Tiny Homes, One

Vocabulary

Video: Tiny Houses, One

Transcript

Anika Faulkner is a product designer and have built herself the house of her dreams.

Anika Faulkner: “I live in a tiny house. I used to build movie sets, which is quite different.

I left the firm industry and traveled for a while. Everything I needed was in my backpack.

A tiny house is a lot like that: everything you need fits into one room. There are lots of stuff to store stuff away. Everything is multi-functional.

 
She works for Stefan Diekmann. He started building tiny houses five years ago. And now he’s one of the biggest manufacturers in Germany. He builds forty a year, none of them larger than twenty-five square meters.

The starting price is forty-five thousand euros (€45,000) for a house like this. Some customers want to live in theirs full-time; others for holidays.

Either way, you can’t cram much stuff in here.

 
Stefan Diekmann, Tiny House Diekmann Founder: “Many people have come to appreciate minimalism, downsizing, lean living. We know that because we see lots of people here that think that way.

Living in a small space is one aspect of minimalism. More generally, it’s about reducing your CO2 footprint. So choosing to live in and heat twenty square meters rather than sixty, could be part of that.”

With housing in increasingly short supply, the market for tiny houses is growing.

Stefan Diekmann, Tiny House Diekmann Founder: “I think people have become more flexible nowadays. They are not so bound to staying in one place. That’s another reason for choosing a tiny house.

 
Diekman plans to open a tiny house hotel once the pandemic is over. The pint-sized units are ready to go. Each one is different.

Anika Faulkner doesn’t need to be convinced: she’s already a fan, and says her tiny house gives her everything she needs.

Questions

Door, Doorway. Anika is an office clerk at an insurance company. True of false? Has she had other jobs?

Room. Is she insular, parochial, provincial or cosmopolitan and broadminded? Is she part of the jet-set?

Living Room. Does Anika live in a three-bedroom apartment with housemates?

Kitchen. Stefan Diekmann is the CEO of a huge construction company that builds office and apartment buildings. Is this right or wrong?

Bedroom. Does he build mansions for rich clients? Are his customers materialistic, vain and flamboyant?

Bathroom. There is a growing demand for Diekmann’s tiny houses. Is this correct or incorrect? Do more people want (to own and live in) tiny homes? Do all of his customers plan to settle in one place forever?

Window, Curtains. Do the tiny homes provide all the basic comforts of a normal, family home?
 
 
 
Floor, Ceiling. Is housing in your town, city, region or country cheap, medium-priced or expensive? Are rents and houses in your town, city, region or country cheap, medium-priced or expensive?

Walls. Do many (young) people struggle with work and living expenses? Do many people have problems work, money and living expenses?

Carpet, Rug. Some people live in mini-homes or tiny homes. Yes or no? Would you like to live or own a tiny home?

Lights, Lamp. Where would your and your friends like to live? What kind of accommodation would you like to live in?

Hallway. What might happen in the future?

Stairs, Stairwell. What could or should people, companies and governments do?