That’s about as big as your average car space. It’s also four times smaller than the minimum 50sqm size for a one-bedroom apartment in NSW.
But that’s exactly what the size of four houses will be that have just been approved for Australia’s first ‘tiny home’ project, which aims to supply affordable housing to the homeless, including the elderly.
So how much will they cost – and what can you fit into a space this size?
A surprising amount of space
The houses, which will be built next to Gosford Hospital on the NSW Central Coast, cost just $30,000 each. They will be fully self-contained with a kitchen, bathroom, bed, lounge and verandah. The site also includes a shared lounge, laundry/workshop and community vegetable gardens.
The work of the Sydney-based not-for-profit Tiny Homes Foundation (THF), the innovative development also boasts solar electricity and water and compostable toilets, with the prefabricated units designed to be easy to assemble and disassemble.
A place to call home
David Wooldridge, THF Co-founder and CEO says: “A home is not just a roof overhead it is a springboard under your feet.”
Based on a ‘housing-first’ approach, the project has been a collaborative effort between the THF and a range of partners including NBRSArchitecture, town planners Wilson Planning, education provider TAFE Outreach and social housing organisation Pacific Link.
The initiative is also unique for featuring Australia’s first “equity participation scheme for tenants”, sharing the money unused in the build with the tenants. These funds will be made available to THF tenants for their future housing, so they can make the move from homelessness to self-support.
A solution to housing affordability?
The foundation is also offering “free access” to its plans in the hope that other people will take up the project in their own area, using under-utilised or vacant-council owned land.
The houses will built and occupied by the end of the year. Know of some land that could be used? Email THF here.
