#034 - Mel Sparkles is a tiny houser from the Sunshine Coast in QLD. With a lifelong passion dedicated to tiny spaces, traditionally a Graphic Designer, Mel went on to study Building Design, Interior Design and Construction. After helping with other tiny house builds, Mel started building her own tiny house in 2020 which she has recently moved into. Mel hosts the Facebook groups Tiny Houses Brisbane & QLD and Land and Tiny Houses to rent or buy in Australia for the tiny house community.Mel has worked as a volunteer for ATHA for the last 4 years and has hosted regular tiny house meetings to bring tiny house folk together. Mel has engaged in media spots for tiny houses and participated in speaker panels for tiny houses. She is currently designing another tiny house to build on land that recently purchased and is navigating the waters with council.In this conversation we talk about:Mel’s story of living in a caravan, to building her own tiny house (in her 50’s), and buying her own landThe struggles Mel experienced during the DIY building processHow Mel created the tiny house life she wants to liveWhat tiny living has enabled Mel to do in her life that she couldn’t do beforeFrustrations around council regulations and solutions for the housing crisis… and more!Find out more about the podcast and get the episode show notes & links here:https://tinyhouseconversations.com/034You can follow Mel’s tiny adventures here:IG: https://www.instagram.com/sliceoftinypai/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/sliceoftinypai Tiny Houses Brisbane & QLD: www.facebook.com/groups/tinyhousesbrisbaneLand to rent or buy for Tiny Houses in Australia:www.facebook.com/groups/249661598868769/The Tiny House Roadshow:www.facebook.com/The-Tiny-House-Roadshow-107197220704517You can follow my tiny adventures here:IG: https://www.instagram.com/tinyhouseconversationsFB:  https://www.facebook.com/tinyhouseconversationsSupport the show