Are you considering tiny houses in Australia? Regardless of the reason, whether it be life pressure or personal life pursuits, tiny houses have captured people’s attention everywhere. Especially, people with environmental awareness try tiny houses to experiment with more sustainable living. They may, for example, use a portable electric generator to achieve green power generation and utilization.
However, is it legal for you to have tiny houses in Australia? For instance, where can you legally park your tiny house? Is your tiny home subject to the minimum housing size requirements? There can be many considerations and restrictions when it comes to details.
In this article, we are going to discuss, from a comprehensive perspective, things you should know to live legally in a tiny house in Australia!
What Are Tiny Houses?
As the name suggests, a tiny home is a dwelling unit much smaller than conventional standards. These homes provide people the opportunity to live sustainably while reducing waste and monthly bills. In other words, you’ll accomplish a more affordable lifestyle.
While the Tiny Houses Australia movement has been around for some time now, some people still find it difficult to understand what constitutes a tiny house. Generally, there are two types of tiny houses in Australia.
- Tiny Houses on Foundations
Tiny houses on foundations are built like traditional homes, set upon a rigid, sturdy foundation on a piece of land. Permanent foundations can be made of wood pilings, concrete slabs, or even concrete footings, so there is a certain degree of flexibility in how you design them.
However, you will need to buy a piece of land first or rent land before setting up your tiny house in Australia. (Before you get too excited, understand that simply owning a piece of land doesn’t mean you can build a tiny home on it. Zoning guidelines and building codes might dictate if this is allowed or not. More on this below!)
- Tiny Houses on Wheels
Perhaps the more popular type of tiny houses in Australia are tiny houses on wheels. Unlike houses built on permanent foundations, these are set upon trailers with wheels, almost like trailers or RVs. The primary benefit of having a tiny house on wheels is that you can easily move it from place to place.
The difference between RVs and tiny homes is that tiny homes will function as your primary residence. It’s not a vehicle built with home-like amenities but a home first that comes with wheels for movement. An added benefit of tiny houses on wheels is that you can easily relocate them and travel wherever you want across the country.
They are actually more popular among aspiring homeowners who do not have land of their own. They also do not want to risk renting it as landowners may choose to sell their land in the future. Relocating your tiny home on wheels will be much easier in this case.
Benefits of Tiny Houses
Tiny houses in Australia are popular because they offer a host of benefits, including:
- Financial Savings
One of the primary reasons why tiny houses are becoming so popular is the financial strain that tends to come with conventional housing. Large houses use more lighting, more water, and more electricity; need more air conditioning and heating; and also demand more maintenance. And this doesn’t include the costs of actually building/purchasing the home.
In contrast, building tiny houses in Australia demands a much smaller budget, and it also proves to be more affordable in the long run, thanks to its lower utility bills. You’ll need much less power to heat and cool the space, and maintenance costs will also be reduced. For example, a tiny house in Australia can cost you $101,900-$163,000 for higher-end tiny house solutions. Compare this to the average house price in Australia, which is $959,300.
- Environmental Impact
Another significant advantage of tiny house living is the reduced environmental impact they deliver. Tiny houses in Australia use fewer materials for construction and take up less land. At the same time, the lesser space demands less power to heat and cool it up. This further translates to lower electricity costs.
Tiny homeowners typically want to enjoy off-grid living and may even shift to a fully sustainable power source such as a solar-powered generator. Even the use of cleaning supplies needed to keep your tiny house maintained will be reduced. Ultimately, you will have a much smaller ecological footprint on this earth.
- Mobility and Flexibility
Those who desire the freedom to explore generally love tiny houses in Australia. These houses allow homeowners to set up their residence in any location of their choosing, within legal regulations, but more importantly, the homeowner is never forced to settle down in one place; instead, they can relocate to any area they desire. This type of lifestyle is ideal for individuals who love to travel. But this is for tiny houses with wheels, not those built on foundations.
- Customisation and Personalisation
Tiny houses can be built from the ground up at a fraction of the cost it takes to build traditional homes. At the same time, they allow you the flexibility to choose the exact materials for the home. You can further choose your own home layout and even set up multifunctional rooms to efficiently use the smaller space.
Despite their small size, you can express your unique style and taste. This level of enhanced personalisation and customizability further allows homeowners to incorporate eco-friendly features from the get-go, such as solar panels or repurposed building materials.
- Minimalist Lifestyle
Tiny house living promotes a minimalist lifestyle since it features a much tinier space for you to populate with items such as furnishings and decor. You’ll have to prioritise essentials over unnecessary clutter, leading to a minimalist lifestyle. This further translates into reduced costs and reduced waste. Tiny house living, in other words, teaches you that less is more so you can make full use of your small space.
Legal Regulations for Tiny Houses in Australia
Thinking of building a microhouse? If you are interested in joining the movement, you should first understand the legal regulations surrounding tiny houses in Australia.
- Classification and Building Regulations
Is your tiny house a building or a caravan? This is the first thing we need to figure out, as they are subject to different legal regulations. Basically,
- Tiny houses on foundations are considered buildings and are under building and planning legislation (the Building Code of Australia).
- Tiny houses on wheels are considered caravans and are under certain caravan and road regulations.
About tiny houses on wheels in Australia, they must be under 2.5 metres wide, 4.3 metres high, and 12.5 metres long, weighing a maximum of 4.5 tonnes. This will ensure the structure will fit onto roads if it needs to be transported elsewhere.
