My Houzz: DIY Creativity in a Budget Tiny House
A movable home in Australia offers its owner an avenue for living a simpler and more meaningful life
In 2014, former town planner Emmet Blackwell participated in a 12-month living experiment called The Simpler Way, at a community property called Wurruk’an in Victoria, Australia. There, Blackwell honed his carpentry skills by helping to build new structures and participated in a one-week building workshop for a tiny stationary house. This gave him a taste for carpentry and informed his design ideas for a tiny mobile home of his own.
His greatest resources during the building of this project were time, space and community. His biggest obstacles were money and building knowledge. The result of his labor and ingenuity, however, was a tiny house built for about $5,100, thanks to low-cost materials and a lot of DIY work. Read on for insight into how he did it.
His greatest resources during the building of this project were time, space and community. His biggest obstacles were money and building knowledge. The result of his labor and ingenuity, however, was a tiny house built for about $5,100, thanks to low-cost materials and a lot of DIY work. Read on for insight into how he did it.
Blackwell’s first step was to strip everything down to the basics. The limitations of living in 86 square feet inspired personal investigations into what is essential in a home. He needed it to provide comfort, warmth and a degree of functionality, as well as the means to maintain personal hygiene. To that end, he included a comfortable bed, a basic kitchen and a charging port for his technology. Bathroom facilities will be external add-ons; for now, he uses the facilities wherever he is parked.
The goals for Blackwell’s design also included mobility, living off the grid, building with salvaged materials and fashioning a nontoxic interior. Through the process, he discovered how much electricity and technology affected his life.
The goals for Blackwell’s design also included mobility, living off the grid, building with salvaged materials and fashioning a nontoxic interior. Through the process, he discovered how much electricity and technology affected his life.
After consulting the width and height restrictions on trailers and recreational vehicles, Blackwell chose to build his tiny house on wheels about 8¼ feet (2.5 meters) wide and 13 feet (4 meters) high, which clears most lights, bridges and street tree branches.
He did most of the carpentry but relied on experts for welding to ensure structural soundness. He also got help putting together the solar-power system.
He did most of the carpentry but relied on experts for welding to ensure structural soundness. He also got help putting together the solar-power system.
An important consideration in the construction of a mobile tiny home is safety. Blackwell again consulted the RV standards and took great care to consider weight implications, durability and stability. His trailer was the biggest financial investment in his project. He got the 1970s single-axle model for about $250 on eBay and upgraded it to make it safe for roads. He cleaned up the surface rust, and replaced the axle, suspension, brakes and wheels. The initial rating of the trailer allowed it to carry a total load of 1.3 tons; thanks to Blackwell’s upgraded system, the trailer is now rated for 2.8 tons.
If he could do anything differently in the design, Blackwell says he would have spent more time hunting for a secondhand trailer with a double axle to spread the weight of the load.
If he could do anything differently in the design, Blackwell says he would have spent more time hunting for a secondhand trailer with a double axle to spread the weight of the load.
Although the budget for his tiny house was small, Blackwell had plenty of time to devote to the project. “I was very fortunate to have a lot of time to spend on the process. I didn’t have a partner, kids or a mortgage,” he says.
He used secondhand materials for economic and sustainable reasons, scavenging wood from a sawmill, corrugated metal from industrial-waste containers, and other items from building sites.
He used secondhand materials for economic and sustainable reasons, scavenging wood from a sawmill, corrugated metal from industrial-waste containers, and other items from building sites.
The door to his house came from a dump where he salvaged 10 150-year-old doors, including one from the house of a former local mayor. Only one still had a functioning lock and key.
Blackwell’s advice to tiny-home builders using recycled materials is to “be open-minded and fluid throughout the design and construction process.” He also advises letting the materials steer creativity: “Think outside the box and be open to creative reuse and adaptation. There are a lot of free resources out there in Australia, and most of them end up in landfill.”
Blackwell’s advice to tiny-home builders using recycled materials is to “be open-minded and fluid throughout the design and construction process.” He also advises letting the materials steer creativity: “Think outside the box and be open to creative reuse and adaptation. There are a lot of free resources out there in Australia, and most of them end up in landfill.”
