Big Tiny Homes owner says people need to ‘simplify’ their lives
LOS ANGELES: A business is helping tackle the housing crisis by building one “handmade bespoke tiny house” a month.
Big Tiny Homes was founded last year by Matt Heldon and Ian Janetzki after they saw the debilitating effect of the housing crisis on the Gold Coast.
The homes can house two to three people, have a bathroom, kitchen and small living space, and cost between $118,000 and $137,000.
Mr Heldon said they spent “hundreds of hours” creating a feature unique to Big Tiny Homes, called the ‘elevator bed’.
“The idea of having to traverse a ladder in the middle of the night to visit the loo, or getting out of bed and hitting your head, is a legitimate concern,” he said.
“The ‘elevator bed’ is a bed that lowers to the floor from a 3.5m ceiling when in sleep mode and ascends into the ceiling when not in use.”
Mr Heldon said they saw a peak in demand for tiny homes after the worsening housing crisis.
“As the cost of renting a home ratchets up every year, so does the crippling stress of having to answer the question of ‘how am I going to afford to put a roof over my head for the rest of my life’,” he said.
“This has never been more evident than in the last 18 months where rental prices nationwide have risen a good 40 per cent.”
Mr Heldon said Big Tiny Homes could not solve the housing crisis in Australia, but they could “help different segments of the community better accomplish their goals.”
He said they created the business to ensure they were supporting locals throughout the process.
“We use only local GC trades and suppliers, with the one exception of our trailers which are manufactured on the Sunshine Coast,” Mr Heldon said.
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- Matt Heldon from Big Tiny Homes with his creation.
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- Inside a Big Tiny Homes display.
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- Big Tiny Homes started their business in creating small homes in 2022 after watching the debilitating housing crisis strike.
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- Inside Big Tiny Home and it’s kitchen.
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- Big Tiny Home bathrooms.
