Couple share an inside look at the small home they built on a trailer

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A couple from New Zealand with a passion for simple, sustainable living has shared an inside look at their tiny home built on the back of a trailer.

Despite having no construction or design experience, Lilah and Ollie Ward, 29 and 30, started planning their ultimate tiny build in September 2019.

‘It’s been Ollie’s dream to live in a tiny home for many years, and when we met in 2017 I became obsessed with the concept too,’ Lilah told FEMAIL.

‘We love the simple lifestyle it provides, not having a lot of ‘stuff’ and it’s easy to keep clean.’

The petite home is built on a custom designed 8.4m trailer from Wee Make Change and is approximately 3m wide and 4.1m high.

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The petite home is built on a custom designed 8.4m trailer from Wee Make Change and is approximately 3m wide and 4.1m high

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Despite having no construction or design knowledge, Lilah and Ollie Ward, 29 and 30 (pictured), started planning their tiny build in September 2019

The tiny home is made from a cedar wood and iron frame, while the interior has a modern design.

‘Outside we have a deck with seating areas, and possibly our favourite thing about our tiny house is our outdoor bath built into the deck – having a bath under the moonlight is magical!’ Lilah said.

As you walk in you are welcomed by a large open living area that connects to the dining and kitchen that is built with enough room for storage, fridge space, a dishwasher and oven.

Through to the back there’s a bathroom and laundry with a washing machine, shower, toilet and beautiful concrete sink on a stylish vanity.

Upstairs leads to a bedroom loft that overlooks the downstairs areas.

‘Our trailer is unique because we can jack the trailer up and remove the wheels if we need without transporting the entire home,’ Lilah said.

During the initial design phase, the pair spend an ‘incredible amount of time’ researching and planning before starting any construction.

‘We wanted a design that was unique, and of the hundreds we saw online and in person we still are yet to see one with the same design as ours,’ Lilah said.

Once the design was finalised, the construction began and the pair sourced a professional builder, electrician and plumber to assist.

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Once the design was final, the construction began and the pair sourced a professional builder, electrician and plumber to assist

‘We helped where we could – like painting, building the deck and installing the kitchen – and visited every day someone was working on the build,’ Lilah explained.

While the COVID-19 pandemic pushed back building plans by a couple months, the tiny ‘dream’ home was completed in only six months.

‘Covid was a challenge. The time spent in lockdown we couldn’t work on finishing the home – but apart from that, everything went to plan,’ Lilah said. 

The pair had a reasonable $80,000 budget which they stuck to, but decided to splurge on décor during the decorating process – such as expensive art works and finishings.

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Helping during the building process as much as possible is thought to keep the price down, and family assistance also helped.

‘We were very careful and wanting to stick to the budget as much as possible,’ Lilah said. 

The pair currently plan on living in the tiny luxe home for another year or two then aim to build a second bigger tiny home.

When asked what the best aspect of living in a tiny house, the pair agreed the minimalistic living is bliss.

‘We had a huge clear out of our things when we moved to the ‘tiny life’ and it felt good to get rid of things we didn’t always use,’ Lilah said.

‘We also adore our beautiful parking space, in Ollie’s grandparent’s orchard.’ 

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For those who are interested, the pair are selling the building plans for $300NZD and can be purchased by getting in touch via the Instagram page

The couple’s best piece of advice to others who are wanting to build a tiny home is to ‘do your research’.

‘There are so many blogs and videos out there now to help,’ they said.

‘Just take the plunge and do it, you won’t regret it! It truly is a special way to live.

‘It gives you the opportunity to have a brand new, luxurious home for a fraction of the cost of buying a ‘typical’ home.’

For those who are interested, the pair are selling the building plans for $300NZD and can be purchased by getting in touch via the Instagram page.

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