Shacky tiny house startup supports Australian farmers

New startup Shacky is introducing holiday tiny houses to rural Australian properties to offer farmers an added source of income.

25-year-old Netherlands native Joep Pennartz founded Shacky­­ after moving to Australia last year and learning of the hardships being experienced by local farmers.

“Financial stress from decreasing farm income leads to rising depression rates, an ageing farmer population, and farmers leaving their land,” Pennartz says.

“Having worked for a large dairy firm in The Netherlands I know (a bit) about how hard the life of a farmer could be and I just couldn’t stop thinking of ways how to change this.”

The concept of Shacky is to position tiny houses on rural properties, allowing farmers to generate income from renters who lease the space as holiday accommodation.

“If a farmer would be able to rent out tiny houses on their farm, this would generate much needed alternative income [while] guests experience the tranquillity of a tiny house on a beautiful Australian farm,” Pennartz says.

Shacky allows Australians to “test drive” a tiny house before potentially committing to this lifestyle full-time.

A Shacky tiny house prototype. | Image courtesy of Shacky

“Living in a tiny house might not be suitable for everyone,” Pennartz says.

“Having a holiday in a tiny house, however, gives you the opportunity to experience tiny living, and perhaps take a few things from this experience and implement them into your life.”

The first Shacky home will be located on the Tarndie Farm in The Otways, owned by sixth generation farmer and woolgrower Tom Dennis.  

“I wanted to test whether the idea would work for farmers [so] I called several to explain my project,” Pennartz says.

“Most of them were actually very enthusiastic, but Tom was next level.”

Tom Dennis | Photo: Kess Mackay

Dennis’s farm has produced wool for textile art and craft purposes for the past 176 years.

“Being welcomed into Tom’s family, getting to know them and experiencing their farm where they’ve grown up for several generations, I realised that this was a real taste of Australian life,” Pennartz says

“Coming from The Netherlands, I would really like to create an opportunity to give this peek into Australian culture to fellow travellers.”

A stay at the Tarndie Farm will be about $125 a night for two people.

The fee structure proposed for Shacky hosts varies depending on the owner of the tiny house. If the farmer owns the tiny house, Shacky receives 10 per cent of the renting price for maintaining and growing the platform, while the farmer pockets 90 per cent.

A prototype of the Shacky tiny house has already been built, but additional funds are required to create the first official home that will also include a toilet, shower and cooking facilities.

Shacky tiny house prototype. | Image courtesy of Shacky

A Pozible crowdfunding campaign will run from February 17 to March 28 where people can pledge funds towards the business.

With a financial target of $25,000, all money will be used to fund the first tiny house on the Tarndie Farm in the Otways and upgrading the Shacky website.

Rewards for pledgers will include an option to pre-book a stay in the tiny house, tiny house artwork, and an option to have your name engraved in the first home.

“Crowdfunding is not just a way of getting the project funded, it is also an amazing way to get the word out and to see how people respond to Shacky,” Pennartz says.  

If the campaign is successful, the first guests will be welcomed onto the Tarndie Farm on April 4.

“If things go well it would be great to have around five or 10 tiny houses on Shacky in one year,” Pennartz says.