Spotlight on: The tiny house movement in New Zealand

After feeling priced out of the market, New Zealand native Bryce Langston's quest for affordable housing lead him to a tiny solution. Inspired by the tiny house movement, he started Living Big in a Tiny House, a website featuring small (around 10-square-metres), mostly on wheels, self-built homes around NZ. "When I first heard about the tiny house movement in the United States, I was incredibly excited," Langston says. "Despite having a decent job, I had already been priced out of the property market in the city where I lived (Auckland, New Zealand) and was looking for alternative solutions for escaping the rent trap."

Langston decided a tiny house was the perfect solution for him, and suspected there were others in a similar situation. "I wanted to build the website as a resource to help educate and inspire people on the topic of alternative living, as well as help to give people the tools to build their own unique spaces," he says. "The website features details about my own tiny house build as well as the stories of many other New Zealanders who have chosen to live in small spaces."
Since starting in August of 2013 the site and its Big Living Tiny Houses YouTube series has grown both in popularly (his most popular video reached over 7 million views) and as a community. We caught up with Langston to get the low-down on why tiny houses are becoming increasingly popular and look back on some of his favourite projects.
Tiny cliff-side home overlooks Rocky Bay on New Zealand’s Waiheke Island is home of local Grant Lilly.

What is a tiny house exactly and who would suite one?
"Traditionally, tiny houses are around 2.4 x five-metres. They contain a living area, sleeping loft, kitchen and bathroom and are constructed to fit a trailer so they can be easily moved. They allow people to own their own house, without needing to own the land that it sits on. It's possible to build these homes to be entirely self-contained and off-grid, generating their own water, and electricity (they cost anywhere between $30,000-$55,000 to build but can cost up to $70,000 for high-spec). There is no one single personality type that suits downsized living. Some tiny house occupants are young and just wanting a stepping stone to get ahead in life, others are retiring and wanting to downsize to a smaller space that’s easier to manage after the kids have left home. I suppose one thing that they do generally have in common is that they are drawn to a simple way of life, and that they are more excited about gaining experiences than material possessions. It’s certainly no space for a hoarder!

This all sounds very utopian, what should you consider before diving in?
"One of the big questions that most people have when considering tiny house living, is where they will park the home. This can be an issue if you require a very central location (city), but as you get further and further out of the town centres more and more land options become available. There are actually many land-owners now advertising for Tiny Homes to come to their land in exchange for help maintaining the property, or for a small amount of rent."

You’ve toured many tiny houses around NZ, what’s been the most surprising find?
 I’ve been completely blown away by some of the incredible things that people build. The Castle Truck is a fantastic example of that! It’s a furniture moving truck that transforms into a fantasy style castle, complete with bathroom turrets, a solar food dehydrator and even a roof-top bathtub. My favourite project is a cottage- style tiny house in West Auckland. It’s beautiful, affordable and very simple.

High-spec details. A small Sparky Wood Stove heats this tiny home.

Compact, but room to move. An example of a tiny kitchen with in-built desk.