Bree and Lucas E3, S1 Candid Tiny House Podcast

Candid Tiny House podcast

Bree and Lucas E3, S1 Candid Tiny House Podcast

Tenacious approach and clever design:

After years of research and two years of hands-on building, Bree and Lucas completed a remarkable off-grid tiny house on wheels in Bree’s parents’ backyard in Brisbane. Conscientious, resourceful, and fiercely independent, this young couple committed to building a sustainable home — debt-free and by their own hands.

They started by attending our How To Build A Tiny House Weekend Workshop, then purchased one of our 7.8-metre trailers, and got to work. They knew from the outset that staying under 4,500 kg was critical, so they tackled the build with a weight-conscious approach from the ground up.

In their search for ultra-light materials, they chose Paulownia timber for their external cladding — a super low-density wood that looked like a clever way to save weight. But the Paulownia threw them a curveball. Despite being marketed as “waterproof” and used in boatbuilding, it turned out to be highly absorbent and prone to warping — especially when not sealed properly before installation.

Like many owner-builders, Bree and Lucas discovered the difference between theory and practice. After the cladding buckled and had to be stripped and salvaged, they got advice from a professional painter who helped them understand what it truly takes to make Paulownia water-resistant: oil-based primer on every surface, multiple coats, and then installation.

They got back to work, armed with better knowledge and the right materials. The result? Their Paulownia cladding is now a show-stopper — warm, natural, and visually striking. And because it was so light, it allowed them to “splurge” on other features like hardwood floorboards and a tiled shower base — luxuries rarely found in DIY builds that need to stay under 4.5 tonnes.

Their house is full of creative, smart design elements — from pull-out stair drawers in the kitchen cabinetry to a hoistable loft bed and a bump-out bathroom vanity over the trailer’s drawbar. It’s a cosy, character-filled cottage with a pitched roof, leadlight windows, and loads of thoughtful details.

Of course, every DIY build comes with challenges. But Bree and Lucas tackled theirs with patience, creativity, and determination. Their reflections are honest and generous: “It’s not so much that we didn’t know what to do, it’s that we didn’t know what questions to ask.”

This is exactly why sharing stories like theirs matters. Every time an owner-builder shares their journey, we all benefit. We learn a bit more about what works, what doesn’t, and what to ask next time.

Bree and Lucas have achieved something truly special — a home that reflects their values, suits their lifestyle, and shows what’s possible when you empower yourself with knowledge and take the leap into DIY building.

Want to hear their full story? Listen to our podcast interview with Bree and Lucas, below.

Bree and Lucas DIY Tiny House Builders Inspo Candid Tiny House Podcast trailer pick up day
Bree and Lucas DIY CAndid Tiny House BUilders lounge room

Trailer Data:
Length: 7.8 meters

Width: 2400mm

Style: Protruding Wheel Guard

Finish: Hot Dip Galvanized

Date received trailer: March 2019

Tiny House Data:
Height: 4.25meters
Roof: Shallow Gable
Cladding Materials for external cladding: Paulownia timber VJ boards
Climate/location: Brisbane QLD
Number of people it houses: 2 Adults

You can do this, too!

Bree and Lucas started their tiny house building journey by attending a Weekend Workshop with Fred’s Tiny Houses.

They took all the knowledge that they gained in that course and bought a Fred’s Tiny House Trailer. They then built a successful tiny house which they lived in for three years, saving enough money to launch themselves into the next phase of life. 

Start here:

Bree and Lucas DIY Tiny House Builders Inspo Candid Tiny House Podcast trench for composting toilet
Deon and Marine DIY Candid tiny house podcast

Deon and Marine E2, S1 Candid Tiny House Podcast

Deon and Marine DIY Candid tiny house podcast
Candid Tiny House podcast

Deon and Marine: Episode 2, Season 1 of Candid Tiny House Podcast

Candid Tiny (Surf) House: Deon & Marine

It hasn’t all been curling waves and sea foam for Deon and Marine, a Sydney couple who decided to build themselves a tiny house on wheels back in 2019 to support their ethical pursuits and surfing lifestyle near to the city and family.

Once they picked up their tiny house trailer in Victoria they had a few false starts: the building site they had organised on someone else’s property fell through (twice), they had setbacks of rains and delays during their first few months of build time during what should be the best weather of the year.

But Deon’s engineering background and Marine’s can-do attitude has had them overcome initial setbacks and come up with creative solutions to these obstacles and more.

In fact their persistence has really paid off. After feeling demoralized about the difficulty of finding a place to park their tiny house, Marine put up an ad on Gumtree and within a very short period of time they received an offer to build and live on a beautiful property in the northern beaches, just ten minutes away from the beach. “It’s just quiet, beautiful bushland,” Deon describes. And so close to Sydney that they can stay close to family and work. Speaking of the family who owns the property, Deon said “After they met us, they got a little bit inspired and bought [a tiny house on wheels] for themselves!”

