Our home build journey - mixed feelings about the end of our tiny living journey ♡

I wanted to document this mixed feeling, and while it's fresh in my mind, the in's and the out's of our tiny living journey - before it comes to an end, and diminishes into a distant memory. 

This home we’re building, has always been our ultimate. If you happen to know Beau and I personally, you’ll know that we’ve hustled so damn hard both on our own careers, and on our sideline gigs to reach this point we’re at right now.  We’ve traded hundreds of nights in front of the TV for computer or shed hangs to make things happen, without sacrificing time with our boys. 

We’ve always dreamed of coastal seaside views, land to run our boys, have chickens and go-carts. A shed for Beau to tend to his hobbies & man toys and for me to run my businesses from. But most of all we've dreamed of a home that will bring us pure joy for years to come. A haven for our kids to come with their friends, to hang in their own comfy spaces, and a place for Beau and i to entertain our friends and family. A home full of the smaller things in life that make us happy, like art and coffee. And most of all a collective space for us all to hang out together as a family, in front of the fire, roasting marshmallows, telling stories, eating and laughing. 

When we purchased our land, and decided that we would be building what would likely be a forever home, we realised that financially if we wanted to do it once and do it right (without a ginormous mortgage to lag), conventional wasn’t going to work for what we wanted to achieve. It was at this point we decided to switch it up a little - cue tiny-living with four kids in tow. 

In the space of 5 months we fully renovated an old tiny building which we salvaged from Beau's work (which ended up being a full rebuild). We then craned our tiny building to our newly purchased land where we planned to build our forever home, and here we have been for the last 2.5 years. There was so much emotion attached to this process - the renovation had a deadline of the date we took over our new land, baby Xander was just 1 month old at the time. It was no rest for the wicked. With 3 kids 3 and under, we both agree this was the most stressful project we ever took on. But it was eyes on the prize - this tiny building was the ticket to our dream home. 

We’re constantly being asked how we’ve done tiny living with 4 kids, and the truth is, you just adapt! We had a goal in sight, Beau and I have been 100% on the same page, and we had nothing to lose.  Just like with anything, there have certainly been pro’s and con’s with tiny living... con’s being sleep (or there lack of), bench space problems (don’t get me started ), the constant mess due to 6 people living in 64m2,  and of course the pro’s being that you can always see the 2 year old, you always know which child isn’t telling the truth because you can’t miss an argument that escalates right under your feet , apparently less to clean even though it feels like more  ... but then there’s also this closeness that comes with tiny-living, and I truely believe our kids have developed a tolerance of one and other that they perhaps otherwise wouldn’t have - and for that I am grateful. 

So here we are, finally gearing up to move into our new spacious home and in some ways I’m kinda freaking out about it  part of me feels like after having my babies so close to me for so long, they’ll feel a million miles away... in a way it sort of feels like a they’re a little security blanket that’s about to be taken off. I wonder how they will cope with the change (knowing full well how adaptable children are) - for our younger 3 boys, living in each others pockets has been all they have really ever known. So in amongst the excitement of it all, there is this little bit of sadness that our tiny living journey is coming to an end. 

It’s been a journey that we would never trade for the world. It’s been raw and challenging, yet fun, cosy and fulfilling all-in-one. Our tiny home has been filled with tonnes of laughter, tears, tantrums and fond memories that will last forever, and if there’s one thing we hope the boys will eventually reflect on and takeaway from this experience, its that, truely sometimes the long way around or unconventional way has the prettiest of views. 

I’m proud of how we’ve made it though the tougher seasons of tiny living - namely school holidays and winter time. How we were forced to become minimalists, but now it's our way of life, and 80% of our old household belongings will get donated - because ultimately we’ve realised that all you actually need to survive this season of parenthood is coffee. 

So that's my thoughts on paper for this week. 

I'll be back soon with a house build update! 

Lauren x