The tiny house movement has been trending for years now, with homes less than 93 square metres popping up around Australia. The focus has turned to creating beautiful living quarters in a micro space, with motivations varying from saving money to minimising ecological impact.

For Giralang resident Jessica Conway, a tiny home was a solution to a very millennial problem.

"It all came together and made sense. Not having enough cash for a house deposit, and not wanting to enter into a scary financial obligation of a mortgage, it was an option I could afford and it was in a good location for Canberra," Ms Conway said from inside her 4.8 metre by 2.4 metre home.

International housing affordability group Demographia has listed Australia as the third least affordable housing market in the world. In a 2016 report by CommSec and ABS, new Australian houses were also found to be among the largest in the world. These larger homes are more expensive to build, and in the long run equal higher utility bills.

First gaining traction in the US, the tiny house movement has been put forward as a solution to Australia's housing affordability issues.

In Australia there's no specific census category for tiny houses, or even a granny flats, so it's difficult to gauge the growing popularity of the tiny house movement. Tiny house dwellers could fall under either broad census category of cabins, caravans or flats.

However the online appetite for tiny houses in Australia is palpable, with the Tiny Houses Australia Facebook page gaining 52,000 followers since emerging in 2013.

Having moved back to Canberra from Sydney a year ago, Ms Conway was looking for a new home for herself and her two "fur children".

Living with her dad in his Giralang house was an option, but being in a long-term relationship - and also "nearing 30" - meant she wanted something different.

Like many great ideas, Jess's tiny house dream began with a "boozy night out with friends". The topic of tiny homes came up, and a friend mentioned a builder in Ulladulla, Designer Eco Tiny Homes.

Custom designing a tiny home would have been an eight-month wait at the time, and the home already had several unique features she was looking for: the finishing of the couch, the pressed metal walls, the stain of the wood.

One year on, Jess and her partner live in the tiny home stationed in her dad's backyard.

"As a living option, I never thought this would be for me. Living close to Dad is really nice, but I like that I'm not fully living with him," she says.

The tiny house cost Jess $50,000 and came with a loft bedroom, kitchen, shower, toilet, dining table and seating area.

While tiny houses aren't suited to every living situation, the low-cost nature means it could be one solution to the housing affordability problem.

Having a large backyard as well as car access has made for an ideal tiny home situation, but others looking to make the change might not find it so easy.

"Potential owners need to think about whether overhanging trees would be a problem, whether the height of the house right for you, can the tiny house actually be driven into the yard or will it have to be craned in.

"There are definitely things to factor in, when looking to go tiny, but if it works it works really well."

Before you shed your bulky belongings and enter into tiny-home ownership, there's a bit more to learn about living in a micro space.

The savings on bills

Being a small area, the home is cooled and heated efficiently. There's a ceiling fan in the living area and a sunroof to release the hot air, plus an oil heater that warms the whole space.

According to Jess, this all adds up.

"We save a huge amount on bills, living in dad's yard. Initially, we said: 'Let's do a comparison of your water and power usage before and after we arrived, and we'll pay the difference.'

"And there wasn't any difference! Which was bizarre. The tiny home uses so little of everything and all of the lights are solar-panelled, and so electricity is only used on things like the TV and the microwave."

Round objects are the enemy

Thinking about how household items tessellate seems to be unique to tiny home owners.

"I have a newfound hatred of round objects. Round pieces are something you can afford when you've got space, but when you're living somewhere tiny you need everything to be square so they can fit neatly together," she says.

"I'm still on the hunt for a square kettle."

So for all those currently living in a regular-sized house, grab your ornamental moon sculpture, your thousands of soccer balls, and damn well appreciate those little round luxuries.

Canberra's four distinct seasons

While Jess seems to be the happiest tiny house dweller, she admits one aspect can be a challenge: keeping her wardrobe to a minimum.

"It being Canberra, you really get all four seasons. Winter is challenging. It's a lot of cycling through of what you have and thinking differently about what you wear.

"If something goes through the wash, I'll put it aside and wear something different for a while. And rotate it through that way."

Creative storage solutions

As such, she's grateful for her dad's house being nearby. It provides access to laundry facilities and extra storage.

"We also have a storage box out the front of the tiny house where we keep my shoes, plus linen and towels. For those without this option, an idea would be to build a little shed next to your tiny house."

Pets become royalty

Having worked with the RSPCA in NSW for three years, Jess has "fallen in love with many animals", but it's her dog Chloe and cat Jeremy who rule her heart and home.

"At the moment Chloe gets carried up there to bed. She's such a princess. The cat manages fine, he justs runs up the ladder and thuds down."

When tiny isn't enough

After a year of carrying pets in the tiny home, Jess is upgrading to a bigger house. Well, a bigger tiny house.

"With our new place we'll be getting heaps of extra facilities. A heating and cooling unit, a dishwasher, a breakfast nook, a second loft and a doggy door.

"To access the main sleeping area we'll have stairs in place of the ladder. It'll be really nice to have the pets come and go as they please, and not have to worry so much about them."

The novelty doesn't wear off

For the upgrade, Jess is selling her current home. Her Gumtree ad has received more than 2000 views and 10 viewers, but no serious buyers. Some viewers appeared to have a bit of a "sticky beak", wanting to see what it's really like in a tiny house.

And there's a perk to this endless curiosity for tiny homes, aside from all of you reading this article.

"These tiny homes go for around $250 a night on Airbnb. They're cute! Tiny homes make great photo opportunities for holidaymakers."

Don't expect your parents to get it

While Jess's 71-year-old father now loves having family so close, the concept of a tiny home was strange to him at first.

"Dad's pretty stubborn generally. He was totally against it to begin with. He thought it was too much hassle, saying either live in my house or don't - just pick one or the other. But eventually, like water on a stone, we wore him down."

Avoiding council fees

As the tiny house is on wheels, it's "technically a caravan". This portability has spelled out major benefits for Jess.

"When building a granny flat, you need to do all of the council approval, consult neighbours, complete a development application. As this is a caravan, you don't need to do any of that. It's not a fixed dwelling."