A plot on the family farm with stunning marshland views was the ideal spot for Freddie Pack and Katie McNie to build their new tiny house – a cabin on wheels

WORDS AMY MAYNARD PHOTOS RICHARD GADSBY

“When we want to be mobile, all we need to do is fold up the decking, take off the acrows and detach the utility supplies”

It was while renting a cottage, and spending much of his hardearned cash for little return, that Freddie Pack decided he wanted to build his own home – seeing it as a much more cost-effective way of life for himself and girlfriend, Katie McNie. Luckily for the couple, finding a plot would prove to be reasonably straightforward. Freddie’s mother runs the family farm on Romney Marsh in Kent, providing the perfect backdrop for the project.

However, with only a small budget available, Freddie was going to have to get creative. “I have always had a passion for tiny structures,” he says. “My farming background gave me the idea of building a cabin on a trailer – it seemed like an interesting, yet achievable, thing to do.” It was after a chat with friend and architect Rob Pollard that Freddie became convinced he could make his dream a reality.

Moving forward

The couple moved in with Freddie’s mother and bought a secondhand flat-bed bale trailer from Yorkshire. “It was good value for money at £2,700 plus VAT and was a super-sturdy steel structure,” says Freddie. Rob then drew up designs and Freddie began calling on his building contacts to get things rolling.

It was smooth sailing when it came to securing planning. As Freddie works part time on the farm, alongside his project management role, there was a strong argument that the dwelling would be needed to serve a rural business. What’s more, the trailer is movable and well within the established volume limits for mobile homes – so in theory full planning permission wasn’t required.