Tiny Home Alternatives in Australia: Yurts, Domes and More

If you want a tiny home but a tiny house on wheels doesn't quite fit your budget, your block or the way you live, the main alternatives are a yurt, a geodesic dome, a cabin or kit home, a shipping container conversion, a granny flat, or a caravan or bus conversion. A yurt or geo dome usually gets you the most open floor space and ceiling height for the money, and you can build it yourself in a few days once the platform is down. The catch with every option is the same: check with your local council before you buy.

We're Yurt in the Dirt, based in Denmark, WA. We sell yurts and geo domes, so we lean towards round buildings, but we'll still tell you where the other options make more sense.

Tiny home alternatives at a glance

For a straight head-to-head on cost, space and approvals, read our yurt vs tiny house comparison. This post looks at the wider field.

Why people look past the tiny house

Most people who call us started out looking at tiny houses. What changes their mind is usually one of three things.

Space. A tiny house on a trailer is limited by how wide it can legally go on the road. So you get a long, narrow room and a ladder up to a low sleeping loft. Some people love it. Others feel boxed in after a few months.

Cost and time. A built tiny house is a whole house in miniature: framing, cladding, plumbing and a builder's labour. If you'd rather put your money into land, a solar system or a good water tank, a kit you build yourself goes further.

The block. If you've got rural land and no plan to move, wheels aren't doing much for you.

Yurts: the most space for your money

A yurt is a round building with a lattice wall, rafters running up to a central ring, and an insulated cover over the top. The round shape spreads wind load evenly all the way around.

We sell two yurt ranges.

ORON is our premium yurt. It has a handmade timber frame that's 60% heavier than our lighter yurt, a hardwood door (seven styles to choose from) and a full-height opening window, a 900 GSM matte cover, 10mm wool felt insulation, a natural hemp-cotton liner in nine colours, and a 10mm acrylic dome skylight you can stand on.

A standard yurt on the market is usually a lighter build, with a bamboo or softwood lattice, light rafters, a single felt layer and a polycarbonate skylight.

Here's what each ORON size gives you, from the live ORON page:

Why does a yurt work as a tiny home? Height. An 8m ORON has 50 sqm of floor, which is a lot for a tiny home, but the 3.9m dome is what you notice. You look up and there's timber and sky.

The trade-off is the curved wall. Kitchen cabinets and long bookcases need some planning, and it's worth marking the circle out on the ground with a stake and rope before you pick a size.

Geo Domes: a modern tiny home

A geodesic dome is a frame of triangles, here in hot-dip galvanised steel, with a 900 GSM cover over it. Our Geo Domes come with an insulated canvas lining backed by a double layer of aluminium air-cell insulation, a double glazed front door, two opening porthole windows with insect screens, and a solar vent fan that pulls hot air out without any power. About a third of the dome is a clear panoramic section, which is removable so you can replace just that piece down the track.

A double glazed glass front is available as a paid option, priced on quotation.

As a tiny home, a dome suits someone who likes a modern look and an easy-clean interior. Domes are technically stronger than yurts in wind. A yurt's straighter walls are easier to fit furniture and a kitchen against, which is why we usually point people wanting a full-time home towards a yurt. For a guest stay or studio, it's a closer call.

The other options, honestly

We don't sell these, so we'll keep it short and stick to what we know.

Tiny house on wheels. Built like a conventional home, just smaller, and you can tow it. Worth it if you'll move more than once or twice. Get itemised quotes and ask what's included in the kitchen, bathroom, delivery and service connections.

Cabin or kit home. A conventional look on footings. Kit homes can save on labour, but you're still dealing with slab or footings, framing, roofing and usually several trades.

Shipping container. Strong and secure. Steel heats up and cools down fast, so insulation and ventilation need real thought, and you'll need a crane and truck to place it.

Granny flat. On a suburban block with an existing house, this can be the cleanest path, because councils often have clear rules for them. It's a full build, with the cost and timeframe that comes with that.

Caravan or bus conversion. Great if travel is the point. Less great as a permanent base, because the living space is small and the rules for living in one long term vary.

What a yurt or dome tiny home really costs

The kit price covers the frame, cover, insulation, windows, door, the hardware to put it together and shipping to your nearest major port. On top of that, budget for:

• The platform. A level, solid base the same diameter as the yurt or dome. Most DIY timber decks come in around $5,000 to $15,000.
• Delivery to site, or collect it from the port warehouse with a suitable trailer.
• Fit-out: kitchen, bathroom, power, water and furniture.

Most of our clients finish their whole yurt or dome setup somewhere between $20,000 and $80,000. Finance is available for eligible buyers, usually from around $500 a month.

Building it yourself

This is the part people worry about, and it's usually the part they enjoy most.

The platform comes first. It has to be level, solid and the same diameter as the yurt or dome, so the outer cover hangs over the edge and sheds water. If you want a deck around it, build the circle separate from that deck or raised above it. Our decking plans cover every size, and our yurt platform guide walks through the options. The platform is usually a 2 to 3 day job with basic carpentry skills.

Then the yurt or dome. Most first-time builders take 2 to 3 days with 2 to 4 people for the smaller sizes, and more hands for the bigger ones. The heaviest job is lifting the outer cover, so that's the day to call in extra friends. You'll want a drill or impact driver, a socket set, a spirit level, a caulking gun and a big A-frame ladder or scaffold. You get written and video instructions, plus phone support from us.

Approvals: check before you buy

Every option on this list, tiny houses included, depends on your council, your state, how you'll use it and what's already on the property. The same structure can be treated quite differently one council to the next.

A few things to know:

• Our yurts and domes don't currently comply with Australian building standards for dwellings. You can live in a yurt in Australia, but that doesn't mean it will be approved as a permanent dwelling.
• Your platform or deck may need approval even if the structure doesn't.

Talk to your local council before you buy anything. Our posts on council approval for yurts and can you live in a yurt in Australia go into more detail.

Which tiny home alternative suits you?

• You want the most room for your money and you're happy to build: a yurt.
• You want a modern look, or it's mainly for guests: a geo dome.
• You'll move it regularly: a tiny house on wheels.
• You're on a suburban block and want a conventional second dwelling: a granny flat.
• You want to travel: a caravan or bus.

Talk to us

Have a look at the ORON and Geo Domes pages, grab our free Ultimate Buyer's Guide, or call us on +61 489 269 088. Tell us about your block and how you want to live, and we'll tell you straight what we think will work.