I bought a shed for £6k and turned it into an off-grid tiny home – now I pay no rent and have zero bills
A MAN has revealed that he no longer pays any rent or bills, after transforming a shed into a tiny home.
Justin, and his wife Daniell bought their tiny shed for £6,000, far cheaper than the cost of a house.
The couple have been renovating the shed, which has a large double bed on one side, and a small kitchen on the other side, complete with a fridge, a sink, and and oven.
The tiny house is completely off grid and Justin and Daniell get their electricity from solar panels situated in their garden.
“Now I have no electric bill”, Justin said proudly, in a video posted to his YouTube channel @oklahomaoffgrid.
The solar panels cost around £1000, but now Justin will have free electricity for life.
Justin’s shed is in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma, so no water lines run through the area.
However, he has an enormous water tank which is connected to the house, and which collects rainwater.
“It collects water from my roof”, he said.
“So now I have no bills, water is free, electric is free, and my house is paid for.”
Justin has made his own toilet, and when he wants to go to the loo, he puts a plastic bag in the bottom and does his business in it.
Then he ties up the bag and puts it into his “burn barrel”.
“You burn your trash and your p***, and you don’t worry about it”, he said.
Justin’s video has likely left many people intrigued, as it has racked up over 4.9 million views on the video sharing platform.
TikTok users raced to the video’s comments section to share their thoughts.
Do I need planning permission to convert my shed?
CONVERTING an existing shed or outbuilding into a self-contained living space will usually require you apply for planning permission.
However, there is a “loophole” Brits can use to convert outbuildings into a tiny home without permission.
Planning expert Martin Gaine from Just Planning warned the conversion process is far easier than you may think.
Speaking to The Sun, the Chartered Town Planner of 14 years’ experience explained: “An outbuilding can be built using ‘permitted development rights‘, meaning it does not need planning permission.
“As long as you comply with the various restrictions and conditions.”
One of these is that the outbuilding can only be used for something ‘ancillary’ to your main living accommodation – examples include storage, a gym or a pool room.
If the outbuilding is existing, converting it then into primary living accommodation IS allowed.
Martin explained: “This is because internal changes to an existing building are not considered to be development at all under the Town and Country Planning Act.
But like anything, there is one catch.
The new living accommodation must still have some connection with your use of the main house.
For instance, if your gran is living out there, she must still come into the house to eat.
One person said: “No bills is the biggest flex possible. Actual freedom.”
A second person said: “Maybe 20 years ago people would be laughing, but I guarantee you this man is living the happiest, stress free life.”
A third person said: “I respect this, sometimes living simpler is better.”
A fourth person added: “I’m supposed to be jealous of rich folks in mansions but I’m sooo jealous of this guy instead. Love this.”
Living in a shed is a great way to save cash for a house, whilst still having your independence.
As the cost of living crisis continues to bite, more and more adults are struggling to get on the property ladder and are choosing to live in their family home for longer.
The 2021 census revealed that over half of people aged 23 and under still live with their parents.
The average price of a house in the UK was £285,000 as of March 2023, and this rises to a whopping £735,254, which is completely unaffordable for many.
Moreover, research from the Resolution Foundation found that the average first time buyer deposit tripled from 5 per cent of the property price in 1989 to 15 per cent in 2019.
This means that buyers have to save for far longer and use up a larger percentage of their earnings to get on the property ladder.
Recent research by property site Zoopla found that 42 per cent of adults under 40 who do not already own homes have given up, due to the astronomical cost of buying a property.
This included 38 per cent of people earning over £60,000 (almost double the average salary for the UK).
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