Many of us dream of living in a tiny house. Small, compact buildings that offer an appealing way to live more sustainably, providing smart, energy-efficient housing at low cost – one solution to meeting the challenge of New Zealand’s housing shortage and the financial shackles of long-term debt. People from all walks of life are now choosing to downsize; either to reduce debt or free up capital for their retirement. Others are doing it for environmental or lifestyle reasons. Downsizing is becoming a popular alternative to suburban living, as people seek to live more simply and sustainably.
Living Big in a Tiny House dives into the world of tiny homes and explores the lives of the unique individuals who are choosing to escape the confines of conventional housing, and the wonderful sometimes wacky alternatives that they create. It also explores many of the innovative living and design solutions that tiny house-builders have developed in response to the challenges of smaller spaces. Bryce’s book provides a fascinating look into the rapidly growing tiny-house movement and showcases 40 innovative small-space dwellings in New Zealand and all over the world.
Living Big in a Tiny House by Bryce Langston
Published in hardback by Potton & Burton, RRP: $49.99
Website: www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bryce Langston was born in New Zealand and educated at Rangitoto College, on Auckland’s North Shore. After leaving school he had a gap year in Germany before returning to complete a Bachelor of Communications at Auckland University of Technology. Now 34, Bryce has enjoyed a varied career path, including working as an actor, musician, filmmaker and environmentalist. Bryce has been on ‘Shortland Street’ and, more recently, was a gladiator on ‘Spartacus.’ For the past five years, he has been travelling the globe with his girlfriend, exploring alternative living and small space design, while filming for his popular web series ‘Living Big in a Tiny House.’ Together, they have profiled homes throughout New Zealand, Japan, Australia, USA and Canada.
Bryce’s first book Living Big in a Tiny House has just been published by Nelson-based publisher Potton & Burton, in which he shares his favourite stories of tiny house dwellers. Bryce also explores the innovative living solutions that tiny house-builders have developed in response to the challenges of living in smaller spaces. Bryce recently returned home from a three-month road trip in the US to oversee the completion of his second tiny house build. Bryce and Rasa’s newly-finished tiny house on wheels is parked on a permaculture property at Waimauku, on the North Shore. Boasting off-grid technology, Bryce sees his $60,000 new tiny home as a wise move; a way to live debt-free and more sustainably.
Bryce is passionate about small space living and is walking the walk by embracing tiny home ownership. Standing tall at 6 feet, four inches, he is perhaps the last person you would expect to find living in a 6.6m-long, 4.2m-high, 2.5m-wide tiny house, but he loves the freedom it gives him and wouldn’t have it any other way.
Bryce’s videos are watched by people all over the world and his You Tube channel now boasts more than one million subscribers: www.youtube.com/livingbig/.