Whangarei man building sustainable and affordable houses

Love Shack builder, craftsman, sales manager, director, project manager and general problem solver Marcel Syron at the Town Basin with his just completed third tiny house. Photo/Michael Cunningham

Builder Marcel Syron is on a mission.

The Whangarei man wants to provide an alternative to unsustainable and unaffordable housing.

He has just completed his third tiny house and is now busy looking for a buyer.

The 38-year-old initially had planned to keep the completed 18 sq m build as a showhome, but the need for capital to move forward meant he had to advertise it for sale on Trademe. "The sale price will be $95,000 incl GST," he said.

Mr Syron says the project took about 15 weeks to complete.

"There is more to it than you'd think, as tiny houses have all the components of a house but in a condensed space, layout must be carefully planned.

"Over time this [build] time will be reduced, but for now we're happy with the result," he said.

This tiny house comes complete with a solar power system, or can be plugged into mains power.

It rests on a custom built, heavy duty galvanised trailer, has a composting toilet, extraction hood, gas hot water and plenty of storage.

Mr Syron set up his business, Love Shack, in 2015 to do his bit for the tiny house movement in New Zealand after seeing the trend take off in Europe.

The small, transportable dwellings are custom-built and provide an alternative to unsustainable and unaffordable housing.

"I wanted to revitalise my building career and saw tiny house building as a great way to do that. I also see the tiny house movement as a great option to aid with the housing crisis and a better way of living," he said.

Marcel, a builder for 21 years, is passionate about the environment - another reason he took up the tiny house building.

The house is on display in Whangarei, visit www.love-shack.co.nz to view.