Funky Little Shack introduces you to our granny flat solutions Brisbane team.
Mel Miller
Founder
Chief Designer
Masters of Architecture MAIA
My dream is to help bring affordability back into housing and make retirement more achievable and fun.
I knew I could make a difference in people’s lives and the environment by providing a range of beautiful, sustainable homes that were affordable for the average Australian family. But they also could be used as a source of retirement income.
We’re living in a time now where it is so difficult to find affordable housing with design style, and it’s becoming such a stress and strain for young people that they’re giving up trying before they even start.
Meanwhile there’s another major problem with those looking to retire often can’t because they don’t have enough retirement income to do so. I realised that adding an extra home to your backyard could solve both these problems and I started designing home styles for people that could really complement their property.
So many of our properties have large backyards and a second home could provide cashflow income for those looking to retire. It could also house elderly family members in a safe and secure environment, or help out adult kids while they save for their own home.
Our community deserves to love where they live, invite their friends to, and feel proud to come home to, and as a Collective our team’s mission is to consistently strive for a higher living quality and environment for the Australian family.
James Rutherford
Client Solutions / Brand Guardian
Originally from Scotland James has spent decades in and around the construction space from early days of hands on technical work, experiencing complex civil, engineering, construction & Mega Projects, progressing to the pointy end of senior positions in two well-known International Brands.
A critical need to ground those heels before the fuel completely ran out James began slowly stealing himself back to go deep diving on well-being, connections and embarking on intensive research into the mind, behaviour, language, leadership and change practices. In meeting Mel, James realised they had similar values and energies and joined forces with compatible superpowers set to inspire others to upgrade their lives with a Funky Little Shack as both additional & primary living solutions, making better use of money, resources, space, time and more importantly life.
(FYI – James’ first family home in Scotland was 37m2)
James is deeply committed to forming genuine open relationships, engaging in good chats, problem solving, perspective and accuracy to get things done whilst meeting the real needs of those to be served with the least number of bumps along the way A well credentialed and awarded professional sports person, and Bikram Style (Hot) yoga teacher, James lives on a mountain as organically as is possible, loves community connection, beach, family, kitchen activities and a Rugby Union tragic, but beware as he can be playful, laughs heaps and has a soft spot for local preservative free craft beers.
Robyn Herron
Interior Stylist
Robyn thrives on change, making her quite a surprising individual. She intently follows the changing trends in design styling and then pours her ideas into clients’ own Funky Shacks. Her trained eye for detail and natural ability to visualize concepts gives the Shacks a certain bespoke charm, that you know they’ve been personally tailored, with those finer details always carried out from beginning to end.
You’ll love her calm and supportive manner. She’s really approachable and genuinely interested in how people like to enjoy their lives… and this shines through her work in interior design and styling, where she intently listens to who you are, and then gives back through relatable colour palettes and meaningful, quirky interests that feed the mind and relax your soul.
Her passion ensures your new home sits proudly within its context and personality of its occupiers, leaving them feeling content in their surroundings, in a home to enjoy and to love.
Robyn’s also an amazing cook and keen gardener. You’ll often find her in the kitchen baking the most amazingly tasty muffins, while sipping on a new vegetarian juice she’s created from home grown veggies in her backyard.
Douglas Ramos
Architect
Driven by challenges of the urban intricacies and sustainable urban living, Douglas is a space maker by trade that has travelled around the world and found his own special corner in Australia. His awareness of climate responses combined with his passion for build practice and construction detail produces unique design and space solutions for a myriad of sites and client requirements.
Douglas is a building information modeller and parametric enthusiast who proudly embraces the information sharing knowledge between trades for a better urban space creation and client satisfaction.
He loves a good chat about local living strategies and architectural views, and offers a professional view on how to achieve the best design solution at the lowest budget.
A true architect at heart, you’ll often find Douglas on the laptop designing something interactive, constructing something with his self-built machines, in a fabrication laboratory constructing a prototype model, or sketching an ocean view from a recent visit.
Greg Riddle
Sustainability Expert
When Greg’s not building, cutting, hammering, or testing something, you’ll see him out catching a wave along the Casuarina Coast. Greg has a 30 year history in building renovation, landscaping and development. He has a natural creative, construction ability with a hands on approach, and loves to pour himself into unique and challenging projects, which has even included boat building in the past.
Greg immediately fell in love with the Funky Little Shack concept from the get-go, and loves promoting the values of living bigger through thinking smaller. With a passion for energy efficiency, recycling and conservation, Greg is our go-to man for the latest in innovative efficient building materials and eco-systems. He loves a good conversation about sustainability and offers extremely wise advice regarding the most efficient ways to run your home.
As our knowledge source for greener options, Greg ensures Funky Little Shacks are sustainable, support conservation and ecological living.