Tiny homes… BIG revolution

Mar 19 2019

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The Tiny Home Revolution is making waves the world over, and with roots in the United States of America, the modern impetus for the tiny home is clear: Smaller, more frugal living with a much lighter – if any – impact on the environment.

With climbing household debt, mindless consumption of goods, bigger and bigger houses to store those goods and little concern for where all of it came from or will end up, the American Dream has nightmarishly morphed from a symbol of equal opportunity for all to a broken and destructive social compact, rooted in consumerism.

But many across the world are becoming increasingly aware that they have agency in the face of what they once thought was a compulsory lifestyle and are choosing to opt out through conscious consumption and frugal living. Some have even gone so far to sell up their homes and trade expansive, expensive residences for the now famously-termed ‘Tiny Home’.

A Tiny Home is defined as being between about 9 square metres and 37 square metres and comes with a host of environmental benefits, including requiring fewer building materials, fewer/smaller appliances, much less space to heat and cool, much less energy required, significant reduction in life cycle emissions, and a much lighter impact on the immediate environment.

In South Africa, timber frame construction enjoys a low single-digit share of the new-build market, but there are signs that prefabricated timber building could tip the scales in favour of the timber building market. Couple prefabrication with a smaller unit size and there is vast potential to tackle a host of environmental, social and economic challenges in South Africa.

Institute for Timber Construction South Africa (ITC-SA) Timber Frame Builder Member, Werner Slabbert, Managing Director of Eco Log Homes, has recognised the need for a high-end Tiny Homes in the South African market. “Tiny Homes have hit the world by storm and South Africa has no reason to stand back,” says Slabbert. “We realised that although there are many ‘cheaper’ options available for temporary accommodations, until now, South Africans have not had access to a well-finished and structurally sound Tiny Home,” he notes.

It was thus that, in conjunction with an architect, Eco Log Homes has developed an exceptional 19 square metre Tiny Home that can compete with any international Tiny Home. “Eco Log Homes started building and delivering the Eco Pod, a fully-serviced, ready-to-occupy prefabricated timber unit in 2018 and we are delighted about the positive response to our homes,” says Slabbert, adding “Not to be confused with the Wendy House, the Eco Pod comes with high-end finishes strategically positioned so that the occupant will get the most out of their space.”