The Tiny House Movement is gaining momentum worldwide and it's just received a big boost down under thanks to this recently completed tiny retreat on wheels. Australian builder James Galletly, also known as The Upcyclist, teamed up with the Bower Reuse and Repair Center to design and build The Tiny, a small and cozy retreat constructed atop a box trailer and assembled with more than 95% recycled materials. Created as part of an educational exercise to expose Sydney residents to the concept of tiny living, the adorable one-bedroom space was completed in just 3 months and is perfect as a cozy artist's studio or backyard guesthouse. Galletly and The Bower realized early on that building a tiny house atop a 6×8 box trailer was nonviable, and so scaled back their plans to build a tiny bedroom instead. Constructed mostly from salvaged materials, the Tiny displays a one-of-a-kind feel on both its exterior and interior. The facade is created from an eclectic combination of reclaimed zinc alum, corrugated iron, cedar weatherboards, and hardwood fence palings, whereas the interior walls are lined with richly colored plywood sheeting and flooring sample boards.
The structure is 100% waterproof and is insulated with a combination of earth wool, polyester batts, and pink patts in the walls. A reflective foil lined air-cell insulates the ceiling. Inside, a fold up single bed with a bright, multicolored spread entices users up the Tiny’s pallet wood deck and stairs and through a set of restored red cedar double glass doors. The Tiny is also equipped with space-saving furniture like the foldaway desk and flip up/flip down shelving made from Tasmanian oak cupboard doors, as well as multifunctional amenities like the Bower’s signature wooden storage crates that double as seating. Its LED lighting system and 240v power point are powered by solar energy. Related: Man Transforms School Bus into a Groovy Mobile Cabin Made from Leftover Forest Cuttings “The project is an experimental build,” writes Galletly. “The idea is to have a go at building with recycled materials. To see just how much salvaged stuff we can use, what’s commonly available, and what little quirks come up due to using secondhand stuff.
Houses are being demolished but there is no transparency as to what happens to their components.”Resident Cynthia Moore saw a ute being loaded with window frames, shutters, timber painted doors.“Obviously there is a huge discrepancy between the Government view of what should be happening and the view held by Haberfield residents,” Ms Moore said.Department of Planning compliance officers are investigating whether the Sydney Motorways Corporation and the Roads and Maritime Services are salvaging heritage items with proper supervision under the conditions approved by the Planning Minister.A Sydney Motorway Corporation spokesman confirmed the recycling of items by contractors saying it was “standard industry practice non-heritage items can be salvaged at the subcontractor’s expense for future commercial use.”He said in accordance with the conditions of approval for the M4 East, an independent heritage consultant was overseeing the process.The definition in the Infrastructure Approval for the WestConnex states a heritage item includes “a place, building, tree, movable object or precinct of heritage significance that is listed under a Local Environmental Plan under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979”.
Mr Crow said as the Haberfield Conservation Area constituted such an LEP, it was a heritage item, as were the individual components.Residents believed all items of significance that could be re-used would be salvaged and made available to them including sought-after bricks and tiles.According to Bahar Yildirim, Senior Correspondence Officer of the Sydney Motorway Corporation, in an email to Mr Crow dated May 24, “heritage items identified for salvage by hand include terracotta roof tiles, timber front doors, leadlight windows and fireplaces.“I can confirm that the heritage consultant didn’t identify any properties in Wolseley St as having items of heritage value,” Mr Yildirim wrote.Mr Crow said there was photographic evidence that 3 Wolseley St and 2 Northcote St had original 1920s roof tiles but these tiles were not salvaged.A pair of leadlight double hung bay windows with seating were advertised on eBay by a seller from Croydon with a starting bid of $11,000.Items listed on Rozelle’s Chippendale Restorations website include: leadlight French doors for $9000, leadlight window for $6600, two double hung leadlight windows for $4400, 1920s leadlight door for $1100, Porteous tiles from $33 each and Art Deco light switches from $30 each.