Millennial Couple Fell in Love in Bali and Built Tiny Houses for $30K

• Oliva Purba and Dirkjan Tijs needed to stay a less complicated and extra sustainable life in Bali, Indonesia.
• So, they swapped their three-bedroom villa close to Canggu for tiny dwelling in Ubud.
• As an alternative of 1 tiny home, the couple constructed two — for $30,000.

After two years of dwelling in a three-bedroom villa close to Bali’s fashionable Canggu vacationer district, Olivia Purba and her husband, Dirkjan Tijs, determined it was time to downsize.

Purba, initially from North Sumatra, moved south from Indonesia’s northern province in 2017 to work for a non-governmental group in Bali as a partnerships officer, the place she labored intently with small farmers within the espresso, cacao, rice, cinnamon, and seaweed sectors.

Tijs, a software program engineer from the Netherlands, arrived in Bali in 2018 as a digital nomad. His unique plan was to remain on the island for a month — however then he met Purba and so they fell in love.

Though the couple traveled extensively, each for work and leisure, Bali at all times felt like dwelling.

The villa was their first home collectively. The house had a non-public pool and far more house than they wanted.

“We thought that perhaps our pals or household might come over. We additionally ended up renting out the additional rooms to our pals,” Purba, 36, now a sustainability advisor who additionally runs a journey enterprise together with her husband, informed Enterprise Insider.

However over time, they realized that they needed extra privateness.

With out children, it did not make sense for them to stay in such an enormous home both. Furthermore, their neighborhood was getting crowded, and all these elements obtained them fascinated by a transfer.

“We thought, ‘Let’s go to Ubud as a result of it is much less crowded than Canggu and Pererenan, and construct one thing that is easy, sustainable, and simply sufficient for the 2 of us,'” she stated.

Ubud is close to the middle of the Indonesian island and is thought for its rainforest and terraced rice paddies.

From tourist-central Canggu to the plush forests of Ubud

They had been drawn to tiny homes as a result of they favored the thought of dwelling minimally, however in addition they needed sufficient house to start out a permaculture farm the place they may develop their very own meals.

“I’ve a background in sustainability, so I at all times thought I wanted to stroll my speak, too,” Purba stated.

In February 2024, they discovered the proper plot of land in Ubud to construct on.

The property measured about 3,230 sq. toes and was located in a terrific location: It was surrounded by timber and rice fields, but shops and eating places had been lower than 10 minutes away.

And in contrast to in Canggu, the visitors there is not as unhealthy, Purba stated.

Whereas Purba is Indonesian — which suggests she will be able to purchase land in Bali — the couple selected to lease the plot for 25 years as a substitute. They paid 325 million Indonesian rupiah, or about $19,800 for it.

It is cheaper to lease the land as a substitute of shopping for it, Tijs, 36, informed BI.

“It additionally signifies that my identify will also be on the property as nicely, and the lease aligns with the time that it will most likely take for a picket home to remain good,” he stated.

There’s additionally an moral cause behind their determination, Purba stated: “A whole lot of land in Bali is being taken from the Balinese. This fashion, after 25 years, they will have their land again.”

As an alternative of constructing one tiny home, the couple opted for 2.

It felt economical to construct two on the identical plot of land since the price of transporting supplies, constructing sources, and instruments might be shared between each homes, Tijs stated.

The contractors had been additionally in a position to work on the homes nearly concurrently, he stated.

Though the couple had determined to not proceed sharing their home, they nonetheless needed house to host company.

“If we now have pals or household visiting, they will nonetheless stick with us on the identical land. In any other case, we will lease it out,” he stated.

Regardless of having no formal structure expertise, Purba sketched the designs she had in thoughts for each homes on paper. The couple then labored with native builders to deliver these concepts to life.

Save for some furnishings meeting, the remainder of the constructing work was accomplished by their contractors.

In early October, the primary tiny home — which can be the couple’s main residence — was accomplished.

It was an L-shaped picket construction impressed by a mixture of Japanese and Scandinavian design aesthetics.

A month later, the second tiny home, which featured a loft-style design, was accomplished.

Each tiny homes price 492.5 million Indonesian rupiah, or about $30,000, to construct.

One of many greatest challenges throughout development was transporting uncooked supplies to the positioning. There was just one tiny highway — simply over three toes extensive — that led to the plot.

“You’ll be able to solely entry it by bike. Even with a motorcycle, typically, in case your bike is large, you may have to cease to let individuals cross,” Purba stated.

The couple needed to lease a smaller plot of land close by to retailer their constructing supplies earlier than the builders they employed transported every thing to the positioning utilizing bikes and three-wheeled carts, she stated.

Dwelling authentically near nature

Purba and Tijs are a part of a rising development of people who find themselves occupied with dwelling tiny.

As housing prices proceed to rise globally, tiny homes supply a way more inexpensive different to conventional actual property.

Six individuals who stay in tiny homes beforehand informed BI it was a method for them to cut back their housing bills and be extra acutely aware in regards to the issues they purchase.

Likewise, being in a tiny home has enabled the couple to stay a extra easy life.

“Contemplating the scale of the place, it isn’t tremendous cluttered. We attempt to restrict our stuff,” Tijs stated.

They’ve at all times been occupied with minimalism, and dwelling in a tiny home has solely additional motivated them to do away with pointless issues and declutter.

“You understand that if there are issues you do not want, you should not simply maintain it,” Purba stated.

As of late, the couple has been tending to their permaculture backyard, the place they have been rising largely herbs, equivalent to lemongrass and parsley, in addition to fruit, like pineapples and bananas.

Though consuming out is kind of inexpensive in Bali, they’re hoping to develop extra of their very own meals.

“I even have fish in my fish pond, however let’s examine if I need to eat my fish,” Purba stated with fun.

Wanting again, Purba says their tiny home journey has been fulfilling as a result of she feels she’s in a position to stay extra authentically.

Being near nature has made an enormous distinction to her psychological well being. They even go to sleep to the sounds of nature at night time, just like the frogs croaking within the subject and the water flowing of their pond, she stated.

“Day-after-day I will go verify on my crops. I am form of like, earthing. My toes contact the earth, and it makes me really feel peaceable,” she added.

Do you have got a narrative to share about dwelling in tiny homes? Contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com.