The Lenihan family came to us with a vision for a completely unique, custom tiny house. This young family of 4 are true tiny house enthusiasts and have even started a blog to document their first year living tiny. They were attracted to tiny house living for a more simple and sustainable lifestyle and having more opportunities to go on adventures as a family. By going tiny they’ll save money and time on household chores, resulting in more time for what they love. The Lenihan’s came to us well informed and even learned how to use 3D design software to visually communicate their dream tiny house layout to our in-house designer. We took their ideas and all the accumulated knowledge gained from designing and building over 25 unique tiny homes, to draw up the plans to make the Tiny Tawharau a reality. Their two active boys were considered throughout the process. The 8 x 2.4m space needed to be practical and fun for a family of four. The built-in bunk beds make use of the vertical height, and the addition of a custom safety net makes the top bunk a fun chill-out zone while also giving mum and dad peace-of-mind. The bunk-room is currently open to the main living area, but the family has future plans to build a bi-folding wall as shown in the plans below to give the family privacy. Another priority was a decent sized practical bathroom and laundry space, a must for a busy family of 4. They did a lot of research and decided upon an EcoLet™ 240 Automatic composting toilet, as well as an exterior door within the bathroom as a back door entry for dirty kids coming in from outside play. The bathroom also doubles as a laundry, with a full-size washing machine and huge laundry basket on wheels that both tuck under the bathroom benchtop. Kitchen bench space was another priority in this build, rather than giving up valuable space for a built-in cooktop, they opted for a portable on-bench induction cooker that can be put away when not in use. The dining table can also be utilised as kitchen prep space when needed, but it was built on wheels with a fold-out extension so that it can be moved about within the house, and even moved outside for alfresco dining.