Tiny houses have been in high demand recently for a variety of reasons, including the housing crisis, the desire to combine working from home with travel, and the fact that they lend themselves to curated and monetized social media content. But this tiny house is different from the rest.
Tiny houses are tiny homes built on trailers of various sizes. The smaller the home (and trailer), the easier it is to move, and the smallest units can even be towed by your daily driver. At the other end of the spectrum are park model tiny houses, which have more square footage and more luxurious features. Because of this, they can’t be moved without special permits and the right rig.
This one is neither. In fact, it seems to completely go against one of the cardinal principles of tiny living, in that it doesn’t have wheels, but it’s still a tiny house. Technically, it’s a hybrid: a compact home that sits at the crossroads between an A-frame cabin and a tiny house, with the benefits of both categories.
This is the work of Brett MaVity, a Canadian who describes himself as a construction worker who moonlights as a rural firefighter. He built his first tiny house (this time a proper one built on a trailer) two years ago and sold it to earn money for college. As he reveals in a recent video tour of his new project, which you can see below, he has since decided to do more of the same work, but with a slight twist.
Photo: Facebook Marketplace
He says so few people who buy tiny houses actually plan to travel with them — a waste of the trailer and a waste of money for both the builder and the owner — that Brett decided to ditch the trailer altogether.
He’s building two extra-small units without a trailer base that he’s already selling finished. Currently they’re mounted on blocks, but they could be mounted on any type of lot, with some adjustments needed depending on the lot. Even though they don’t have wheels, he claims buyers can easily put them on a trailer and move them around, making them essentially portable.
Certainly, it’s small enough for that: The home, whose exterior design clearly resembles an A-frame, measures 10 feet by 16 feet (3 meters by 4.9 meters) with metal siding and a roof, and its sharp, compact exterior belies little of the functionality inside.
Photo: Facebook Marketplace
Of course, the amount of incredible functionality will depend on the space available. Brett says the space would be ideal as a couple’s weekend getaway, a student rental, or a single person’s vacation home, with all the basic comforts packed into a very small space. In other words, it’s just the right place for someone who isn’t too concerned with lavish space or functionality.
But there are surprises to be had, including a luxurious shower. An oversized glass shower that could be described as a spa-like shower. Again, this is all about the interior space. If you don’t mind turning your morning shower into a live peep show for those sharing your space, this tiny shower is perfect.
The same goes for glass-walled bathroom stalls: Brett notes that frosting the glass or making it completely opaque is an option, but this seems like one of those situations where it should be the standard.
Photo: Facebook Marketplace
Another surprise is the double bed, which isn’t immediately visible: To compensate for the extremely tight space, Brett decided to use modular furniture in the only room in the tiny house, so that the chairs and stools can be folded flat and the double Murphy bed can be unfolded to serve as a lounge or workspace by day and a sleeping area by night.
And because of the limited space available, Brett opted to put the bathroom sink inside the living/bedroom area, which he explained was a worthwhile trade-off compared to having to brush his teeth in the kitchen sink.
The third and final surprise is the well-appointed galley opposite the bathroom, which comes with a sink, a two-burner gas stove with extractor fan, an air fryer and enough space for a water heater, several storage options and a power outlet.
Photo: Facebook Marketplace
The tiny home has insulation in the walls, ceilings and floors, and even comes with a mini-split for heating and air conditioning. Brett says the home can be used year-round, though maybe not during the harshest days and nights of a Canadian winter.
Finishes include natural, rustic wood furniture, walls and floors, and black hardware in the bathroom for a dramatic look. The unit is currently connected to the grid and has electricity and sewerage, but he said the unit could be fitted with an incinerating toilet instead of a flush toilet.
“This tiny house isn’t just a home, it’s a lifestyle upgrade,” Brett says in the home’s advertising copy. The style upgrade is also an invitation to try extreme minimalism — and, in the process, reap the much-touted benefits of intentional living. To paraphrase an old TV infomercial, “It’s yours for $67,000 CAD,” or about $49,400 USD.
