By Jacob Morgan, Metro News September 23,2013 - Lydia Holden has accomplished something very few young Canadians can attest to – she owns her own home. The 23-year-old Saskatoon woman began work on her tiny home project last spring and completed construction in September of 2012.
For the past year, she has been living in the 136-square-foot miniature house on and off in between travelling.
“This cost me $30,000, which I saved before I started building, so now I live rent and mortgage free,” said Holden. “As a result I work less and travel more.”
In October she plans to take a trip to New Zealand to learn about farming. Her goal is to become as eco-friendly as possible.
“The easiest way to lower your impact and footprint is to go smaller,” she said.
She added that the structure of the house features one solar panel, a composting toilet and a bit of propane for heat, forcing her to lower energy consumption.
“I use about 20 litres of water a day,” she said. “That’s like three toilet flushes for other people.”
While some might balk at the lack of room, Holden said she enjoys the minimal lifestyle and even shares the house with a partner.
But despite the fact that the home is sustainable and suits her needs, she said the zoning bylaws in Saskatoon can make this kind of living challenging as the idea of tiny-home living is just starting to gain traction locally.
“A lot of people have been telling me that they’ve got the plans, trailer and they’re going to start building soon,” she said. “People are super interested.”
Copyright 2001-2013, Free Daily News Group Inc.