Tiny Houses Around the Philippines: From Shipping Containers to a Revamped Bodega

Building your own home in the Philippines can be ridiculously costly. For one, we're running out of space, especially in the congestion that is Metro Manila. But if you're one of lucky the ones who have a few square meters of land, then you might want to consider living in a tiny house. Small doesn't have to mean bare though. If you plan it right, your tiny home can have everything you need for comfortable living.

READ: 7 Tiny Houses We Love

If you're looking to build a tiny home of your own, check out these inspiring small houses:

Tank House (City Camp Proper, Baguio City, Benguet)

Instead of building his kids a regular treehouse, Ronald "Tonton" Tan transformed their old and broken water tank (and its bodega) into a tiny home. They're calling it the Tank House for obvious reasons, and it's as functional as your standard house even with its floor area of 54 square meters.

The two-storey structure comes complete with a kitchen, a dining area, a toilet and bath, a bedroom, and even a receiving area. By combining function and design, it has more than enough storage for clothes and essentials through the built-in cabinets under the kitchen and below the sofa. Construction of the Tank House costs P200,000, which already includes electrical outlets, lighting, huge windows, and furniture.

Bec and Geri's Tiny House (Davao City)

Couple-slash-business-partners Victoria and Gerry Evangelista built their own tiny home out of two shipping containers they had lying around in their facility in Davao. From used 20- and 40-foot containers, they built a two-level house that has two bathrooms, two bedrooms, an outdoor kitchen, a tiny pool, and a balcony overlooking the wide patio.

La Casita Garcia (Batangas)

Instead of starting their new home in a subdivision in Lipa City, Julius and Smile Garcia chose to build a tiny house on a green patch of land in Padre Garcia, Batangas. Inspired by tiny-house tours on YouTube, they set to work in July 2020; and by January 2021, they were already able to move into their small home.

The two-storey house is made from concrete and wood with the bottom part having a floor area of 27 square meters while the upper part has 18 square meters. It has one bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, and two lofts.

READ: What You Need to Know About Small House Design

Container Home (Calamba, Laguna)

Like most people in the city, Mike Rivera wanted to live outside Metro Manila. He had lived in Makati before making the big move in Calamba, where he now has a two-storey structure with a 360-degree view of Makiling's verdant land. Built using three container units as the base, his tiny home has a living room, kitchen, dining room, and two bedrooms on the second floor.

Valeo Tiny House (Old Balara, Quezon City)

Homeowner Feliz Lucas transformed an old storage room in their lot into a fully functional tiny house with a roof deck after drawing inspiration from the reality show Tiny House Nation. They also minimized costs by using what they already have, such as a used sliding door and old furniture. Most of their expenses went to labor, which is at P200,000, and the purchase of tiles. The Valeo Tiny House, which has a floor area of 18 square meters, is available for rent at P6,000 per night.

READ: An Old Bodega Transformed into a Tiny House with Roof Deck

Container House (Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental)

For P800,000, Florida and Keziah Madula built a container house in their lot in Misamis Occidental. The two-storey home follows a white-and-wood motif, which is obvious in the long table in the dining room and countertop in the kitchen. It's made from three 20-foot shipping containers, producing 55 square meters of living space.

The best spot in the house is the patio, where the family hangs out. There's even a hammock hung on a tree where Keziah's grandfather loves spending the afternoon.

Kubo ni Mamay Bino (Laiya, Batangas)

Homeowner Alvin Mamalayan jumped on the tiny-house bandwagon by building his retirement home in Laiya, Batangas. According to him, downsizing to a smaller house can be beneficial since maintenance is minimal, utility bills are lower, and repairs are fewer. He now enjoys simple living in his 7 x 7 meters home built in a 600-square-meter lot in Batangas.

Do you also have tiny home we can feature? Send us a message with photos on Facebook: Real Living PH and we might feature you next!

This story originally appeared on Spot.ph.

* Minor edits have been made by the Realliving.com.ph editors.