The two millennial couple fell in love in Bali and building small houses for 30 thousand dollars
- Oliva Borba and Derkan Tijs wanted to live a simpler and more sustainable life in Bali, Indonesia.
- So, they exchanged a three -bedroom villa near Canggu to live a little in UBud.
- Instead of one small house, the couple built two – for $ 30,000.
After two years of living in a three -bedroom villa near the famous Canggu tourist area in Bali, Olivia Burba and her husband, Derkan Tigs, decided that it was time to reduce its size.
Borba was originally moved from northern Sumatra, south of the Northern Indonesian province in 2017 to work in a non -governmental organization in Bali as a partnership officer, where she worked closely with small farmers in coffee, cocoa, rice, cinnamon, and sea sector.
Tijs, a software engineer from the Netherlands, arrived in Bali in 2018 as a digital Bedouin. His original plan was to stay on the island for a month – but then he met Borba and fell in love.
Although the couple traveled widely, both for work and entertainment, Bali always felt at home.
Olivia met Borba and Derkan Tigs and fell in love in Bali, Indonesia.
the Villa was her first house together. The home had a private pool and a much more space than they needed.
“We thought that our friends or family may have come. We also ended up renting the additional rooms for our friends.” Travel With her husband, she told Business Insider.
But over time, they realized that they wanted more privacy.
The couple decided to leave the Canggu and move to UBud, where they could live in a small house.
Without children, it was not logical to them to live in such a big house as well. Moreover, their neighborhood was crowded, and all these factors made them think about a step.
She said, “We have thought, let’s go to UBud because it is less crowded than Canggu and Pearlan, and we build something simple and sustainable, which is enough for the two.”
UBud is located near the center of the Indonesian island and is famous for its rainy field and rice rice.
From Canggu Tourism to Luft Forests in UBud
It was attracted to small homes because they loved the idea of living to a minimum, but they also wanted enough space to start a resolution planting farm where they could grow their food.
They also wanted to get space to start their permanent cultivation.
“I have a background in sustainability, so I always thought I needed to walk with my talk too,” said Borba.
In February 2024, they found the perfect plot of the Earth in Obod to build on it.
The real estate measurement is about 3230 square feet and was located in a great location: it was surrounded by rice trees and fields, yet stores and restaurants were less than 10 minutes away.
Unlike Kango, traffic there is not bad, as Borba said.
They worked with contractors to bring Borba designs to life.
While the Indonesian Borba – which means that it can buy the ground in Bali – the couple chose to rent the plot for 25 years instead. They paid 325 million Indonesian rupees, or about 19800 dollars.
Tijs, 36, told BI, he is cheaper for renting the land rather than buying it.
Although the Indonesian Borba, therefore, are able to own land in Bali, they decided to rent their plot instead.
“This also means that my name can also be on property, and the lease contract is in line with the time that a wooden house will take to stay well,” he said.
There is also an ethical reason behind their decision. Borba said: “Many lands are taken in Bali from Bali. In this way, after 25 years, they can restore their land.”
The couple decided to build two small houses on a plot.
Instead of building one small house, the couple chose two.
Tijs said that it was an economist to build two on the same land plot because the cost of transporting materials, construction resources, and tools can be shared between both chambers.
He said that the contractors were able to work in homes almost simultaneously.
Although the couple decided not to continue to share their home, they still want a space to host the guests.
“If we have friends or family visiting, they can still stay with us on the same land. Otherwise, we can rent them,” he said.
Porta put designs for both small homes.
Although there was no experience in official architecture, Bourba painted the designs she was thinking about both councils on paper. Then the couple worked with local builders to bring these ideas to life.
With the exception of some furniture assembly, the rest of the construction work was carried out by their contractors.
In early October, the first small house – which is also the basic residence of the couple – was also completed.
It was a L -shaped wooden structure inspired by a group of Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics.
They live in one of the small houses. The other small house is sometimes rented, or used to house family and friends when they come to visit.
A month later, the second small house, which appeared in the upper role design.
Both small houses cost 492.5 million Indonesian rupees, or about 30,000 dollars, for construction.
Small houses have been completed within a month from each other.
One of the biggest challenges during construction was the transfer of raw materials to the site. There was only one small road – just over three feet – led to the plot.
“You can only reach it with a bike. Even with a bike, sometimes, if your bike is large, you will need to stop to allow people to pass.”
She said that the couple should rent a smaller conspiracy than nearby lands to store their building materials before they set everything to the site using bicycles and three wheels.
It was difficult to transfer raw materials to the site.
Living near nature
Purba and Tijs are part of the increasing trend of people interested in small living.
As housing costs continue to increase in the world, small homes offer a more expensive alternative to traditional real estate.
I told six people living in small houses in the past BI that it was a way for them Reducing their housing expenses Be more aware of the things they buy.
Living Tiny allowed the couple to completely adopt her.
Likewise, there was a more simplicity of the spouses in a small house.
“Given the size of the place, it is not the same. We are trying to reduce our purposes,” Tigs said.
They were always interested in simplicity, and living in a small house not only motivated them to get rid of unnecessary things and stage.
“You realize that if there are things you do not need, you should only keep them,” said Borba.
They are trying to grow their food.
These days, the couple tended to the permanent garden of agriculture, where they were mostly growing herbs, such as lemon and parsley, as well as fruit, such as pineapple and bananas.
Although eating abroad at affordable prices in Bali, they hope to grow more of their food.
“I also have a fish in the fish pond, but let’s see if I want to eat fish,” said Borba.
If we looked back, Borba says that her small home journey was fulfilled because she feels that she is able to live more authentic.
Being close to nature has caused a big difference in its mental health. She said that she even falls on the sounds of nature at night, like the frogs that wandered in the field and water that flows into their blessing.
“Every day I will go to check my plants. I like, like, my feet. I touch my feet, and make me feel smooth.”
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