Couple shares inside look at lifestyle after leaving US to build tiny home and retire early: 'Dream house in a dream country'

When envisioning tiny home living, most people will picture a cramped space with a lofted bed and storage tucked away into small nooks and crannies. It might surprise you then to learn that a couple in New Zealand built the tiny home of their dreams without compromising on virtually anything.

Bryce Langston (@livingbig) travels the world looking for exceptional and unique tiny homes on their YouTube channel, Living Big In A Tiny House. In one May 2025 feature, Bryce takes followers on a tour of a gorgeous tiny home about an hour outside Auckland, New Zealand.

While it may not be your typical tiny home, their house is fully off-grid and only around 750 square feet. They purchased the house and custom-designed nearly every feature, from the small but mighty wood stove to the full-sized appliances.

All in, the house cost them around $270,000, and while that is not particularly cheap, they explained, "Our living expenses went from $50,000 a year to $3,000 a year."

Alongside their home, they have a massive solar array that powers their entire home and keeps their two electric cars charged. Their home is bright and sunny but also features two TVs, so they aren't compromising creature comforts for the eco-friendly lifestyle.

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Buying solar panels isn't an option for everyone — the installation costs can be high — but leasing them is a much more affordable alternative. Leasing a solar system helps homeowners avoid high energy prices while also reducing pollution output. Palmetto's LightReach solar panel leasing program will install panels for no money down and lets users lock in low energy rates.

Tiny homes are not a panacea, but they can dramatically reduce your pollution output. However, this style of living is not for the faint of heart, and you will likely have to work up to living off the grid and using a composting toilet. As you work toward your tiny home, make sure you practice recycling, composting, and gardening to work on some of the important off-grid skills.

The channel has more than four million followers, so it's no surprise that the video garnered a ton of comments.

"One of the best I've seen. Dream house in a dream country," wrote one envious person.

Would you want to live in a home made from recycled trash? Heck yeah 💯 Sure 👍 Depends on the material 🤔 No thanks 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Someone else extolled their addition of some elements of a more traditional home, saying, "The minute I saw they were Americans, I knew I could finally see a washer and dryer in a tiny house. At last!!"

Another commenter was happy to see these folks find a shortcut to retirement: "It's great to see folks being able to retire and just enjoy life."

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