So with their build and long-term parking location settled, Deon and Marine figured out some other things.

Like – how many building materials have to be custom made for a tiny house… to which Deon’s answer was a laughing “Everything!” Marine explained: “You can try to keep the standard [measurements] but because it’s small scale and you’re trying to make it super practical in all the areas, then you have to do a lot of custom fittings and that takes longer, and is more expensive.”

They waited a frustrating two months to order a custom sized door through one hardware store for their bathroom under a loft, and finally went to a different hardware that could cope with a customisation. But the relief of finally receiving the right sized door sweetened the waiting period for Marine. “It’s alright,” she said, “when we got it, we were very happy!”

The setbacks haven’t all been external. About six months into the build Marine hurt her back, twisting around after bending down to cut wood. It rendered her unable to lift anything for over two months, right when they were framing the tiny house. And Deon admitted sheepishly… “Um, I may have slipped off the loft, going between the ladder and the loft, and dislocated my shoulder…” which gave him about two months of constant pain.

To add frustration to injury, Deon fell on the first day of a holiday when they were planning to work on the tiny house solidly over Christmas. “It’s part of the whole experience,” Marine reflected on the their injuries, “it helped me to step in for a few things. Like, I had to do a few more power tools, and just take a little bit more responsibility on some things, so that was a good way for me to learn.”

That positive attitude mixed with persistence and necessary problem solving has the couple close to realising their dream of living inter home made tiny house in the next few months.

And the tiny house on wheels hasn’t been their only project over the last year and a bit. They have recently launched their own distillery company Hang10Distillery with their first batch of Baker’s Dozen gin that is made from unsold sourdough bread. By reducing food waste and lowering carbon emissions with their hyper-ethical gin, as well as working together to create a low-footprint tiny house, Deon and Marine are kicking some serious life goals!

Hear the full interview about their journey building their tiny house on the Candid Tiny House Podcast, below.  Following Deon and Marine on Instagram @hang10distillery.

Deon and Marine DIY tiny house candid tiny house podcast

Trailer Data:

Length: 7.2 meters

Width: 2400mm

Style: Flat Top

Finish: Hot Dip Galvanized 

 

You can do this, too!

Deon and Marine started their tiny house building journey by attending a Weekend Workshop with Fred’s Tiny Houses.

They took all the knowledge that they gained in that course and bought a Fred’s Tiny House Trailer. They then built a successful tiny house which they lived in for three years, saving enough money to launch themselves into the next phase of life. 

Start here:

Deon and Marine DIY tiny house candid tiny house podcast
Candid Tiny House Season 1, Luke and Jess, DIY Tiny House Builders

Luke and Jess E1, S1

Candid Tiny House Season 1, Luke and Jess, DIY Tiny House Builders
Candid Tiny House podcast

Luke and Jess: Episode 1, Season 1 of Candid Tiny House Podcast

Taking a Leap...

Luke and Jess had only bought a mattress together, by way of a joint purchase as a couple, before they decided to buy a trailer and build a tiny house on it.

It seems like a big leap of commitment, courage and faith in their abilities to live and work together… and it is.

On a very tight time line (six months to be exact) they ordered their tiny house trailer, built their tiny house as first-time builders, quit their jobs, moved the tiny house from Victoria to Queensland and moved themselves too. “Admittedly that’s one thing that we did regret, that we didn’t take more time on it, because we really did push ourselves,” reflects Luke.

The ultra-tight building timeline had them building for long hours, seven days a week on Luke’s parents property in regional Victoria. “The physical toll was pretty significant from building like that. My shoulder was sore from drilling into our (steal) frame” Luke said. “Same, I had to go to an osteopath twice from painting!” Jess added, laughing. On finding the right time-frame for a tiny house build, she suggested: “I think its about finding that sweet-spot of enough time to do it right and to be ok and be well, but to push yourself a little bit so that you can get in it and start living in it as soon as possible.”

And while they shouldered almost all of the burden of building their tiny house on wheels, they also had plenty of help. Luke commented: “Lean on your family and friends … it really made it easier, and realistically made it possible, to have all those helpers. Because we wouldn’t have got it done in that time otherwise.”

And they did get it done in time to move it up to Brisbane where Jess had enrolled in a Psychology Honours program. The council regulations on living in a tiny house on private property are particularly favourable in Brisbane, so it reduced the couple’s stress over where to park their tiny house. “That was probably the scariest thing – thinking about where we were going to put it[…] it was always that little bit of an undercurrent – where were we gonna end up?” reflected Luke.

