Why this tiny home was built in one night on Pontypridd Common

A crowd watches as the tiny wooden house is built on Pontypridd Common

"This might be the closest thing I'm getting to having my own home."

Lucie Powell, 18, is among a group of young people who built a tiny home overnight.

The custom of tŷ unnos, which translates into English as house in one night, was a folklore across Wales between the 17th and 19th centuries.

It held that, if a squatter could build a house on common land between dusk and dawn, then the occupier could lay claim to the legal freehold of the property.

Amid the sounds of drilling and hammering, the house was assembled like a jigsaw on Pontypridd Common, with a sloping roof, chimney, and the "one, two, three, lift" of a traditional stove being put into place.

"I feel renting is my only option, and yet renting is so unrealistically expensive," said Hannah Hunter, 21, among the flurry of building activity on Friday night.

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Beyond the dusty red smoke and perimeter ring of fire, a team in bright orange overalls worked with torches on their heads.

Pieces of the flat pack house were walked on to the site from the back of a truck.

Hannah Hunter, Lucie Powell and Griffin Doyle took part in the project

"It is important to talk about the problems young people face, especially in Wales, when it comes to buying homes, so the aim is to hold a conversation about that," said Lucie.

Stilt walkers, dancers and jugglers with LED clubs entertained the crowds that came to see the spectacle, coordinated by Pontypridd-based Citrus Arts.

As the fire was lit inside, the little house started to resemble a home with its stained glass windows glowing.

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As smoke puffed from the chimney, a message of "no place like home" sparked in to flames.

It marked the completion of a house that will stand for 24 hours in the landscape.

The finished house with an adjacent sign saying "no place like home"

Griffin Doyle, 18, hopes the projects acts as a catalyst for discussions around homes and housing.

The cost of accommodation is affecting where he is considering going to university.

"I hope that some people will be inspired and see that the world is definitely a place that needs a bit of changing," he said.

"I hope someone goes out there and changes it."

Citrus Arts brought together a group of young people aged between 18 and 30 for the build.

The tiny home will stay in place for 24 hours

Artistic director James Doyle Roberts said the tŷ unnos custom still resonated, with some participants having faced "housing insecurity".

"It is something that is on people's minds, that they are conscious about," he said.

Along with discussions on housing, the group hopes its latest project will spark conversations around the environment and climate change.

Bethan Hamer and Kaiden, five, from Gelli, Rhondda Cynon Taf, were among the visitors to the house on Saturday

Sustainable materials for the build, plus how to reuse and recycle the elements for other projects, was part of the planning process.

Project architect Tabitha Pope said: "This is such an exciting project and an important opportunity to open up a conversation about access to land, affordable housing and how people want to live.

"We hope the project will get people talking about common land and how to make a home, however humble, accessible for everybody that wants and needs one."