecting with like-minded individuals, largely through Tiny Houses Australia’s Facebook page, provided heaps of affirmation and moral support.”
For those who agree, Murray also provides the following guidance: “Much assistance came in the form of ideas developed when sharing our dreams with friends, family and other tiny house enthusiasts. Connecting with like-minded individuals, largely through Tiny Houses Australia’s Facebook page, provided heaps of affirmation and moral support.”
TELL US
What are your thoughts on the tiny house movement, and what do you like best about the Goodchilds’ interpretation of a tiny house? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
What are your thoughts on the tiny house movement, and what do you like best about the Goodchilds’ interpretation of a tiny house? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
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Absolutely gorgeous!!! Very clever, I love it all!!!
I would love to read a follow-up in 2017 to see how this little family is going in their tiny abode. Whether it worked as built or if changes were needed, how little Gracie has adapted and especially if the family has increased! A lovely family worth following.