They hadn't planned on buying property. Then came kids and a tiny house in the Philippines.

Dmitrii Stepanov and Nivt Mondaya built a tiny house in the Philippines.The Stepanov Family.Dmitrii Stepanov and Nivy Mondaya built a tiny house in the Philippines in 2023.The tiny house is situated on a plot near the mountains and the sea.They say raising two kids in the tiny house has been a positive experience, thanks to their safe neighborhood.Dmitrii Stepanov arrived in the Philippines in 2018 with plans for a one-month adventure. Seven years, a marriage, and two kids later, the country has become the place he calls home.Back in Russia, where he grew up, Stepanov worked as a videographer. But a growing passion for scuba diving and underwater photography led him to Dumaguete, a coastal city in Negros Oriental, famed for its rich diving scene.Dmitrii Stepanov and Nivt Mondaya are raising two kids in a tiny house in the Philippines.The Stepanov Family.The low cost of living made it easy to adjust to life in the Philippines. "The longer I stayed, the more I liked it here," Stepanov, now 35, told Business Insider.About six months into his adventure, Stepanov met his now-wife, Nivy Mondaya, online. She's originally from Bohol, an island northeast of Negros Oriental, where she moved 15 years ago. They later married and welcomed their first child in 2021 while stuck in Vietnam during the pandemic, before returning to the Philippines.By the mountains, near the seaBack on Negros Island, the couple, who are content creators, spent about six months in a rental apartment before they decided they wanted something more permanent.They hadn't planned on buying property, but with a child, it felt like a sensible choice. After the pandemic, they also wanted to live away from the city.The land is covered with coconut trees.The Stepanov Family."For me, it was always cheaper to rent and invest the money for passive income than to spend too much on buying a house. But kids change everything," Stepanov said.They were drawn to Dauin, a town about 40 minutes from the main city of Dumaguete, which is also known for its diving scene.The couple knew they wanted to build their home instead of buying one, so they would have the freedom to design it around their needs. They found the perfect plot of land while scrolling through Facebook Marketplace.The tiny house is situated on a slope, near the mountains and the sea.The Stepanov Family."We really like the area, because it's around 15 minutes away from the beach. We're on the hilly part, near the mountain," Mondaya, 33, told Business Insider. "It's also much cooler here than in the city."The plot measures slightly over 77,000 square feet and is a coconut plantation. The couple hired a contractor to build their tiny house, which took about four months to complete. They moved in in September 2023.Built on a raised platform, the tiny house originally had one bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.The temperatures in their area are much cooler than in the city.The Stepanov Family.Since then, the couple has gradually expanded its footprint, including an extra room, a veranda, and walkways around the home. In all, the couple spent about 2.2 Philippine pesos on the tiny house."We grow some vegetables, but since I got busy with the kids, I couldn't take good care of them. But our neighbors help us with our garden, so we still have harvests," Mondaya said.The property is connected to the municipal water line, but the couple recently installed a water tank as a backup. Although power outages are common, Stepanov says they manage by using large portable power stations and Starlink internet.Despite frequent electrical outages, Stepanov says they manage with power banks and Starlink.The Stepanov Family.Even though the Philippines is prone to typhoons, the storms haven't affected their home much."Once, a section of our bamboo fence broke, but we didn't expect much from it anyway. It was just a cheap fence made from our own bamboo. Overall, in two years here, we haven't had landslides, leaks, or flooding," Stepanov said.The Philippines is prone to typhoons, but the couple says the storms haven't affected their home much.The Stepanov Family.Raising kids in a tiny houseOften seen as an affordable, minimalist, and sustainable way of living, tiny houses — like the couple's — have gained popularity worldwide.In 2019, six tiny house owners told Business Insider that living tiny reduced their housing expenses. One couple also said that it forced them to reevaluate their spending, while another couple said they were able to earn an income by turning their tiny house into a vacation rental while they travelled.But the lifestyle has its downsides too. A couple who left New York City for a tiny house on an Oregon farm told Business Insider in February that it was harder to adapt than they expected, especially during the pandemic.For Stepanov and Mondaya, raising their two children in the tiny house has been a great experience since they live in a safe area."Our son is 4, and he has plenty of space indoors and often plays outside where there's lots of room. He also spends time with the neighbor's kids — luckily, there are no big roads nearby, so they can run around freely," Stepanov said. "Our younger child is just 8 months old, so she's quite happy in her own little two-by-two-meter space."The couple says raising their kids in a tiny house in the countryside has been great.The Stepanov Family.Their son attends a private school close to home, Stepanov said.Their space is the city respite they sought. There's barely any noise, aside from roosters, cows, and the sounds of the countryside.It's a scene that feels familiar to her, Mondaya said. She grew up in a provincial setting and has fond memories of her childhood spent playing outside, rather than being indoors with gadgets all day.The couple says their tiny house was initially meant to be a short-term housing situation."We wanted to make this a really budget house, and later, maybe when kids are a bit bigger, build a larger one," Stepanov said.Originally they'd talked about renting the tiny house on Airbnb if they decided to upsize. But now that they've extended the tiny house, they're rethinking their original plan."We feel very comfortable here now," Mondaya said.Read the original article on Business Insider

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