$16K Tiny House Is a Great Example of What You Can Do With “Trash”

These days, downsizing means anything from a tiny house to a monster fifth-wheel that’s fancier than most people’s apartments, or ginormous gooseneck tiny houses and expandable trailers that could easily serve as venues for a small wedding reception. We’re not calling this a degradation of the principles of downsizing, but rather a natural evolution of this lifestyle, prompted by its recent boost in popularity.

Thomas and Anna, a young couple from the Netherlands, are still doing downsizing “by the book,” if there’s such a thing. Their tiny home is a full DIY (do it yourself) build that they did on their own (duh), using only recycled materials wherever possible and reflecting a very simplistic, harmonious way of life. It was their first project of the kind, which then spawned a business of van conversions under the Timbervans moniker, and they’re showing it off in the video tour available at the bottom of the page.

DIY builds are quite popular these days, and most of the people who can boast of carrying one to completion will insist they had no prior experience in such projects. The same goes for these two, though it’s clear from the start that, even if they lacked experience, they still had plenty of skill and worked similar jobs. For example, Anna’s pottery work led to her making the tiles for the backsplash in the kitchen, which is no small feat.

This tiny isn’t only impressive because it’s a DIY job, but because it came at a very low cost – a most natural consequence of using what others consider “trash.” The whole thing, including the trailer, was only €15,000, so about $16,300 at the current exchange rate, peanuts to what people pay for a turnkey tiny, with prices going as high as $200,000.

There’s a caveat in the fact that this particular tiny is not future-proofed. It’s designed for a young couple who love to travel and are into several sports, and it will probably not outlive the current functionality. Cost-cutting will work against it too, since the layout, the spaces, and even the furniture will only work for these two residents at this particular moment in time. Put it differently, no middle-aged couple would dare live in this, and a child would be in constant danger.

But for this kind of money, you really can’t or shouldn’t complain. Thomas and Anna created a very homey and quite good-looking space, where they get the basic creature comforts of a home, a space to sleep and relax, and a place to entertain or be entertained while watching a movie. What’s best, this home is packed with personal touches and beautiful artsy objects, both of which go hand in hand with the challenges of making “garbage” work functionally and aesthetically.

The house was designed and then built around the windows, which were bought on the second-hand market. You enter directly into the kitchen, where you find a gas stove and a pizza oven in lieu of a proper oven, a deep sink and plenty of counter space, with storage and an integrated fridge-freezer underneath. Additional storage space is in a small loft over the kitchen. Right from the start, you notice those personal touches, in Anna’s tiles and the gorgeous tap made of repurposed plumbing parts.

A small fold-down table with two metal chairs serves as dining area or an office, but there’s a larger, 4-person dining table in the lounge. You just can’t see it, because it’s tucked away, and can be attached by four ropes to the ceiling whenever they have guests over. An L-shaped couch, a screen, and a projector turn this space into their space to chill.

The bathroom is tucked away to the side, and it’s done in the same boho style. Because the tiny is rigged to the mains, instead of a composting toilet, Thomas and Anna opted for a regular flushing toilet. Also on this level is a piece of furniture that offers storage, holds the dog’s bed and food, and serves as a standing desk. Downsizing might be a fun life for the amount of travel you get to do, but someone still has to work to pay for the fun.

The bedroom is in the loft, which also features a novel approach to other tinies: it’s a floating loft, suspended to the ceiling and the sides, which means you get a bit more space below. Access is done by stepping on the furniture pieces below, and you reach a little nook with a 2 by 1.40-meter (6.5 by 4.9-foot) bed with a deep wardrobe and the vibe of a treehouse. At least, that’s how Anna describes the feeling they get when they’re lying down.

The home is insulated with ISOFlex and relies on a wood-burning stove for heating, with an additional heater for the bathroom. It’s road legal, being 7.2 meters (23.7 feet) long and 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) wide. At 3,500 kg (7,800 lb), it’s also light enough to be towed with a Land Rover.

So this is it: a tiny house that was built on the cheap out of second-hand, repurposed materials, that’s compact and easily towable, quite good-looking, and packed with personal touches. If this isn’t a tiny house unicorn, we don’t know what is.