Creating my home
on common ground
Zola's homecoming
I’ve had three dreams come true at once—
My tiny home was delivered on 18 April, transported by Tiny Towing Solutions from where it was built by Ben of the Littlefoot Tiny Home company in Cromwell to my new site at Riverside Community outside of Motueka, top of the South Island of NZ.
It is a homecoming because I've been here before--I built my own home and was living mortgage free in an intentional community in South Africa. It's taken me 7 years to get to this point again.
My tiny home getting delivered to the site:
Coming in on the back of a truck. Being lifted on hydraulic jacks to put the trailer underneath. Being backed into the site on its trailer. Positioned on site with deck temporarily in place. The site had a tiny home there previously.
The last two years of my housing challenges and why I decided on a tiny home
It’s been a long time coming…this time two years ago in Hamilton, my teen son and I were living in a leaky, mouldy caravan with inadequate power, faulty toilet and shower, along with a yurt, and isolated in lock down. Given the lack of available and affordable two bedroom rentals, caravan living was an attempt to escape skyrocketing rent. And, to add insult to injury, I’d just found out my mother was in a terminal condition; she died two months later.
We relocated to Nelson but lack of housing rentals forced us into room rentals and due to people selling the homes we were living in, or only being able to find short term rentals, and in one case being assaulted by the homeowner, I moved six times in a year and a half. My son and I have had to live apart at times due to only finding a room for one of us in a home which has really disrupted our family life, his mental health, and my ability to parent him well from a distance. It also made it difficult for me to host my daughter visiting on her uni break, meaning that we couldn’t stay together as a family and the added expense of needing to rent her accommodation.
Getting my home built
When I found out I had inheritance money, I immediately decided to have a tiny home built to give myself and children housing stability. I was able to pay cash in full, allowing me to be mortgage free. I decided to go with Littlefoot because my friend has one of his homes, it seemed well built, and the interior had quality design and detail. I chose a base model (the Kereru) but then made some customisations. The build was not without challenges and miscommunication, but the builder is doing his best to make right on all the issues. I involved a laywer at the beginning and the end to ensure my bases were covered—something I highly recommend to others.
The plaque I had made for my home says, "Welcome, Haere Mai Friends & Family. May this home be a source of joy, comfort, health, and prosperity. This home is warmed by the loving memory and generosity of our adventurous, fun, and dedicated mother and grandmother Ellen Mae Rose."
House details
My home is 3m wide by 10m long by 4.2m high with custom steel base and trailer, the cladding is a combo of wood and steel. It has large double glazed, low-e windows that also keep out harsh UV rays. It well insulated, has a wood fireplace, gas water heating, and gas stove/oven. Most of my lights are dimmable so I can have low-light night for better ambiance.
I chose a Clivus Multrum composting toilet as it creates compost in the chamber under the house, has a fan to keep the moisture level right, no smell, and the contents don’t need to be handled when the bin is full, I have a full size shower, and I ordered a beautiful Middle Eastern handmade sink with yellow tiles splashback to match.
I can enter my bedroom walking upright and there’s a full-length closet with a door to hide my clothes at the end and fit my two chests of drawers. The room has a door for privacy. The other bedroom has a full wall for privacy for guests/my children when they visit. Both have soft carpeting as walking on the knees is needed with the low ceilings.
The kitchen has a patterned tiling of my choosing which adds a lot of character and matches the seafoam cabinetry I chose with brushed brass fixtures and handles. It has tons of cupboards, generous countertop space, large sink, large pull-out pantry, and I can fit a full fridge. There’s not as much storage as I need so I’ll be building a shed.
House costs
My house build cost is rounded to $191,000, transport was rounded to $9000 so a total of $200,000 once sited. I’ve since spent another $2500 on labour, trailer hire, and materials to move and set up the systems. Plus, more to spend on the shed and awning for over the deck. My monthly house insurance is $180 through FMG but plan to shop around for a better price. I find a tiny home quite expensive relative to other house prices but, it was what I could afford without also needing to buy land.
