Marie Beringer accomplished what many of us would never dream of. She built her dream tiny house using her own two hands! She knew nothing of building, but in 2018, stumbled upon a YouTube video of a guy building his own tiny house. It sparked an interest in DIY building and opened her eyes to tiny living.
Fast-forward a few years and Marie has been happily living in said tiny house for the last 3 years. Based in the Auckland region, her tiny house is completely off-grid. She describes the experience of tiny living as fantastic. Marie has customised her tiny home with all sorts of reclaimed materials such as Rimu floors, and a feature wall made of pallet wood. Another striking feature is the round window - no easy feat for a beginner builder!
Marie is far from a beginner any more. The process of building her tiny house inspired her to pursue a carpentry apprenticeship, which led her to a career as a carpenter. Marie was fortunate enough to meet two other women who were interested in woodworking, and together they helped and supported each other in their career change.
Marie's tiny house is five meters long by 3m wide - comfortable dimensions for transport on the road. The design of the house was intended to blend in with the landscape. Marie's on a mission to become self-sufficient, and has set up many interesting systems around her tiny house to achieve this goal. She recycles water from her shower and sink using a filtering system and uses it in her garden. With 'trial and error' as a core value, Marie constantly seeks ways to enhance her self-sufficiency. Solar power was no-brainer for her: with a bank of batteries stored under her bed, and a hybrid inverter, she can generate enough electricity to use a portable induction cooker when the sun's out.
Her interest in tiny homes and passion for teaching have sparked an idea to develop educational resources for aspiring tiny home builders. The goal is to prevent others from repeating the errors she made along the way. We think that's a fabulous idea and can't wait to see what's next for Marie in the future!