For off-the-grid living, Blackwell designed his roof to double as a water-catchment system for potable water. He found gutters in a trash bin and installed connection points for downpipes that empty into rain barrels with filtration. The limited roof space, however, doesn’t yield much, making a self-sufficient water supply challenging in drier climates.
Batteries, extra water supply and natural gas containers are generally stored over the axle in areas accessible from the exterior to protect against fumes, spillage or contamination in the interior.
Batteries, extra water supply and natural gas containers are generally stored over the axle in areas accessible from the exterior to protect against fumes, spillage or contamination in the interior.
The wood siding is mostly Baltic pine and cypress from a variety of sources. Blackwell generally avoided hardwoods because of their weight.
Sometimes Blackwell made mistakes, but he often found a way to turn them into positives. For example, when he made an incorrect cut into a piece of exterior corner trim, he turned the resulting gap into a detail by filling it with the ends of “some rusty railway pegs” from the train line behind the property where he was building. “I love that it is a piece of the local area’s history where I built the house. I think it’s great that an initial mistake presented an opportunity to create a beautiful feature,” he says.
Blackwell wanted an aesthetically pleasing home that reflected his lifestyle and personality. The words he uses to describes his design style include “historic, Australiana, rustic, creative reuse, bohemian, recycled art, minimalist.”
The original concept for the design was inspired by an image Blackwell saw online of a gypsy carriage with a curved roof. He scaled the design back to a pitched roof for ease of building. Outside, salvaged lightweight corrugated metal covers the roof and the lower half of the exterior, giving the home the rustic Australiana vibe Blackwell likes.
The original concept for the design was inspired by an image Blackwell saw online of a gypsy carriage with a curved roof. He scaled the design back to a pitched roof for ease of building. Outside, salvaged lightweight corrugated metal covers the roof and the lower half of the exterior, giving the home the rustic Australiana vibe Blackwell likes.
Blackwell also drew inspiration from tiny house-related books and movies, as well as houses he has helped build over the past few years. His interest in construction methods include alternative styles such as earth building. It was Lloyd Kahn’s book Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter that prompted him to personally question how much space he needed for a home.
He built the geodesic-dome window with the help of a friend; a similar window on another house at Wurruk’an inspired its design. The open-pitched roof trusses above the window provide a convenient place for storage.
He built the geodesic-dome window with the help of a friend; a similar window on another house at Wurruk’an inspired its design. The open-pitched roof trusses above the window provide a convenient place for storage.
Blackwell turned to online classifieds, eBay and Facebook to find building materials. He found the cast-iron stove on eBay for $300; the inner flue is a secondhand find from a local shop, but the outer parts were purchased new to ensure safety and legal compliance. He also bought new screws and nails. The former police-station locker used as a cupboard is from a thrift store.
Salvage, wholesalers and close-out sales provided Blackwell with the small amount of insulation required for his home. Building this way takes more time, problem solving and compromise to find and fit the ideal components.
Salvage, wholesalers and close-out sales provided Blackwell with the small amount of insulation required for his home. Building this way takes more time, problem solving and compromise to find and fit the ideal components.
Blackwell learned to wet-sand paint and remove it safely with a heat gun to avoid inhaling the lead dust commonly found coating older wood planks, windows and doors. He stayed conscientious in his choices for low-toxin stains and finishes, and was aware of materials containing lead paint, asbestos, arsenic and formaldehyde.
The countertops seen here are scraps from a sawmill. The sink was free from classifieds website Gumtree.
The countertops seen here are scraps from a sawmill. The sink was free from classifieds website Gumtree.
Blackwell also keeps a portable cast-iron stove for cooking and heating water when the potbelly stove is not in use.
The backsplash is a new pressed-tin panel that came from a pile of scraps in an alleyway behind a cafe construction site in Melbourne, Australia. Light switches for the ceiling pendant connect to the solar-panel system.
