Among the biggest concerns people have when considering living in a tiny house, is whether or not they will have enough space. For many, tiny houses just don’t feel like “a home” (I’m assuming that’s a lifelong “familiarity” a lot of us have adopted). A big part of this concern comes from what, on the surface, may seem like high costs. However there are actually quite a few benefits to living in an affordable tiny house.
Table of Contents
- Reduced Ownership Costs
- You Will Need a Plot of Land
- Be Aware of Legislation Challenges
- Find a Reliable Builder
- How to Find Builders in Canada
Below is an example of a video where one woman shares some of here experiences…
Reduced Ownership Costs
In particular is the ability to spend less money on better quality homes, that are built around your specific lifestyle. Many tiny houses are better insulated than standard homes, which can end up saving you money in the long term. And since tiny houses are generally small, they make living more efficient and tidy (so your house is less likely to be filled with clutter). They also promote healthier lifestyles too, because tiny houses tend to encourage people to live more “simply”.
From experience, one of the biggest hurdles is to find a tiny home builder in Canada, that is able to work with you through purchase and building of your new tiny home. Since tiny homes are often built on a trailer, tiny home companies that specialize in tiny homes are found throughout Canada.
Tiny houses have many benefits over standard size homes, which is why more people are choosing to build tiny from the ground up, instead of buying a pre-fabricated tiny house. In reality, tiny houses are much less expensive than regular sized homes (which I think would be a given). Many tiny houses work off solar. And I’ve seen several concepts (and some in practice) that also use wind power. Obviously if you are in an area with services from major utilities, these can be hooked into your home as well. It’s possible you could end up producing more energy that you use, and sell the excess energy back into the grid.
You Will Need a Plot of Land
One other challenge is to find smaller lots of land. Some tiny house companies might not sell tiny homes to people who already own a large lot of land. Another challenge with tiny houses is that it takes some time and effort into finding tiny home suppliers, tiny home designers and builders. Luckily, the internet is filled with tiny homes for sale listings.
A quick note about the size of land – If you already have a large lot that can contain several homes, consider starting a community!
Here are three tiny house communities you might want to explore:
Bluewater Village (Goderich, Ontario)
Tiny Town (Toronto, Ontario)
Lake of The Woods Tiny Home Village (Keewatin, Ontario)
Be Aware of Legislation Challenges
Tiny houses are becoming more popular in Canada, but there appears to be a lot of legislation that needs to be updated (in several provinces and municipalities) to allow and encourage tiny homes, along with their communities.
For instance, tiny homes are not permitted in Toronto, Ontario. However, tiny homes have been built in other areas of Canada, such as Victoria and Calgary.
Still… Tiny houses are becoming increasingly popular throughout Canada. These tiny house benefits include lower costs to purchase and maintain these homes, reduced living expenses due to smaller size, reduced environmental impact through efficient use of resources (electricity, etc.), while often helping homeowners engage more in recycling.
The government of Ontario (for example) produces a guide for those of us considering a tiny home. That guide is here: “Build or Buy a Tiny Home“.
Many tiny home builders exist across Canada, and these tiny homes can range in size from very tiny (about 5′ by 7′) to up to 750 square feet. However, most tiny houses are around 20 to 50 square meters; this is still much smaller than the average house that is about 200 square meters (approximately 2200 square feet) or more.
Tiny houses work well for one (or two) people. In practice my assumption is that small homes work well for larger families – Something in the range of 1000′ (still smaller that an average house).
Find a Reliable Builder
To find tiny home builders in Canada, it would be a good idea to check out the Canadian Home Builders Association. This organization represents tiny house builders across Canada and may provide you with a list of tiny house builders in their area. The internet will also prove useful in searching for tiny homes builders – Try searching “tiny house builder canada” or even “tiny house community canada”.
In addition to finding a reliable builder, finding a smaller lot of land is important. In practice, tiny home builders normally work with a smaller lots of land and thus have no trouble working to fit tiny homes onto these parcels.
One should also keep in mind that tiny homes are part of a larger movement; also we should consider energy efficiency as well as green building. In addition to finding tiny home builders this may be an important way to ensure your new home meets your specific needs, while helping to reduce costs.
The tiny home movement has resulted in building becoming an industry unto itself. Tiny homes are created to be green, sustainable, and efficient; they can also help to reduce costs by reducing or eliminating mortgages. This is good news for those who want to own their own tiny house but lack the necessary funds for a large down payment. It is also a terrific option for people who already own a mortgage-free house and want to downsize (converting their large house into cash).
Here are some builders, you might want to explore:
Canadian Tiny Homes (Ontario)
Teacup Tiny Homes (Alberta)
Mint Tiny House (British Columbia)
Eko Built (Ontario)
How to Find Builders in Canada
If you want to build a tiny house in Canada, there are several resources available for help and guidance. You can work with tiny house designers and builders who can give you helpful tips for designing and implementing your tiny home construction project.
Before you start building your tiny house, it is recommended that you do as much research as possible and speak to as many builders as possible (you will learn a lot). It might also help to reach out to tiny house communities (or owners) to gather as much knowledge as possible. There are related conventions and festivals that you should try to attend or read about. You can also reach out to tiny home owners for guidance.
Tiny homes do not require a lot of space, which means they are perfect for homeowners working with small properties (or even renters). If you want to build your tiny home in Canada, there’s no time like the present!
Start your journey, get informed and begin planning your ultimate move.
Hopefully this introductory post raises some good points for your research and follow up. If you have any questions, suggestions, etc., please feel free to include them in the comments below (or you can even choose to be a guest writer).