Filipino-Malaysian family of 5 finds new meaning living in a 300sq ft house

The La Hilir Tiny House is a 300sq ft (28sq m) modern home tucked in the hills in Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan. Photos: La Hilir Tiny House

Hardly two years ago, Allan Casal, his wife Irena Adam, and their three kids led a typical urban lifestyle, spending much of their free time at malls.

Today, they wake up to cool air in a quiet, green environment, and can walk the length of their house in fewer than 15 steps!

Tucked away in a hill in Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan, is their new abode, all 10’ x 30’ (28sq m) of it. Named La Hilir Tiny House, the home is part of their dream to live mindfully and minimally.

Casal, 43, was formerly head of operations in the editorial and creative departments of a lifestyle magazine while Irena, 42, was a freelance makeup artist. The family lived in a 1,000sq ft (93sq m) condominium in Petaling Jaya.

However, they came to the conclusion that they were not happy with their lives.

Casal (right) and his wife Irena decided to leave city life and live in a tiny home in a small town after finding themselves caught up in the rat race.

“We led a modest and normal life but found ourselves in a vicious cycle, caught up in the rat race. We worked hard so we’d have money to spend to destress. We’d go back to work thinking that everything was OK, only to end up being even more stressed.

“One day, we realised this is not it and we wanted more out of life. We wanted to own and take control of our lives as much as we could.

“The first step we took was to downsize, and the rest naturally came with it,” shared Casal in an email interview.

They found a piece of land to build a tiny house in Kuala Pilah, a district in the centre of the south-western state. After around eight weeks of construction, their new home was completed in February last year.

The family moved in right before the start of the first national lockdown in March.

Unsurprisingly, it was a big adjustment for the couple as well as their children.

Lush greenery and fresh air surround the La Hilir Tiny House.

“Knowing that we don’t have much storage was a struggle for us. Even now, we are still learning to live mindfully.

“Every time we need to bring something in, something else needs to go out. We’re constantly editing our belongings and we think it’s a good example for the children to learn how to declutter,” said Casal, who is originally from the Philippines.

The timing of their move also helped the kids adjust to their new lifestyle.

“At first they weren’t comfortable with the idea, but we promised to get Internet so they could keep in touch with their friends. Eventually they got the hang of it. Plus with the lockdown, the only way to get in touch with friends was via online,” said Casal.

Since then, the new living environment has grown on the children.

“They really love the house; they like the outdoors and because we were here during the lockdown, they loved the idea that they had ‘somewhere’ to go around the compound. The fact that we live away from malls gets them pretty excited about going to the city, which has now become a privilege for all of us,” added Casal.

The many windows and their placements promote natural ventilation and help keep the house cool.

“To us, tiny living is the embodiment of our yearning to minimise or downsize our lifestyle and teach ourselves and the children that leading a happy and meaningful life is also achievable with fewer material possessions.”

Casal explained that the concept of La Hilir Tiny House – named after the downstream located at the foot of the site – is “Modern Kampung Living”.

“A lot of people who found out about us assumed that we are living in isolation in a dense jungle and living dangerously. But that’s far from the truth.

“Our home is just next to my parents-in-law’s place and we are surrounded by neighbours, a community, a kampung. We like to call it ‘modern’ mainly because of the lifestyle and design choices we’ve made, especially with our modern barnhouse-inspired theme.

“There’s no shortage of amenities and privileges we would enjoy if we lived in a normal house despite being in nature and in a 300sq ft house,” said Casal, who shares photos and videos of their home on Instagram.

The interior style of La Hilir Tiny House can be loosely described as “modern, bohemian chic”.

Designing a new way of life

To create enough space for everyone without getting on each other’s nerves, a lot of thought was put into the floor plan.

“We love the layout the most. Would you believe that you can fit two adults, a teenager and two other kids in a 10’ by 30’ house? That’s what we did here.

“When we designed the house, we got the kids involved in the process. Our daughter needs privacy so she has her own room.

“We also need the same so we have one too while the boys share the loft area.

