The 1,000 Pounds Tiny House – Defying The Real Estate Market

by Paul Ciocoiu · November 2, 2015

When all roads seem to be blocked, you always find a shortcut taking you to the destination. The only condition you have to meet is look for that shortcut. For Christian Montez and Kyra Powell, all the roads leading to their dream home were blocked by constantly growing prices. Their shortcut was building the homes themselves. And not any kind of home, but one built from materials scavenged from scrapyards and with the whole costs standing around 1,000 pounds.

“The average price for a two-bedroom house in our area is about £190,000 and when you’ve been renting, you see your savings dwindle away. We were so fed up of renting. It’s just dead money that’s going into someone else’s pocket. We tried to save for a deposit, which would have been about £10,000 at least but got nowhere fast. Each year you don’t get on the ladder, prices have gone up by four to five per cent”, the two told the British daily The Mirror.

The 1,000 pounds tiny house – a porthole from an old washing machine door

So Christian, who has a Masters in architecture while girlfriend of 10 years Kyra has completed a degree at the National School of Furniture in Oxford, came up with an alternative solution. Christian, 29 and Kyra, 28, constructed the cozy two-story property in just nine weeks using materials scavenged from scrapyards. The cabin, which measures 2.6m (8ft) wide by 5m (16ft) long and has a height of 3.8m (12ft), includes a double bedroom, lounge, kitchen and an office. Because their home has wheels it is not classed as a permanent dwelling so does not require planning permission.

The walls and floors are made from recycled wooden panels while windows and material for furniture came from scrapyards. They even built a porthole window from an old washing machine door. Since their project drew a lot of attention, including the media, the young couple now want to share their skills and expertise with other like-minded adults, by teaching them how to make starter homes. “Our plan is to provide the facilities for people to come and stay, experiencing the tiny home movement first hand for themselves”, they explained.