A Tiny on the Farm

I’m Annette and my passion is saving things from landfill. I grew up surrounded by fixers and creators: my dad’s shed is actually a three-car garage filled with tools and spare parts for just about anything; and my mum’s sewing room is bursting with fabric, yarn, buttons and zips. In my professional capacity I work on waste avoidance projects, with councils, businesses and charities. At the moment, I’m developing a mobile phone repair and reuse program. Scavenging items from demolition sites and restoring and upcycling furniture is how I spend my spare time.

I first met James when he was building ‘The Tiny’ outside The Bower in 2014. I was enthralled and loved watching the project take shape. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to spend time with James when he’s been in Sydney running Tiny House Building Courses. When I floated the idea of running the course on my brother’s farm, James could barely hide his excitement. I’m in my element, gathering materials (like these pictured above) from houses that are being demolished. My garage no longer houses my car!

My brother Dave and his wife Jill, live on a farm 30 minutes west of Orange, in the NSW Central West. There’s a handful of cows, a small flock of sheep, two dogs, three kids and a cat. They’re generously providing the use of their property to host the 2019 Tiny House Building Course ‘on the farm’. It’s going to be a fun week of hands-on building and learning. I can’t wait!