“Even with the size of our house, we never feel trapped or cramped in it. We have multiple spaces everyone can enjoy in and out of the house,” said Casal, who also set up an outdoor theatre next to their home.

In addition, La Hilir was built with sustainability and energy efficiency in mind.

The La Hilir Tiny House also features an outdoor theatre.

“The first thing you will notice when you come into the house is there are windows everywhere. If two people stood on both ends of the house, they could wave at each other through the windows.

“The placement of the windows and natural ventilation help us conserve energy. Our wall cladding and roofing are also energy-

efficient. The paint technology also repels heat efficiently so the house feels cooler even when it’s scorching hot outside.

“Our air-conditioner is carefully placed at a location where our main ceiling fan can pull the cold air down to the main area and circulate it to other parts of the home. This simple design consideration helps cool down our house tremendously,” he explained.

As for the interiors, Casal said it can be described more or less as “modern, bohemian chic”.

“We followed a strict colour scheme and carefully chose materials that go well together with our existing fixtures. Eventually, we would love to have the opportunity to redesign and go for rustic elegance,” he said.

In addition to their living space, the couple has also designed a miniature resort in the form of a glamping site for other people to enjoy the serene surroundings. Due to the pandemic, they are only receiving single bookings at the moment, with a maximum capacity of eight persons.

The Luxe Camp can accommodate a maximum of eight persons at present.

As for La Hilir itself, Casal and his wife have many ideas in the pipeline.

“We’re very excited about the future of La Hilir Tiny House.

“We plan to have self-sustainable projects like planting our own veggies, harvesting rain water and composting.

“For our Luxe Camp, we also plan to have an outdoor kitchen that will be available to our guests and a new encl-osed outdoor dining area, plus a permanent covered outdoor cinema and, God willing, even an organic swimming pool!”

Suffice to say, they are living the life they set out to find at La Hilir.

“Our lives are very different now. We wouldn't have known what's ahead of us if we didn't take the leap. I can’t think of anything more exciting or adventurous!” quipped Casal.

“It gave us the opportunity to do what we like and love, in our own time and on our own terms, using our talents and abilities.

“There’s problem-solving everywhere, we get to be creative all the time, meet new and interesting people, and at the same time, we are making a living.

“Our place has become that space where we can grow and learn together as a family, and that is priceless to us,” he said.

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The replica of Thoreau’s cabin at Walden Pond. Photo: Britannica/Wikimedia Commons

History of a 'small' movement

Many people think the tiny house notion is more of a 21st century phenomenon but early proponents can be traced as far back as the 1800s.

In 1854, American naturalist, poet and philosopher Henry David Thoreau published a book entitled Walden, which chronicles his experience living in a 150sq ft (14sq m) cabin he built near Walden Pond in Massachusetts, the United States. Staying there for two years, he wanted a taste of living a simple life amidst natural surroundings.

Fast-forward to the 20th century, and the modern, tiny house movement gathered momentum in the 1970s, thanks to artists like American Allan Wexler, who started a conversation on choosing to live within compact spaces.

In 1987, Lester Walker published the book Tiny Houses: Or How to Get Away From It All, which showcased projects like a 192sq ft (18sq m) prefabricated house and a 56sq ft (5sq m) shelter built on top of a raft.

American entrepreneur Jay Shafer is often credited for further propelling the tiny house movement – which involves living in homes between 100sq ft (9.3sq m) and 400sq ft (37.2sq m) in size while embracing a living-with-less and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

In 1999, Shafer published an article about the benefits of living a simple life. That same year, he started America’s first company that sells mobile tiny houses.

When the Great Recession hit the world from 2007 to 2009, the small-house movement garnered more attention for its affordability and eco-friendly features.

Since then, various books, and TV shows like Tiny House, Big Living and Tiny House Nation, have surfaced, discussing the various aspects of living a downsized lifestyle.

According to insider.com, in 2020, tiny houses saw an increase in sales due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Global market research company Research and Markets forecast the global tiny homes market to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 6.99% during the period 2018-2022.