Luke and Jess focused on living with a small footprint in lots of ways for the next two years in their off-grid tiny house, saving money all the while. And when 2020 rolled around with all it’s surprises: Covid-19, closed borders and lockdowns, Luke and Jess felt the distance from their families in Victoria acutely.

So it was time to leap again! After two years of studying, working, mending clothes, growing veggies and making music in Brisbane, Luke and Jess looked at their changing needs and decided to return to Victoria. With the money they saved from living in their tiny house, they managed to buy a little cottage near Jess’s parent’s place in Gippsland sight-unseen. Instead of towing the tiny house south again, they decided to sell it in Brisbane. That meant that they could either reduce their mortgage on the cottage or use the tiny house sale money to help them find additional housing in Melbourne so that Jess could be closer to her Masters of Psychology course.

So while their journey of living in a tiny house has come to an end, their appreciation of it’s benefits have not. “We attribute being able to buy that house to living in this tiny house for two years”, said Luke. And on all their leaps, Jess comments: “That’s just us making our dreams happen. They’ve been chasing and evolving so we just jump in to make it happen.”

Listen to the full interview with Luke and Jess wherever you get your podcasts.

In the podcast long-form interview they spoke candidly about their:

  • Decision to build a tiny house,
  • Challenges and stresses as well as their excitement while building on a tight schedule,
  • Experiences with towing the tiny house and hiring a towing company,
  • What it was like to live in a tiny house together as a couple, and
  • How living in a tiny house has supported them to study, live lightly and reach their financial goals. 
Candid Tiny House Season 1, Luke and Jess, DIY Tiny House Builders
Candid Tiny House Season 1, Luke and Jess, DIY Tiny House Builders
Candid Tiny House Season 1, Luke and Jess, DIY Tiny House Builders

Trailer Data:
Length: 7.2 meters
Width: 2400mm
Style: Protruding Wheel Guard
Date received trailer: September 2018
Date started working on house: September 2018
Date moved in: March 2019

Tiny House Data:
Height: 4.25meters
Roof: Scillion
Cladding Materials for internal and external cladding: Shiplap and Corry combined
Climate/location: Brisbane QLD
Number of people it houses: 2 Adults

You can do this, too!

Luke and Jess started their tiny house building journey by attending a Weekend Workshop with Fred’s Tiny Houses.

They took all the knowledge that they gained in that course and bought a Fred’s Tiny House Trailer. They then built a successful tiny house which they lived in for two years, saving enough money to launch themselves into the next phase of life. 

Start here:

Candid Tiny House Season 1, Luke and Jess, DIY Tiny House Builders
Tiny House Law Change Mount Alexander Shire

First Attempt at Changing Local Tiny House Laws

Tiny House Law Change Mount Alexander Shire

Welcome to The Advocacy Season of Candid Tiny House!​

Join us as we delve into the early days of the tiny house movement in Mount Alexander Shire with our special guest, Fred Schultz, the passionate advocate behind Fred’s Tiny Houses.

In this episode, we explore the initial campaign to change local tiny house laws in 2020 and Fred’s personal experiences living under the previous regulations.

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen:​

In This Episode:​

Interview with Fred Schultz:

  • Fred shares insights from his 2020 campaign to alter tiny house laws in Mount Alexander Shire.
  • He discusses the challenges faced and the lessons learned during this pivotal period.

Living the Tiny House Life:

  • Fred and our host, Shannon Schultz, reflect on their six-month experience living in a tiny house on wheels.
  • Hosted by then-Mayor, Councillor Christine Henderson, they recount the joys and obstacles of tiny house living under the old regulations.

Christine Henderson’s Journey:

  • Hear from Councillor Christine Henderson about her efforts to lead the change from within the council.
  • Christine provides a candid look at the hurdles and partial victories encountered along the way.

Key Takeaways:

  • Understand the initial barriers to tiny house living and the community’s response.
  • Learn about the strategic steps taken during the first campaign and what didn’t go as planned.
  • Gain insights into the early advocacy efforts that laid the groundwork for future successes.

Why Listen?

This episode sets the stage for understanding the broader journey of tiny house advocacy in Mount Alexander Shire. It’s a story of persistence, community effort, and the crucial first steps toward legislative change.

Tune in to hear the full story of the first attempt to change local tiny house laws and get inspired by the dedication and resilience of those who paved the way for future progress.

Shannon Schultz Fred Tiny Houses

Candid Tiny House Host:

Shannon Schultz

Host of Candid Tiny House and Co-Director of Fred’s Tiny Houses. More in Bio.

Original Campaign Page for 2020:

See our original campaign page! Scroll down to see our submissions to council, videos and an update at the top about the local law success story! 🙂