To easily tackle on-going maintenance we went with shou sugi ban cladding on all walls of the house. This is a Japanese technique of burning wood which protects it from the environment and doesn't require maintenance. Timber doors and windows were installed all with double glazing. Terra Lana wool insulation was used on the floor, walls and ceiling. By not comprising on quality materials, this ensures lower operating costs. Flexibility for heating in the near future is made easy with extra wiring in the walls, and space for a heat pump and logburner.

The house is true tiny being 8m by 2.5m in size. The living area and loft spaces can be multi-functional such as guest rooms, office space, or entertainment/relaxing zones. The house is open plan with french doors that open up to a large deck (to be installed). Walking in the front door the kitchen is the heart of the home. The kitchen offers full size appliances that are integrated where possible and there is plenty of storage. There is a three burner gas cooktop and a breakfast bar for enjoying meals. The loft bedroom has a queen sized bed with plenty of room for extra storage. The fully tiled shower is 1500 x 900, and a Green Loo dry composting toilet with external holding tanks. There is a floating vanity with a small yet sufficient basin.

All materials used have been well thought out. With the build taking a year and a half to complete we took DIY to the next level by making everything! Each individual length of cladding was burnt using a flame thrower and then stained with Natural Paint Co stain. The doors and windows were made with pine and have quality hardware by Bankston. We built the entire kitchen including the concrete bench-top and splash back. All drawers are push to open and soft close, and a Blum space step has been included in a toe-kick drawer so that Zoe (or any shorter guest) can reach the upper cupboards. After completing the job of laying all the kitkat tiles in the bathroom, we built a vanity by repurposing old iron bark timber.

As mentioned the house is open plan, and ladders have been used to utilise valuable living space. The ladder to the main loft folds away to the wall to create space to sit at the breakfast bar. Cupboards/nooks have been added under the breakfast bar to make use of the space. Every square centimetre of the kitchen has been used where possible for storage without having a boxy/cluttered feel (including drawers in the toe-kick area which is usually wasted space). A wardrobe has been added into the integrated cabinetry right next to the bathroom entrance as that made the most sense to us practically. The storage unit above the kitchen is accessed via the spare loft for storing extra blankets and items that aren't used as often. Underfloor heating and heated towel rails were installed in the bathroom as we knew the tiny home was to be parked in an alpine area.

Our designed inspiration was a mix of wabi sabi and scandi however, it has turned into a real creation of our own. The entire house has been painted with natural lime wash as we wanted to refrain from having all white walls. There were no recessed down lights used, all lighting has been carefully thought out to create a calm ambience. The flooring throughout the living space is cork which is soft, warm and natural. Wool carpet has been used in the lofts to increase the Hygge or coziness. We wanted to be a bit more playful in the bathroom so we went for forest green kitkat tile, and white tap-ware. The cedar ceiling in the bathroom was repurposed, and the burnt wood feature in the lounge wall was leftover from the cladding. The kitchen is oak with black tap-ware and concrete. A macrocarpa feature beam above the loft, and slats provides a subtle separation between the living room and kitchen. To access the spare loft we have installed rock climbing holds. This saves on space and was a great way to incorporate a touch of personality into the home.