We live mortgage-free in tiny house with our newborn – we don’t have a bath & struggle to host but we’ve saved a fortune

VICKY Freese-Brayer, 36, runs a conscious-living brand and lives in the Vale of Glamorgan with husband Uriah, 32, a property developer, and their daughter Naya, five months.

Today, she opens up on living in a tiny home with her family.

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“Preparing for your first baby is never easy. Which cot is the safest? How many nappies will I need?

But the biggest question of all for me was: would everything fit? Last year, I was getting ready to bring a baby into my tiny home that’s just 7m long and 2.5m wide. 

Growing up in a regular house, I never imagined I’d end up living in a tiny home – classed as a house under 400sqft.

After studying midwifery at Swansea University, I went travelling in 2014 and met Uriah on a bus between Thailand and Cambodia. Three months later, we were living together in a van on an Australian sheep farm. 

In 2016, we moved to New York and got married. By early 2019, we’d come back to Wales and were staying with my parents while we started a property business.

A year later, we had a decision to make – we wanted our own space, but we couldn’t afford a mortgage.

Then I remembered the American TV shows we’d watched about people living in tiny houses – super-small but perfectly designed homes. 

At first, Uriah was not on board, saying that we’d had our adventures and it was time to be sensible.

I talked about how we’d be mortgage-free and could build it on an idyllic plot of land my parents own. Two weeks later, I’d convinced him. 

We’re both very practical, so instead of paying a company to make our home, we decided to build it ourselves.

In May 2020, we spent £4,500 on a flatbed trailer for the base, and we rented a nearby barn to store it in.

Then, we used YouTube videos to teach ourselves everything from plumbing to putting on cedar cladding.

We used a computer program to configure the design inside to make the most of every inch.

We built a kitchen, living area with a sofa and TV, fitted built-in storage everywhere and squeezed in a mezzanine floor for sleeping. We also installed central heating and a boiler.

Peace of mind

There were compromises – a bath wasn’t an option, but we could fit a shower. 

It took four months and the total cost, including all the furniture, was £28,000, which we paid for from savings.

In December 2020, we finally drove our home on to my parents’ land. Waking up there the next morning felt amazing.

After living in a normal house, it took some adjusting to, though. Thankfully, we rarely argued, but when we did need alone time, I’d go upstairs to do yoga.

Being semi-off-grid also meant learning to work the composting toilet, which was complicated at first. And we couldn’t have many visitors, unless the weather was good enough to be outside. 

Running my business, True, which makes natural, organic products, I could easily work from home.

But finding storage space was tricky.

We had to be ruthless about the amount of stuff we had, but we realised how little we actually needed and how much calmer we felt when we weren’t surrounded by things.

For now, when it comes to homes, bigger is definitely not always better

We didn’t know how a baby would fit into our tiny house, but when I got pregnant last year, we were excited to find out! We had to get creative.

There was just enough space for a cot upstairs if we made it ourselves. Getting rid of some of our clothes made room for the baby’s and we put up a stair bannister for safety.

Naya was born on October 31, and our home works so well for the three of us.

She’s never out of arm’s reach and I can always have my eye on her.

We built her bed big enough for a toddler, and when she starts moving, we’ll spend time outside, which is the childhood I’d want for her anyway.

Then, there are the financial benefits. As the cost of living has rocketed, we have peace of mind without a mortgage hanging over our heads.

Maybe one day when Naya is older, we will move somewhere bigger. But for now, when it comes to homes, bigger is definitely not always better.” 

•  Follow Vicky on Instagram @nurturedbynature_uk.

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