British Columbia·Photos

Lukow family's 350 sq. ft. 'tiny house' needs place to call home in Victoria

Jocelyn Lukow is looking for a place to put her family's tiny home on wheels - complete with toddler's bedroom, a full kitchen and a loft master bedroom.

Couch can be converted into queen-sized bed for guests, dining table folds away to make room for yoga

The Lukow family in Victoria is looking for a place to put their 350 square foot tiny home, complete with toddler's bedroom, a full kitchen and a loft master bedroom.

Jocelyn Lukow and her husband decided to build the open-concept, tiny home on wheels for themselves and their two-year-old daughter a year ago.

"It was quite overwhelming in the beginning, to be honest," said Lukow. "When we decided to do the tiny house we really realized how much we didn't know."

She said the budding tiny house community has been a great support system, offering tips on how to make the most of their limited space - and build a tiny home with 13 foot ceilings.

"Everything needs to be easily changed into something else," said Lukow.

The couch can be converted into a queen-sized bed for guests, the dining table can be folded away to make room for a yoga space, and there is storage built into the floor.

'Live small...be happy with less'

Their dream of living in a tiny home started years ago, when Jocelyn and her husband sat down and realized they had $90,000 in student loan and consumer debt.

By living modestly and below their means, they were able to pay it off in 20 months.

"It was the best experience for me personally to just learn to live small, to be happy with less," said Lukow. "And I never wanted to feel that pressure of debt again."

Lukow said the most challenging experience for her so far was getting rid of 90 per cent of their belongings over a two-month period — books, furniture, sports equipment and "things that weren't absolutely necessary or that we didn't cherish."

'Somewhere beautiful and close to nature'

Lukow says the family will be completely mortgage and debt-free when they move in and they're hoping to find somewhere within cycling distance to where the couple works downtown.

"It's maybe a long shot but...we love being outdoors so it would be fantastic if we could find a space on an acreage or a small hobby farm."

"Somewhere beautiful and close to nature would be our dream."

To listen to the full interview, click on the audio labelled: Victoria family searches for place for their 350 sq ft home