This remarkable young woman in New Zealand is living a life that many of us can only dream of. Ruby, a professional gardener, built herself a beautiful tiny home on the farm that’s been with the family (multi-generational).
The 28-year-old was born and raised here, so she has a deeply entrenched connection to the land. She wanted to be mortgage-free before 30, so Ruby kept her home small and simple. Thus, she built a tiny house and added separate structures for a shower, a laundry room, and a toilet.
Ruby is a Bethel descendant. Her grandfather was one of the first European settlers there back in the late 1800s.
Her grandparents bought the farm, which was originally 700 acres. They owned the lake and sand dunes but eventually had to sell part of the land because Ruby couldn’t keep it.
Ruby now has 350 sprawling acres of farmland, swampland, and waterfalls. In other words, she lives in a paradise!
“Every time I come home from work, I feel like I’m on holiday. It’s the best feeling ever,” she said.
Her ancestors and roots are all here in this place, so Ruby has no plans of leaving it. She values her family connection to the land, and she considers it part of who she is.
In this environment, Ruby has adventure right at her doorstep. Aside from tending to her garden, Ruby goes motorbike riding, surfs, and swims in the nearby lake.
Ruby’s home trailer was provided by her dad, who works in the film industry, acquiring different vehicles for films.
Ruby designed the interior and used mostly secondhand items and sourced from buy and sell platforms to save on costs. She also asked friends if they had any extra things she could use.
One way Ruby enjoys the spectacular views outside is by sitting in her outdoor bathtub.
“It’s nice to look out when you’re sitting in there above the swamp,” she said.
Once you enter the home, you’ll be amazed at the tremendous character that Ruby has built into the place. Her place has many interesting knick-knacks and interesting secondhand items scattered around.
Ruby’s ex-boyfriend, who used to be a builder, helped her put the 10m x 3.5m tiny house together. The tables and surfaces in her home are made from planks of wood from different types of trees from the farm.
She used resin and did lots of sanding and planing to transform the pieces into something that could be used.
The dining table is her grandparents’ table, which accommodated eight people, including their children.
Ruby went to chef school and used to be a baker, so having a decent-sized kitchen was very important to her as she spends a lot of time cooking. She also used a copper splashback to match the look of her kitchen.
Next to the kitchen is a cozy-looking fireplace with shift stone behind it, which Ruby herself installed.
The lounge area is a comfortable space with a beautiful coffee table and a nice-sized couch long enough to be slept on. This furniture always comes in handy, as Ruby has had lots of people stay the night.
Ruby also keeps a colony of bees on the property, which she got from a friend who owns a company that rescues bee swamps.
Ruby’s bedroom is a dreamy space, with the mosquito net above it giving it quite an idyllic look. Since there’s a swamp right below, she needs something to keep the mosquitoes out at night.
Her luxurious outdoor bathroom is separated from the main living area. It has storage space, stone floors, and beautiful tiling.
Her composting toilet, which is in another separate building, has a big tank underneath that needs to be emptied only every couple of years.
Ruby has been living in this home since 2017. In total, she spent around NZ$ 60,000 (US$ 42,061.20) building this place, with the installation of the trailer and shelf making up the majority of the cost (NZ$ 55,000).
Ruby wants to be able to live off the land completely and is working her way to being self-sufficient.
She dreams of having a community garden where she can grow food for other people on the farm. This is her way of giving back her time to others.
This woman is definitely living one of the best lives ever! Check out the video below to take a tour of her property.
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