I turned a garage into a tiny home for me & my family – it’s so cheap & people say it’s nicer than their ‘normal’ house
A WOMAN has revealed that she transformed a garage into a perfect tiny home for herself and her family to live in.
Whitney Lee Morris moved her family into the 362 square foot tiny home, in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, which had been built in 1920, as part of a larger property.
The designer and small space consultant used her artistic skills to transform the garage into a tiny home, complete with a bedroom a kitchen and a living area.
She replaced the garage door with a glass patio doors, that let lots of light into the tiny property.
She also fitted in a small wooden desk by the door, to use for home working.
Whitney placed a large mirror on one of the walls, a clever technique which helped the tiny home to feel much larger than it actually is.
Another clever trick the mum of one used to transform the space, which she lives in with her husband, her son and their two Beagles, was to place a table cloth over the coffee table, to transform the living room into a dining area, when needed.
The garage has an open plan kitchen and living area, split apart by a large corner sofa, that sections off the living room.
For privacy, Whitney added in walls to create a bedroom, where she, husband Adam, and their young child all sleep.
For storage, Whitney has installed a large built in bookshelf, and there is ample storage space under the bed.
The garage even has it’s own garden, and Whitney and Adam has transformed the small outdoor space into a patio, complete with garden furniture, plants and fairy lights.
Whitney said that the couple had Adam’s 40th birthday in the garden, and even got married there.
“Believe it or not, it’s big enough to host a 60-person party here”, she said.
Speaking to Well+Good, Whitney said: “We’ve got everything we need in this tiny little space.
“It is great and little and wonderful, and we keep it simple.”
Fans of Whitney’s garage have taken to Instagram to share their love for her tiny home.
Commenting under one of her photos, one person said: “‘I’d love to have a place like that!”
Another person said: “The most dreamy magical place ever.”
A third said: “This is nicer than my normal house”.
Living in a converted garage or tiny home is a great way to save cash for a house, whilst still having your independence.
As the cost of living crisis continues to bite, more and more adults are struggling to get on the property ladder and are choosing to live in their family home for longer.
Are tiny homes legal in the UK?
TINY houses can be UK regardless of whether they are on a trailer base or not. The legality of tiny houses is all to do with where it is and what you use it for.
If you want to put your tiny house in the back garden of the home that you own, and the overall size of your tiny house does not exceed 19.8m x 6.7m (65ft x 22ft), then good news! You do not require planning permission.
Tiny houses that fit within these dimensions and are constructed on trailer bases are legally classified as caravans, which means you can legally park them within the curtilage of your home without planning permission.
If this is your plan, then it is a legal requirement that you only use the tiny house as additional living space, like an office, a gym, or a studio, but you cannot rent out the space to a tenant.
For those of you who live on farmland, what is defined as curtilage can be complicated. In these cases, and under any circumstances where you are unsure, we recommend that you speak to your local planning officer.
You can put a tiny house on your land as a temporary structure for 28 days, but for any longer than this we recommend that you speak to your local planning officer as different permissions will be required.
Source: The Qube
The 2021 census revealed that over half of people aged 23 and under still live with their parents.
The average price of a house in the UK was £285,000 as of March 2023, and this rises to a whopping £735,254, which is completely unaffordable for many.
Moreover, research from the Resolution Foundation found that the average first time buyer deposit tripled from 5 per cent of the property price in 1989 to 15 per cent in 2019.
This means that buyers have to save for far longer and use up a larger percentage of their earnings to get on the property ladder.
Recent research by property site Zoopla found that 42 per cent of adults under 40 who do not already own homes have given up, due to the astronomical cost of buying a property.
This included 38 per cent of people earning over £60,000 (almost double the average salary for the UK).
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