If you happen to build a home that exceeds these dimensions, you may have to obtain an oversized load permit to transport your tiny home. Note that the permit may be costly and hard to obtain.
- Local Council Regulations
Besides, there are council permissions and regulations you must adhere to, which can vary from state to state. For instance, in NSW, people may live in tiny houses on wheels so long as they are connected to the owner’s living house (like a backyard tiny house) and owned by the landowner or the landowner’s family members.
In the Shire of Esperance, tiny homes don’t need building permits. They do, however, need planning approvals. In Gold Coast, Queensland, you may live in a tiny home with wheels on your own property.
- Time Limitations and Restrictions
Unlike what you might think, your local council might not allow you to take permanent residence in your tiny home. If your tiny house is on wheels, it will be classified as a caravan by local councils due to its mobile nature. In most states, you cannot stay for more than two consecutive days in such caravans.
Some places may allow you to live on private property or caravan parks for extended periods. In other places like the Surf Coast Shire in Victoria, you can live up to two years in a tiny house on wheels as part of their ‘Tiny Houses On Wheels Pilot’ program. Be sure to check in with your local council for more information.
- Parking Location Considerations
For a tiny house on wheels, you will have to find a suitable parking location every time you relocate. Some areas consider tiny houses on wheels as caravans, so you may have to comply with local caravan park regulations.
Other places may require you to park the tiny house on a residential property within certain restrictions. If you are lucky, you might even come across tiny house communities or ecovillages. Some camping grounds and caravan parks further offer dedicated spaces to place your tiny house.
How Much Does A Tiny Home Cost?
Now, you may be wondering how much a tiny house will set you back. We have already discussed that tiny houses in Australia can cost you $101,900-$163,000, but what goes into the small house costs?
The cost of tiny houses in Australia generally includes the price of materials used to put them together, the finishes for the interior, the labour (if any) used to construct it, the permits purchased, and the cost of setting up the foundation or trailer with wheels. The cost will change based on the types of material you use or if you are doing a DIY rather than calling in labour.
The final costs you will have to bear include future maintenance costs and utility bills for electricity.
About Electricity Consumption
Electricity is a major expense for tiny houses in Australia, so it is natural to want to regulate it, especially if you are trying to live more sustainably. You can manage electricity consumption in two ways:
- Use Energy-Efficient Devices
You can substitute high-energy consumption devices such as refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, lighting, and water heating systems with more energy-efficient varieties. LED light bulbs are a good example, as they are significantly more power efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs.
- Utilise Renewable Energy Systems
Another powerful way of reducing electricity costs is by utilising renewable energy resources rather than traditional energy resources. Biogas and solar power are good examples, but solar energy is far more widely available and easily accessible to the majority. That is why solar generators are the more popular choice.
A solar generator will use the light of the sun to generate electricity, which you can utilise in the morning while storing the excess for night use. You will also save costs on fuel, such as diesel or gas, which is required as input for traditional generators.
Power Your Tiny Houses in Australia with Jackery
For those seeking a reliable solar generator manufacturer, we recommend Jackery. This solar brand offers you a diverse range of solar generators for tiny homes of all sizes. Here are our favourite picks.
- Jackery Solar Generator 1000 v2
For a compact but powerful solution, we recommend the Jackery Solar Generator 1000 v2. Its power station features a compact design that is 20% smaller and 10% lighter compared to its other 1 kWh competitors.
It has a 1070 Wh battery capacity to power all your basic essentials, such as lighting, fans, chargers, microwaves, etc. And even if you are not using this as your main power supply, you can use it as a backup supply instead.
With high-quality LFP batteries, the Jackery Solar Generator 1000 V2 can deliver over 4000 charge cycles. Charging is also made efficient; you need approximately 7.5 hours to fully recharge the generator using solar panels. And if the sun is not out, you can recharge it using a wall socket in about 1.7 hours!
The better news is that, from 4/10 00:00 to 4/30 23:59 AEST (21 days), the Jackery Solar Generator 1000 v2 is offering its biggest early bird deal ever! You can enjoy $300 off the original price, plus receive free gifts and more!
- Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus
If you seek a solution that delivers more power, we recommend a Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus. This model delivers a base battery of 2 kWh but can be expanded by adding battery packs up to 12 kWh!
In other words, you can power your entire home using just this solar generator! In general, a tiny home uses around 2.4 to 2.7 kWh of electricity a day, so you can expect to be really comfortable with just this system supporting you.
The recharging system is quite the same. You can either use Jackery’s solar panels or a wall outlet to recharge. Like most Jackery models, this one is supported by a LiFePO4 internal battery with a durable 10-year lifespan. In other words, the battery will remain at 70% even after 4000 charge cycles!
Final Thoughts
Getting a tiny home can be a dream come true. Luckily, tiny houses in Australia are completely legal as long as you follow the legal tiny house guidelines. Determine the tiny house type you would like to have and conduct thorough research based on your location. Then, you are prepared to start your tiny house living legally.
It would be a good choice to invest in a durable and efficient solar generator if you are considering sustainable living or want to cut down on living costs. Jackery may be an ideal solar brand for you to explore.
Again, from 4/10 00:00 to 4/30 23:59 AEST, the Jackery Solar Generator 1000 v2 is available at an incredible discount. It might just be the perfect companion for your tiny house lifestyle!