São Paulo is the land of
studio apartments and
studios . It is a region known for its small apartments, especially in the city center, with properties ranging from 25 m² to 45 m². Decorating these spaces is already a big challenge, but just imagine a
house that costs less than half of these values ? This is the reality of Francisco da Silva, better known as "Tiquinho", a resident of Jardim Colombo, a 58-year-old recycling worker, who acquired a
4 m² space three years ago for the
price of R$2,000 .
What is considered a small room for many is Tiquinho's entire house, where there is a
sofa , a
toilet , some shelves and a
bed suspended close to the ceiling.
Ester Carro , part of the
CASACOR São Paulo 2023 cast and architect of Fazendinhando, an activist movement that carries out
housing campaigns in the outskirts of São Paulo , met Tiquinho when he volunteered to help build the home of one of her neighbors.
"Talking to Tiquinho during the community outreach, I ended up seeing his house and I couldn't believe it. It was a shock. There are several tiny houses, but his is the smallest in Jardim Colombo," said Ester.
Without access to water, a bathroom or a refrigerator , Tiquinho's home became one of Fazendinhando's priorities. "Tiquinho is very meticulous, he keeps things very organized. He takes great care of what he has, despite it being precarious, he takes great care of it."
Expansion project
Ester Carro is leading the project to
expand Tiquinho's house , which will include a new room – just over 1 meter wide – that will be used to create a bathroom. Underneath a staircase, this space was made available by a neighbor who lives upstairs from Francisco's house.
The architect redesigned the entire project, from the
layout of the rooms to the plumbing system – which is practically non-existent, since Tiquinho currently has no running water in his house. Ester also plans to rethink the electrical system to make the resident more comfortable. "Everything is being adapted and designed so that he can have the comfort and minimum dignity that any person should have," says Ester.
Because it is a very small space, all the
planned adjustments will be made to measure and the
furniture and appliances will be smaller . For example, a smaller freezer will be used instead of a refrigerator. "There is no place to wash hands or prepare food. The idea is to create a smaller countertop, with a sink and a two-burner
cooktop ."
New facade
Despite the small space, Tiquinho made sure to decorate the facade of the house with hanging pots and some small plants. Ester explains that there will be a
renovation to change the door – currently made of wood, it will be made of
aluminum with a lock , since the house is currently protected only by a padlock.
The advantage of using an aluminum door instead of a wooden one is that it opens up, which
improves ventilation inside the home. The
frames will also be replaced with smaller options . Ester believes that this idea will show the community that there are
alternatives to the standard windows that are common in homes in the area ; these can often present problems, since the walls are usually connected to the neighbors' houses.
Cozy room
With a raised bed and no mattress – which was lost during the heavy rains at the beginning of the year –, the entire area of Francisco's room is represented by this element. Thus, the architect's idea is
to redo the slab that serves as the structure for the room using a
lighter material that
optimizes space . A
wooden ladder with OBS plates will also be
installed on the side so that he can get up and down from his bed more safely and quickly. Ester intends to start renovating the house at the end of March, which will depend on the
fundraising campaign to buy the necessary materials , but as there is urgency, the expectation is that it will happen by
the beginning of April at the latest. 
