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That said, despite their small size, tiny homes are faced with some big hurdles regarding where they’re located and
how they’re built. With mixed regulations across Canada, it’s important to research your local zoning laws and building
requirements before you start building.

Be sure to consider:
• limitations to square footages in a rural community versus an urban neighbourhood;
• the pros and cons of a mobile home built on wheels versus those of a stationary structure with a foundation; and
• facility requirements based on location and type of tiny home (such as service connections for water and electric).

Tiny houses still occupy a grey zone between being a recreational vehicle (RV) and a traditional detached home—if
you’re unclear about the regulations in your area, contact your municipality to learn more. Or ask your local REALTOR®
for their insight.
A multi-functional space

Working from home, online schooling and the return
home of college students due to the pandemic are also
sparking the surge in tiny house research. After all, adding
a pre-fab tiny home into your yard can add valuable and
affordable square footage for an office, guest room, home
gym or yoga studio, a pool house and many other uses,
says Elizabeth Soutar, a REALTOR® and salesperson with
Redline Properties in Brantford, Ontario.
“As a mom of three kids with a dog, I own a business, my
husband owns a business and we need a quiet place. And
I find a lot of my clients are saying the same thing,” says
Soutar. “It’s not really worth moving over, because it’s such
a hot market that you have to pay $100,000-$200,000 to
upgrade just to get that extra 700 square feet.”

And at a fraction of that cost, you can do a lot with the added space a tiny home provides. Embrace your inner
minimalist and find creative ways to maximize the room inside your humble abode:
• use the walls efficiently to create a clutter-free kitchen by hanging as many items as you can;
• add narrow shelving to any wall that isn’t serving a practical purpose;
• consider flexible furniture such as Murphy wall beds and foldable tables and benches;
• utilize sliding walls to avoid the inconvenience of permanent partitions; and
• save space with loft beds and add storage beneath the stairs.

The perfect layout for your tiny home is a seamless blend of function and fashion, with the only limit being your
imagination. If you’re looking for interior design ideas, there’s no shortage of inspiration on Pinterest—Tiny Living has
some amazing designs highlighted on their account!
An affordable choice

Tiny homes can also be a cost-effective, simple solution, she notes. You can order a prefabricated unit–such as a
recycled shipping container or another type of modular mini-home–and have it installed right onto your land.
“It’s also way easier, and cheaper than building an extension onto your house–a storage container only costs about
$16,000,” says Soutar. “They’re built off-site and then delivered and hooked up. So, there’s less interruption into your
daily life, because it’s not interfering with the actual interior of your house, which is a major advantage as well.”

18 | REAL ESTATE NOW | denise@BCislandhomes.ca