Tiny House Sustainable Living Australia

It’s been just over three months since I went live with my blog! I’m so happy with the overwhelmingly positive response that I’ve received from so many people, thank you all for your emails and messages and subscriptions! So far over 25,000 reads, nearly 300 Instagram followers and nearly 600 Facebook followers! Over the past 16 blog posts we’ve talked about choice of Tiny House design, council and planning and tradies that you’ll need to work on your project! We’ve talked about directional placement, heating and cooling, insulation and ventilation!  And I’ve told you all about my off grid solar system, off grid water supply, septic and internet and TV…

I get asked every now and then about my lighting design, TV & internet connections and a few people have wondered what the little gadget by my front door is that they’ve seen in the photos! So I thought I’d chat today about all of the above plus the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detector since they were installed with the other electrics!  I’ve talked briefly before about how much of a difference well chosen lighting can make to any home design! All of the lighting I chose kept to my industrial theme, with wrought iron, wire and glass lights. My power points and light switches are all brushed steel…

Choosing to go completely off grid solar was a huge decision, but one I am so glad I made. After living with an off grid solar system for the past few years I can highly recommend it and I am super excited to share my experience and thoughts on it with you! My property actually has an SA power pole on the road side boundary so if I had chosen to build close to the road side I probably would have connected to mains power and not given solar a second thought. However my ideal building spot was right at the other side of the property which is at the…

Plumbing in a shipping container Tiny House, living off grid is definitely not a cookie cutter plumbing job!  When I was designing my bathroom and kitchen all I really considered was choosing taps and sinks and how big my rain shower could be and about how the design would all work together and I didn’t give much thought to the practical side of the plumbing!  The indoor plumbing system was all a standard type installation and although I did spring the rain shower and unusual vanity design on the plumber all of the installation went well. Of course the plumbing inlets and outlets are already on the council permit plans…

Today I am going to tell you about my septic system and the steps involved in having it designed, approved and installed! Also the mistakes I made, the damage caused and the repairs that were necessary! Septic systems are one of the services you must get council approval for. Your septic system must also meet EPA and Department of Environment and Water guidelines.  When having a septic system designed there are a few things that will be taken into consideration including the type and size of land you are on, your location and zoning, your proximity to waterways and the rest of your surrounding environment.   My property is not situated near…

Over the next few weeks I’m going to talk about all the things that power and run my Tiny House! I’m going to tell you about the off grid, self sufficient components of  how my farm and house is run such as the off grid water supply, off grid solar and the septic system. I’ll talk about rubbish collection in a rural area. I’ll let you know all about the plumbing and electrics in my Tiny House as well as the TV and internet connection!  Today let’s talk about off grid rainwater living! Living with off grid water is easy to do if you can get your design right and have…

Something so many people have messaged me asking for are floor plans of my Tiny House. I’ve created a few different floor plans with basic measurements and a 3D interior plan!  If you have any questions you’d like to ask me please send me an email via the “Contact Me” page on this blog, I’m happy to answer and help as best I can. Thanks for reading!  Jen 🏡

There’s no question about how important the right heating and cooling are in a shipping container Tiny House! We’ve talked about insulation, directional placement and ventilation to help with energy efficiency and with your heating and cooling, but on their own they will not keep a shipping container cool on a hot Australian summer day nor will they keep it warm on the colder nights! Air conditioning and heating are a must in my opinion!  Let’s talk air conditioning first!  Choosing the right air conditioner for your Tiny House it’s important to consider a few things… the sqm size of your home, the climate where you live and the power…

Something that is really important to plan well and get good advice on is ventilation in your shipping container home! I managed to completely fail at getting this one right the first time so I learned the hard way and had to add extra ventilation added in! I didn’t realise how easy it was to underestimate the need for proper and effective ventilation in a small space and in particular a small space made of steel! I was faced with quite significant condensation issues and mould started to appear on the top of the walls and ceiling! Condensation will build up quickly and easily but proper ventilation will stop condensation…

We’ve talked about insulation in a Tiny House and I mentioned a few other contributing factors to consider when making your insulation plan, one of which was directional placement! The direction your Tiny House faces, will determine how hot or cold your Tiny House will be and it’ll influence your energy efficiency rating!  Proper directional placement, can help reduce your need for heating and cooling. Prioritise your heating and cooling needs, are you in a climate that requires mainly heating, cooling, or a combination of both? Take into account summer and winter variations of the sun’s path, the type and direction of winds, shade and the times of day it…