Gold Coast family Fatima and Croyden Wheeler, with children, Zephyr, 2, and Zola, 8 months. Picture: supplied/ Olivia Ray
A Gold Coast family who downsized to crack the property market has lived in a tiny house on wheels for two years with two kids aged under two.
Fatima and Croyden Wheeler were renting a three-bedroom unit in Labrador with their newborn son, Zephyr, when Covid hit in 2020.
Forced to close their fitness business, they pooled savings and became first-home owners of a tiny house three months later.
“We knew we couldn’t keep paying this rent, thousands of dollars a month, when all our clients were dropping off,” Ms Wheeler, 33, said.
“We decided we wanted a simple life.”
The tiny house is mounted on a tri-axle trailer. Picture: supplied/ Selah Creative
The tiny house cost about $100,000 from Queenland company, Aussie Tiny Houses. It sits on a tri-axle trailer and measures 7.2m long, 2.4m wide, and 4.3m high.
“It was our first-ever home to buy and now we are mortgage free,” Ms Wheeler said.
The compact abode has seen the family through lockdowns, floods, and even the incredible home birth of their daughter, Zola, eight months ago.
Aussie Tiny Houses sales and marketing manager Alex Monteiro said the movement to live small had grown big in the five years the company has operated.
Building a tiny house now costs up to $140,000 amid material price hikes and labour shortages affecting the broader construction industry.
Mr Wheeler built a deck with wide awning to extend the al fresco living space. Pic: supplied/ Tam Creative
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var result = minutes + “:” + (seconds < 10 ? "0" + seconds : seconds); return result; } })(window.videojs); But even that hasn’t affected demand, and build wait lists are long. “Particularly in the last year after Covid, we’re seeing a lot of people inquiring about tiny houses who are going through financial hardship, and also people who are wanting to move away from the big cities,” Mr Monteiro said. Regulations governing tiny house living vary depending on whether it is classified as a registered vehicle, like a caravan, or a fixed dwelling. A Gold Coast City Council spokesperson said either a building approval or a camping area licence was needed for living in a caravan or tiny house on wheels on your property. About 10,000 guests were expected to attend Brisbane’s Tiny Homes Expo at Redcliffe Showgrounds this weekend, event founder Phae Barrett said. The house is parked on acreage in the southern Gold Coast Ms Barrett said tiny houses had found favour with those aged 29 to 44, as well as larger families. “Tiny homes are, in my view, a solution to many issues that the country is facing right now — homeless crises, housing costs crises, rental crises, cost-of-living crises, flood crises,” Ms Barrett said. “Owning a tiny home and placing it on a relative or friends’ property, or renting land, is a great way to step out of the stresses of all these crises, with a secure roof over your head. “People can build their own, or have a builder make them the house of their dreams with bells and whistles, which may come at a price but is still a fraction of the current costs of a traditional build,” she said. The Wheelers secured land to park their home by distributing 25 flyers around their preferred semi-rural areas. They received one phone call in return, from an acreage owner who agreed to a lease. Stairs lead up to the loft bedrooms Kitchen and lounge area MORE NEWS New first-home buyer suburbs in your state Housing out of reach for most buyers: peak body Cricket couple reveal new build Their tiny house is basically self-sufficient, with a composting toilet, rainwater storage and grey water systems. Downstairs is the kitchen with full-sized oven, generous bench and servery window, the bathroom, and lounge area. Upstairs, there’s two loft bedrooms — one has a skylight — connected by a crawl way enclosed by safety netting. Mr Wheeler, a 35-year-old gardener, added a 3m-wide front deck strung with fairy lights to extend the al fresco living space. With minimised living costs, the family works less hours and spends more time together. Another bonus is less time spent cleaning. Toddler Zephyr loves rainy day play in his loft bedroom “It’s just a totally different lifestyle from the strict business owners we were,” Ms Wheeler said. “I’m a totally different person now. I feel so relaxed. There’s nothing holding us back. “We have financial freedom, and the freedom to explore the world with our babies. It’s been amazing for us,” she said. The family will soon to travel to Mexico, but plans to return to the tiny house. You can follow the Wheelers’ adventures on YouTube or Instagram. The post Family-of-four marks two years living in a tiny house on wheels appeared first on realestate.com.au.