The antique cast-iron potbelly stove, the old tile base it sits on and the pressed-tin panel behind it are Blackwell’s favorite design details and finds. Next to the stove is a wooden bench with a liftable lid for extra storage.
For the interior walls, Blackwell cut the wood, including cypress and cedar, into boards and whitewashed them with natural milk paint. The flooring is Baltic pine, which he salvaged from a townhouse before its demolition.
Although in a comfortably livable condition, the house isn’t complete. Blackwell’s long to-do list includes building bookshelves, adding kitchen storage, making chopping boards for the sink, rigging up curtains, more rustproofing and touching up the paint on the exterior cladding. He’d also like a foldout side roof structure for a covered patio area, and a composting toilet (to be located outside when parked). “I would say that it will never really be finished; there’ll always be maintenance, additions and small changes that I want to undertake,” he admits.
Although in a comfortably livable condition, the house isn’t complete. Blackwell’s long to-do list includes building bookshelves, adding kitchen storage, making chopping boards for the sink, rigging up curtains, more rustproofing and touching up the paint on the exterior cladding. He’d also like a foldout side roof structure for a covered patio area, and a composting toilet (to be located outside when parked). “I would say that it will never really be finished; there’ll always be maintenance, additions and small changes that I want to undertake,” he admits.
That said, Blackwell’s tiny house on wheels provides him with everything he presently needs. His essentials for a simpler life are embodied in a mobile home he created from nontoxic and mostly secondhand materials that has natural light, solar power for light and charging technology, and wood-fired heat.
Blackwell’s experience now enables him to lecture on the subject. Here he is with his tiny house on wheels during a workshop presentation at Siteworks in Melbourne. Dates and venues for upcoming workshops are posted on his website.
Blackwell’s experience now enables him to lecture on the subject. Here he is with his tiny house on wheels during a workshop presentation at Siteworks in Melbourne. Dates and venues for upcoming workshops are posted on his website.
During the workshop, Blackwell’s friend Ahmed Mulla educated attendees on the components required for a solar-power system and how they work together. Mulla, of Sustainable Solar, and two other solar experts worked with Blackwell on a system that would suit his needs for powering a water pump, a fridge, tools, lights, a camera, a stereo, an electric bike, a phone and a computer charger. Blackwell’s recently upgraded system utilizes four 310-watt panels and takes up the entire roof.
Blackwell intends to take some time off to enjoy living in the house while he fine-tunes it. He also is planning to hold another series of workshops and to build another tiny house on wheels to rent out, giving people a chance to experience staying in a tiny home before building their own.
Photo by Emmet Blackwell
Blackwell says he loves having an intimate connection with every part of his home, knowing the detailed story of where the pieces came from, the relationships formed by researching and resourcing, and how every piece was shaped to come together.
He emphasizes the role community connections and generosity played in achieving his vision for a tiny home. “This was not only from the intentional community in Victoria where I lived and built the house, but also friends, family, neighbors and mentors who helped me along the way. Having the support of a broader community for a DIY building project of this type is very helpful,” he says.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Blackwell says he loves having an intimate connection with every part of his home, knowing the detailed story of where the pieces came from, the relationships formed by researching and resourcing, and how every piece was shaped to come together.
He emphasizes the role community connections and generosity played in achieving his vision for a tiny home. “This was not only from the intentional community in Victoria where I lived and built the house, but also friends, family, neighbors and mentors who helped me along the way. Having the support of a broader community for a DIY building project of this type is very helpful,” he says.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
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Who lives here: Emmet Blackwell, aka The Woodbutcher
Location: Victoria, Australia
Size: 86 square feet (8 square meters)
Blackwell parted ways with a 9-to-5 job as a senior town planner in Perth, Australia, in 2014. He then moved to the intentional community of Wurruk’an, where he was involved in an ongoing community project exploring permaculture, communal living and reducing consumption as a way of life.
Blackwell also learned about natural building, which uses a range of sustainable building systems and materials, and food production on a larger scale than he could achieve in a city. This ecologically sustainable way of life inspired him to embark on his own off-the-grid journey, and he began designing a tiny house on wheels.