The little BIG Tiny House Company

Interview with Stefan Bennett from The Little Big Tiny House

The little big tiny house company

Unit 1, 27 Scott Street
Rotorua
m. 021 262193
e. stefan@thelittlebigtinyhouse.nz
w. www.thelittlebigtinyhouse.nz

Why did you decide to build tiny homes?

I’ve always been fascinated with small spaces and getting the most out of them – especially boats. I wanted to build a tiny house that would compliment an amazing view – that was the idea behind our signature model, the Viewfinder.

What is your business mission and or goals?

To build something I am proud to put my name to. Build bespoke tiny houses that get the most from a view or to create Tiny spaces with a big feel. Beautiful spaces that people love to be in.

What is your story how did you get here?

After building a number of boats in my spare time, I decided that my job needed to be doing something with my hands – something I could look at, at the end of the day and proudly say that I made that. As a family, we do a lot of camping in out of the way places and we’d always say that “ we’d rather be here than in a 5-star hotel.” Then I got thinking – what if their 5-star accommodation could be in amazing places with amazing views – that was the birth of the Viewfinder – “built for a view.” Essentially it was built for the growing higher end, lower cost accommodation demand (Glamping) where people were looking for an experience, rather than just a place to rest their head.

Who are the people who work in the business?

I have a great team. Eduardo is my main builder, Harm does the design work, Nicola does some marketing and admin work and Dylan looks after digital marketing.

What materials do you like to use?

We build our walls and roof from SIPs (Structurally insulated panels). SIPs panels are incredibly strong, well-insulated yet 2/3 the thickness of a conventionally framed wall. After all, in a small space, the last thing you want to be giving away is precious floor space. We choose sustainably logged New Zealand timbers, in particular, Plywood on the inside and NZ Beech on the exterior.

What is your general price range?

It really depends on the size and fit-out. We have 10m2 glass-fronted sleepouts for $23,500. A larger viewfinder (7.2m x 3.1m) started at $79,000

What is the process once a customer contacts you?

We sit down with the client and discuss their requirements and what they will be using it for. Harm (the designer will draw up some concept plans based on this meeting. These are presented to the client, along with a price estimate and a build timeframe. If the client is happy, we price up the design and if this is acceptable as the contract is signed. Once work starts, a 50% deposit is payable, with the remainder on completion.

How long does it usually take to build your tiny homes?

Once again it depends on size and complexity. A 7.2m x 3.1m Viewfinder takes approximately seven weeks to build.

What are the hurdles people building tiny homes should be aware of?

Talk to your council, but make sure you ask the right questions and have your facts in order. Despite tiny houses on wheels being part of the solution to our housing problems, All Councils are different and many are notorious for giving you answers that suit their interests, rather than yours or the wider communities.

Talk to us first before you go and talk to your local Council.

What else do you think people looking to purchase a tiny home should know?

Not all Tiny houses are created equal. Design plays a major role in our tiny houses. Harm (an interior architect) is as fascinated by small spaces as I am. We don’t really have “off the shelf” models and by working with the client, we provide a solution that really works for the client’s purpose. Also, build quality and quality of materials needs to be taken into account – We like to think you get what you pay for.

Tell us about the customer and what the major requirements of their build were?

The Tiny house we are working on at the moment is our largest yet (9m x 3.1m). What is unique with this build is that it may be used for one of 3 uses:

1)    A permanent rental

2)    As Airbnb accommodation

3)    For the owner to live in once kids have left home

As such, we’ve tried to be as flexible as possible. We’ve made it a high stud so that the is a low mezzanine at one end under which a Queen sized bed rolls out and can be used a spare bed (or even the main bed), with the Bedroom down the other end being a kids room. On top of the mezzanine is the lounge with full standing height. This concept plan probably explains it better – a picture saying a thousand words and all that.

What was the original budget for this build?

The budget is $94,000

Describe the process and challenges, solutions found during the build?

Building the higher stud is a bit problematic for us as our current workshop doesn’t have a high stud and the doors are only 3.6m high. As the walls and roof are made on a platform and lifted into place with a gantry, we are limited as to how high the walls are, it this case we had to take the tiny house of the wheeled dolly in order to make the walls as high as possible to fit the mezzanine.

Progress Photos

How long has this build actually taken and why?

We are almost finished and it has taken 8 weeks (with a 5-week delay due to a well-known virus) The higher stud takes longer than single height, in part due to all the extra horizontal joins with the plywood and negative detail.

What are this Tiny Home’s Specifications?

Structure

Sits on a galvanised steel subfloor and trailer. Walls and roof are made from Structurally insulated panels (SIPs) 

Cladding

Cladding is Earthen Pine weatherboards with a vertical shiplap profile, stained with Wattyl stain

Interior

Interior is our signature plywood with negative detail. We believe that rather than hiding joins in the plywood, it is better to make a feature of it. The plywood has been whitewashed and sealed with satin polyurethane.

The flooring is Godfrey Hirst waterproof planks

What will the final price of this Tiny Home be?

The final price will be as budgeted - $94,000.00

What else would you like interested people to know?

We love a challenge and Harm has some great ideas. How about a 1.5m diameter round window with a wide sill that you can sit in and read or soak up the view?

Ends