Hot Picks: Tiny House Battle

Bolting perennial trends for home improvement and environmental consciousness together with a DIY competition, Tiny House Battle is a reality format that fits into an architectural and social movement that advocates for downsizing living spaces.

“Across all of Europe, that is a societal problem for people trying to find a house,” explains Pieter van Eekelen, co-owner and managing director of Tiny House Battle producer Fabiola.

“They are priced out of the market and are looking for alternative ways of living. Then there are older generations living in larger houses, whose family has maybe left home, and they are looking to downsize. Both groups also want to declutter material things from their lives, so the idea of a tiny home is really attractive.”

Originated by 3 Ball Media Group (3BMG) and Lost Arts Pictures in the US, the format was produced by Fabiola, 3BMG’s Dutch partner, for free-to-air commercial channel RTL 4 in The Netherlands, where it aired last year.

In the eco-friendly construction competition show, two teams of amateur builders compete to build a family their own tiny home in just seven days. Sticking to a budget of €25,000 (£22,000), the two DIY teams listen to what the buyers want, create a mood board for style and design, then build an entire house covering just 40-50 square metres.

At the end, the buyer selects their favourite home based on the style, creativity and resourcefulness of the builder. The winning team walk away with a cash prize and the realisation of the dream house for the buyers, while the losing house is auctioned off to viewers. Homes are built in a warehouse or studio and are able to be transported to the buyer’s location.

“Nothing is wasted,” says Van Eekelen. “Tiny houses have a very small carbon footprint. Some buyers are very environmentally conscious and instruct the builder to use second-hand or recycled materials, and specify solar panels, wind power and composting toilets.

“Others are looking for maintenance-friendly houses. Also, they own the building outright, so no one has a mortgage.”

Perhaps that explains why Fabiola had no problems finding prospective buyers who are required to put up the cash for the house up front.

“In casting, we explain they need to put down €25,000 [£22,000]. We thought that might be a challenge but we had 400-500 individuals and families wanting to participate. That shows how urgent and popular the whole phenomenon is.”

There are 2.5 million Instagram posts with a ‘tinyhouse’ hashtag and a growing number of TV projects covering the trend, such as Netflix’s Tiny House Nation and Channel 4’s George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces.

Tiny House Battle also captures a desire for minimalism as a counterpoint to conspicuous consumerism. “A big attraction of the show is the interior design,” Van Eekelen says. “Buyers list all sorts of wishes, such as bathrooms, offices, storage and beds, and it’s up to the ingenuity of the builder to come up with creative solutions.”

Paramount Global Content Distribution, which owns format rights, has also licensed the show to Belgian commercial network VTM.