HOUSE THAT
We’re a family of seven and we’re now mortgage free after moving into a shed – it’s cramped but saves us so much cash
Scroll down to find out if tiny homes are legal in the UK
A FAMILY of seven have revealed that they are now mortgage free, after moving in to a converted shed.
Mum-of-five Sarah, and her bumper brood decided six years ago that they wanted to sell their suburban house and move to the country.
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However, they didn't want to be lumbered with a mortgage, so bought two sheds, connected them together and turned them into a home.
"We're now living the dream life in the country," she said, in a vide posted to her YouTube channel .
The family's home consists of one shed which Sarah and her husband sleep in and another shed which the five kids sleep in.
The two sheds are connected together by a room built by Sarah which they use to store shoes and coats.
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Sarah's family heat their shed with a wood-fired stove, which even her kids know how to use.
"It's just really nice to have if you're trying to cut bills, as this is free," she said.
All five of Sarah's kids sleep in one room, with three of them on a three-tiered bunk bed and the other two on a two-tier bunk bed.
"It works fantastically, everything fits," she said.
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She added that although her kids don't have much personal space in their bedroom, they live on 35 acres of land, so can go outside if they need privacy.
The kids are also all homeschooled in the shed, with Sarah sectioning off one section of the shed for schoolwork.
I bought a shipping container from China and turned it into my perfect tiny home - it only took a few hours to assemble and it looks so spacious inside
Living in a converted shed 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.
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.
Tiny Homes FAQs
The tiny house movement began in the USA before gaining popularity in the UK.
What is a tiny home?
Tiny houses are small, fully-equipped living spaces designed to lead a more sustainable, off-grid lifestyle. Although they vary in size and shape, tiny homes tend to be between 15 and 50 square metres in capacity, made of sustainable materials and are easier — and cheaper — to maintain than traditional brick homes.
Are tiny homes legal in the UK?
As long as the tiny house doesn't exceed 19.8m x 6.7m in size, it is defined as a caravan in UK law. Therefore, tiny houses are classed as legal additional living space.
Can you get a mortgage for a tiny home?
The small size and relatively low cost of tiny houses means they’re not generally considered eligible for a mortgage. However, there are plenty of options to take out a loan to fund your dreams of the perfect, moveable home.
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.
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This included 38 per cent of people earning over £60,000 (almost double the average salary for the UK).
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