Tracie and Brad Armstrong, along with their young daughter have created a perfect example of everything that tiny house living can offer. This couple has created their very own oasis in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne and they’ve never been more comfortable.
Their journey to tiny house living evolved very organically over a number of years. Upon reflection, the couple believe it started around 10 years ago when they first moved out to the Dandenongs. Keen to have their daughter grow up around nature they made the tree change, finding a beautiful house to rent in the ranges but the change brought unanticipated challenges.
Tracie recalls “The first house we rented was beautiful to look at but we quickly found that it was about as badly designed as a house could be – large west-facing windows that caught all of the afternoon sun, no insulation, in summer the kitchen was so hot that we had to cover the windows with shade cloth just to be able to go in there.”.
Frustrated with how inefficient and uncomfortable their new home was proving to be, the couple started investigating building design techniques. Says Tracie “We looked at the proper aspects, eaves, good insulation, etc., and it sent us on a journey of investigating natural building techniques such as strawbale, cob, Earthship designs, etc., all of which helped us start to think about our needs and how to lower our footprint. We realized that we really didn’t need that much, and these enormous houses were just energy and time suckers. We have always worked in sustainability and climate change and so we felt we needed to walk the talk and live in a way that reduces our footprint and requirements to still live a comfortable life. We are of course, very aware that we are privileged to live in a society that allows us to do this.”
“We have always worked in sustainability and climate change and so we felt we needed to walk the talk and live in a way that reduces our footprint and requirements to still live a comfortable life.”
Armed with a whole lot of knowledge and a desire to live more in integrity with their values the couple bought an old school bus, stripped it down, and converted it into a home. They found a local property with a field and moved into it but their new home presented its own set of challenges. “By the end of the second winter in it, we were done with freezing every winter and boiling every summer, and moved back into a regular house, but the knowledge that we could live in such a small space stayed with us.”
By this stage, the tiny house movement was starting to garner some significant attention here in Australia and the couple felt that all their prior experiences had been the perfect lead-in to “going tiny”.
Tracie and Brad decided to work with local bayswater based company Hangan Tiny Homes. With all their previous knowledge and experience in converting and designing interiors they knew they would be able to create a beautiful interior themselves but they decided to leave the important structural work to the experts. Together with Hangan, they designed a beautiful home that checked all their boxes and they got it built to lock up stage. (Check out Hangan’s other amazing designs here!)
With the exterior structure built, Tracie and Brad focused on the details and what they came up with is no less than art. Looking at their home you feel like you know them and you can see the love poured into their incredible home.
Some of the more notable features are the incredible…
Stained glass windows Tracie added
The one of a kind glass sink
The stunning shower that is a work of art all on its own
All of this aside, the home was created with functionality and longevity completely in mind. The master bedroom is located on the first level so that it remains easily accessible when Tracie and Brad get older and it converts into a day bed allowing increased space and usability throughout the day. This is of course one of the amazing things about tiny houses you can design them specifically according to your own requirements, both now and into the future. The couple have also just purchased a 6.6KwH solar system with lithium batteries and when that arrives in a few weeks time they will be fully off-grid, a reassuring fact given how often residents in the Yarra Ranges have experienced power outages in recent months.
They’re also cultivating an outdoor area complete with an outdoor bath! Imagine taking a hot bath surrounded by the trees under the expansive star-filled sky of the Dandenong Ranges! It doesn’t get much better than that.
Tiny Living in Lockdown
There’s no doubt that their house is beautiful and functional but it’s still a small space and Melbournians have just come out of the longest lockdown in the world, so how did they cope?
It was absolutely fine says Tracie, “During the lockdowns, there have been many months where both adults have been working from home, and our daughter has been schooling from home but with just a bit of mutual respect and meeting scheduling so there aren’t too many people talking all at the same time, it’s been absolutely fine.”.
In fact, according to Tracie, they’ve never been more comfortable “We’ve been living in the tiny since February this year. Living in a tiny means our needs are so small that we aren’t spending all of our time having to work just to afford the rent and utilities, so we have more time, and more resources for fun things. We certainly are more comfortable than we’ve ever been in any other house. “
“Living in a tiny means our needs are so small that we aren’t spending all of our time having to work just to afford the rent and utilities, so we have more time, and more resources for fun things.”
When asked about the downsides to tiny living Tracie responded “We haven’t found any downside to living tiny, but I can see that it might not be for everyone. I think if you think this is something you might like to do, go for it! A bit of mutual respect and understanding from everyone living in there in terms of noise is required but that’s just common courtesy.”
Finding a Parking Spot
The couple is currently situated on a friend’s block in the Dandenong Ranges but will be moving soon to another property within the Dandenongs in the near future. They found this new block by asking around on local Facebook pages if anyone had any property that could be suitable. The couple found that many people were interested and offered them possible options and they found a wonderful person very quickly.
What does the future hold?
The future is bright and full of possibilities for Tracie and her adventurous family. “We absolutely love living in a place that was designed for exactly the way we work and live, and best of all, we haven’t had to take out a mortgage to have a safe, comfortable forever home.” ”Given the financial freedom, the next step is to save for our own block of land to put the tiny on permanently. Now we just need to decide what part of the country we want to live in. Now that we know that we can all work from home comfortably together, it actually means we could choose anywhere across the country we want to go. Obviously, tiny houses aren’t usually designed to be moved too often but we love knowing we could move every few years if we wanted to and not leave anything behind.”
It’s important to note that getting to this point has been a journey. Creating the oasis in the pictures above was iterative, as the couple slowly narrowed in on what was most important to them and how their life and their home would reflect that. With reflection, investigation, imagination, and a lot of planning and troubleshooting, they have curated a beautiful home and a fulfilling life that truly reflects their values and priorities. We wish them every success as they continue on their journey and thank them for being an example for so many of what’s possible when you decide to go tiny.
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