A man who spent thousands of pounds building a tiny house in just six months is being forced to sell it because he can’t find an available site to place it.
Paul Keating, a former Exmouth schoolboy, painstakingly built his miniature cabin after becoming sick of paying such high rent.
The 29-year-old, who now lives in Exminster, decided to try and lead a more affordable and sustainable lifestyle last July, and was inspired to build his tiny home after watching the home improvement show George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces.
His desire to build the home was fuelled when George visited a retired couple who were comfortably living in a tiny space.
Mr Keating said: “I was amazed that they could live in it, and that they constructed it so cheaply.”
Despite not being a certified builder, Mr Keating used his knowledge of previously working on loft conversions to help build his pint-sized haven, for which he originally budgeted £2,000 for.
More than £4,000 later, his home on wheels was built. However, with no sites available within a couple of miles’ radius, Mr Keating has now been forced to put his tiny house on the market.
He said: “Unfortunately, my landlord could not give me the space I needed. I enquired everywhere within 20 minutes away, but had no luck.
“Finding somewhere else to pitch it has been really difficult.
“Legally, it’s a caravan but it’s a tiny house. That has been quite hard to pitch to camping sites.
“I have not fully finished the house - the plumbing still needs to be done and the shower and wood burner need to be installed.
“There is probably one week of work that needs to be done. I stopped purely because I want to sell it - I think there is enough left for someone to put their own stamp on it.”
Mr Keating’s fully-insulated tiny house features a bedroom area in the loft space and a kitchen area with a twin gas hob.
He said: “It has been built with permitted development regulations in mind and at 253cm wide, it can be towed on the roads although I would get it weighed first if you want to tow it.
“I have used a mixture of new and recycled materials - for example, glass from an old washing machine door has been used as a non-opening window on the front door!”
Anyone interested in Mr Keating’s tiny home can find it on Facebook Marketplace.
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