‘I stumbled throughout it by chance,’ says Sophie Kovic of the communal residing farmland within the Northern Rivers, New South Wales, the place her tiny house is positioned.
‘I used to be initially in search of one thing fully completely different — a home with land, prepared to maneuver into. However after I heard concerning the permaculture historical past of this block, I used to be hooked. It felt thrilling, and a bit daring, to construct off-grid on a neighborhood farm.’
Passionate concerning the atmosphere, the founding father of eco-friendly life-style model Seed and Sprout seized the uncommon alternative to reside inside a neighborhood in The Channon who shared the identical values.
Since then, she’s taken a DIY strategy to establishing a mini sustainable sanctuary on her two acres of the 66-acre working farm. And documenting this journey on-line has garnered an enormous following throughout social media, with greater than 320,000 followers on TikTok alone!
Sophie designed the tiny residence herself with help from Aussie Tiny Homes, who additionally constructed the principle construction. At simply over 17 sq. metres, the home includes a kitchen, a rest room, and a staircase resulting in a loft bed room.
The cosy lounge, the place sliding glass doorways open to the deck and gardens exterior, seems like one other ‘room’ in itself. There’s even a sauna and a salvaged A-frame construction Sophie transformed into an extra bed room.
‘I dealt with a variety of the ending touches, issues like sourcing reclaimed items, and putting in upcycled touches,’ she provides.
The home is totally off-grid, powered by photo voltaic panels and a battery. Rainwater tanks and a reed-bed wastewater therapy system additionally guarantee the home has regular flushing bathrooms.
‘It nonetheless seems like a daily residence. We’ve bought heating, aircon, a dishwasher, even an infrared sauna. It’s not about roughing it,’ Sophie says of her off-grid life-style.
‘The advantages are big — a smaller footprint, much less litter, decrease prices, and a better connection to nature. The challenges are managing energy throughout cloudy weeks, conserving water in drought, and adapting to much less house. However these challenges are additionally what make it so rewarding.’
A few of her most viral content material focuses on the property’s tranquil pure swimming pool — one other DIY challenge Sophie dropped at life with assist from her neighbours.
Set simply off the sting of the deck, the round concrete construction is shrouded in greenery, with crops and wildlife even occupying the water itself!
‘I used to be impressed by pure swimming swimming pools in Europe, swimming pools that appear like ponds, work with crops and micro organism, and don’t depend on chemical compounds,’ Sophie says.
‘The set up was an enormous challenge, with excavation, shaping, and planting aquatic species. However the repairs is pretty easy: I add helpful micro organism, keep watch over the stability, and it just about takes care of itself.’
Now, Sophie resides her dream, and is all about inspiring others about methods to do the identical.
‘This residence has taught me to worth slowness and ease,’ Sophie says.
‘It’s not about giving up consolation, it’s about redefining it. For me, consolation is morning swims within the pool, meals from my veggie patch, and the liberty that comes with residing flippantly.’
