If you’ve ever thought you were too old to build a tiny house or buy land, this one’s for you!
Mel Sparkles is a tiny houser from the Sunshine Coast in QLD. With a lifelong passion dedicated to tiny spaces, traditionally a Graphic Designer, Mel went on to study Building Design, Interior Design and Construction.
After helping with other tiny house builds, Mel started building her own tiny house in 2020 which she has recently moved into. Mel hosts the Facebook groups Tiny Houses Brisbane & QLD and Land and Tiny Houses to rent or buy in Australia for the tiny house community.
Mel has worked as a volunteer for ATHA for the last 4 years and has hosted regular tiny house meetings to bring tiny house folk together. Mel has engaged in media spots for tiny houses and participated in speaker panels for tiny houses.
She is currently designing another tiny house to build on land that recently purchased and is navigating the waters with council.
In this conversation we talk about:
- Mel’s story of living in a caravan, building her own tiny house (in her 50’s), and buying her own land
- The struggles Mel experienced during the DIY building process
- How Mel created the tiny house life she wants to live
- What tiny living has enabled Mel to do in her life that she couldn’t do before
- Frustrations around council regulations and solutions for the housing crisis… and more!
You can follow Mel’s tiny adventures here:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/sliceoftinypai/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/sliceoftinypai
Tiny Houses Brisbane & QLD: www.facebook.com/groups/tinyhousesbrisbane
Land to rent or buy for Tiny Houses in Australia: www.facebook.com/groups/249661598868769/
The Tiny House Roadshow: www.facebook.com/The-Tiny-House-Roadshow-107197220704517
Resources mentioned in this conversation:
- Tiny House Conversations – Tiny House Regulations
- Australian Tiny House Association – Tiny House Regulations
- Vehicle Standards Bulletin
- NSW Local Government (Manufactured Home Estates, Caravan Parks, Camping Grounds and Moveable Dwellings) Regulation 2021
- Australian Design Rules
- National Construction Code
- Building Code of Australia
- Humanure
- Nature Loo Composting Toilets
- Porcelain Pasadero
- Clivus Multrum Composting Toilets
- Urine Diverter for Composting Toilet
- Tiny Homes Expo
- Local council letters