Finding land and community
My home was ready in December, but I hadn’t managed to secure any land—most people being wary of Council charges and procedures given the ambiguity of planning rules for tiny homes.
While attending a contact dance event at Riverside Community hall in February, I believe Spirit gave me the prompt to call Verena, a community resident, with whom I’d previously been in touch regarding accommodation. Upon first meeting, she said a tiny house site was available and I’d be a good fit. The Riverside Trust Board quickly approved my proposal.
I signed a 2-year contract, renewable for up to another year or the possibility of membership. I will investigate what membership entails although I know that it is an income sharing community so freezing of personal assets is one of the requirements. My weekly rent is $150 which includes a certain amount of metres around the home, access to mains power, and water connection with a pressure pump.
About Riverside
Riverside, which describes itself as an intentional community, was founded in 1941 by Christian Pacifists on the values of peace, sustainability, and cooperation although they now consider themselves pluralistic. Trustees attempt to incorporate the concepts of peace, sustainability and co-operation into their decisions and actions (Riverside, 2023)
The Riverside Community Trust was set up for the promotion of religion (which is no longer pursued), the advancement of education, and for the relief of poverty within NZ. (Riverside, 2023). It provides educational and cultural programmes to the wider public at the Riverside Culture Centre and members of the public can book the main hall to offer events and workshops.
Riverside community consists of about 30 permanent dwellings and many sites for short and long term stays for those in buses, caravans, and tiny homes. On average there is between 60-80 people living on site. There is a hostel offering affordable accommodation. The café was leased but will be transformed into a community hub for local events. The organic community garden leases 2 hectares of land from the Trust. The main source of community income is from their dairy farm. I believe they are looking to be able to offer different forms of membership in the future.
Settling in
I’m extremely grateful for the help from more than a dozen people to get to this point. The land on which I put my home was not compacted so it took a lot of effort to get it level. I hired a few people to help me move things from my storage unit, set up the Clivus Multrum composting toilet, connect up the greywater system, connect to the water point, put together the fireplace chimney, and assemble the deck. My generous Riverside neighbours have lent me many tools.
I have been enjoying attending the Riverside community weekly vegan lunch for koha, open to the public, prepared with home-grown food where I get to meet people from Riverside and the surrounding area.
I grew up in many different countries as my mother was a U.S. diplomat. She collected many beautiful things from all the countries we/she lived in. When she passed, I packed up much of our/her special items and shipped them to NZ. I’m really excited to have a place to put all my special memories of my mother and our life together, artwork from my daughter, photos of my family, and my own meaningful items.
What’s Next
Without wasting time on constantly shifting, being able to be in one place for at least two years, I can really apply my energies and talents to making a positive impact in my area.
Structure-wise, I’ll be looking for help to design and build my awning, assemble my tool shed, and fill my garden beds.
I’ll be waiting for my daughter to visit me in June to fully decorate. I’m looking forward to having both my children hanging out with me in our family home.
I plan on joining the Riverside community garden where members work in exchange for harvesting and the bulk-food buying club on site.
Locally, I’m already getting involved in activities in Motueka with a business networking group on Tuesday, contact dance on Wed, an improv theatre group on Thu, and there seems to be many other events each month, including some at Riverside.
Work-wise, there’s a lot of people in the area that are interested in alternative housing and intentional community that I could help with my consulting skills and I’m launching an “Improving Workplace Culture” programme for local industries/organisations. Perhaps I’ll run some workshops, camps and retreats at Riverside since there is accommodation for participants.
I’m networking with both Nelson and Tasman Councils to support them to transition to more regenerative housing development. I would like to even start thinking of where to from here in two plus years, creating the fertile ground for another great place to live. Perhaps helping set up a tiny home community for Nelson or in Tasman.
Come by and visit if you're in the area. See map above to get to my home.
Common Ground
Whakatū/Nelson, Aotearoa/New Zealand│Director, Zola Rose │(027) 449-0422│kiaora@commonground.net.nz
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