- Oliva Purba and Dirkjan Tijs wanted to live a simpler and more sustainable life in Bali, Indonesia.
- So, they swapped their three-bedroom villa near Canggu for tiny living in Ubud.
- Instead of one tiny house, the couple built two — for $30,000.
After two years of living in a three-bedroom villa near Bali’s popular Canggu tourist district, Olivia Purba and her husband, Dirkjan Tijs, decided it was time to downsize.
Purba, originally from North Sumatra, moved south from Indonesia’s northern province in 2017 to work for a non-governmental organization in Bali as a partnerships officer, where she worked closely with small farmers in the coffee, cacao, rice, cinnamon, and seaweed sectors.
Tijs, a software engineer from the Netherlands, arrived in Bali in 2018 as a digital nomad. His original plan was to stay on the island for a month — but then he met Purba and they fell in love.
Although the couple traveled extensively, both for work and leisure, Bali always felt like home.
The villa was their first house together. The home had a private pool and much more space than they needed.
“We thought that maybe our friends or family could come over. We also ended up renting out the extra rooms to our friends,” Purba, 36, now a sustainability consultant who also runs a travel business with her husband, told Business Insider.
But over time, they realized that they wanted more privacy.
Without kids, it didn’t make sense for them to live in such a big house either. Moreover, their neighborhood was getting crowded, and all those factors got them thinking about a move.
“We thought, ‘Let’s go to Ubud because it’s less crowded than Canggu and Pererenan, and build something that’s simple, sustainable, and just enough for the two of us,'” she said.
Ubud is near the center of the Indonesian island and is known for its rainforest and terraced rice paddies.
From tourist-central Canggu to the lush forests of Ubud
They were drawn to tiny houses because they liked the idea of living minimally, but they also wanted enough space to start a permaculture farm where they could grow their own food.
“I have a background in sustainability, so I always thought I needed to walk my talk, too,” Purba said.
In February 2024, they found the perfect plot of land in Ubud to build on.
The property measured about 3,230 square feet and was situated in a great location: It was surrounded by trees and rice fields, yet stores and restaurants were less than 10 minutes away.
And unlike in Canggu, the traffic there isn’t as bad, Purba said.
While Purba is Indonesian — which means she can buy land in Bali — the couple chose to lease the plot for 25 years instead. They paid 325 million Indonesian rupiah, or about $19,800 for it.
It’s cheaper to lease the land instead of buying it, Tijs, 36, told BI.
“It also means that my name can also be on the property as well, and the lease aligns with the time that it’ll probably take for a wooden house to stay good,” he said.
There’s also an ethical reason behind their decision, Purba said: “A lot of land in Bali is being taken from the Balinese. This way, after 25 years, they can have their land back.”
Instead of building one tiny house, the couple opted for two.
It felt economical to build two on the same plot of land since the cost of transporting materials, building resources, and tools could be shared between both houses, Tijs said.
The contractors were also able to work on the houses almost simultaneously, he said.
Although the couple had decided not to continue sharing their house, they still wanted space to host guests.
“If we have friends or family visiting, they can still stay with us on the same land. Otherwise, we can rent it out,” he said.
Despite having no formal architecture experience, Purba sketched the designs she had in mind for both houses on paper. The couple then worked with local builders to bring those ideas to life.
Save for some furniture assembly, the rest of the building work was done by their contractors.
In early October, the first tiny house — which is also the couple’s primary residence — was completed.
It was an L-shaped wooden structure inspired by a combination of Japanese and Scandinavian design aesthetics.
A month later, the second tiny house, which featured a loft-style design, was done.
Both tiny houses cost 492.5 million Indonesian rupiah, or about $30,000, to build.
One of the biggest challenges during construction was transporting raw materials to the site. There was only one tiny road — just over three feet wide — that led to the plot.
“You can only access it by bike. Even with a bike, sometimes, if your bike is big, you’ll need to stop to let people pass,” Purba said.
The couple had to rent a smaller plot of land nearby to store their building materials before the builders they hired transported everything to the site using bikes and three-wheeled carts, she said.
Living authentically close to nature
Purba and Tijs are part of a growing trend of people who are interested in living tiny.
As housing costs continue to rise globally, tiny houses offer a much more affordable alternative to traditional real estate.
Six people who live in tiny houses previously told BI it was a way for them to reduce their housing expenses and be more conscious about the things they buy.
Likewise, being in a tiny house has enabled the couple to live a more simple life.
“Considering the size of the place, it’s not super cluttered. We try to limit our stuff,” Tijs said.
They’ve always been interested in minimalism, and living in a tiny house has only further motivated them to get rid of unnecessary things and declutter.
“You realize that if there are things you don’t need, you shouldn’t just keep it,” Purba said.
These days, the couple has been tending to their permaculture garden, where they’ve been growing mostly herbs, such as lemongrass and parsley, as well as fruit, like pineapples and bananas.
Although eating out is quite affordable in Bali, they are hoping to grow more of their own food.
“I also have fish in my fish pond, but let’s see if I want to eat my fish,” Purba said with a laugh.
Looking back, Purba says their tiny house journey has been fulfilling because she feels she’s able to live more authentically.
Being close to nature has made a huge difference to her mental health. They even fall asleep to the sounds of nature at night, like the frogs croaking in the field and the water flowing in their pond, she said.
“Every day I’ll go check on my plants. I’m kind of like, earthing. My feet touch the earth, and it makes me feel peaceful,” she added.
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