There’s little room for large luxuries, but a Saskatoon builder has found a way to fit a three-piece bathroom, kitchen sink and double bed into a 225-square-foot house on wheels.
It’s all part of a new tiny home division from J&H Builders.
“They’re great for a guest house at the lake or something to go on someone’s acreage,” J&H Builders’ vice-president Jonathon Neufeld said.
“Once the city develops specific bylaws for it, I’m sure there will be more applications.”
However, Neufeld said J&H has received numerous calls inquiring about the homes since the division launched.
“People are really curious and they want to come check them out,” he said. “Tiny homes have really picked up steam over the last few years in North America.”
The tiny home is being showcased at the HomeStyles Home show running Thursday through Sunday at Prairieland Park.
Give you a quick sneak peak of J & H homes Tiny Home @PrairielandPark @Ms_dponticelli will put together little better video soon @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/82u6uSHMiY
— JT Marshall (@jtmarshallCKOM) March 8, 2017
Neufeld noted one misconception people have about tiny homes is they can’t survive Canadian winters.
“The one we’re showcasing is insulated, has a furnace, and hot water, so you can live in it in our winter climate,” he said.
The tiny home showcased is $69,000, but Neufeld said they can build whatever size the customer wants for comfort.
“It’s definitely an affordable housing option because a lot of people don’t need a lot of space,” Neufeld said. “They want to own a home and own it on a budget.”
Tiny homes allowed in Saskatoon
The City of Saskatoon has no minimum size requirements for dwellings.
However, a home on a residential lot isn’t allowed to be on wheels. A wheeled house can only be located in a campground, RV park or mobile home park.
“There are no regulations for a minimum size,” said Director of Planning and Development for the City of Saskatoon, Lesley Anderson.
A tiny home in a backyard behind an existing house would be permitted, but Anderson said it would still be subject to the provisions for garden and garage suites.
“The dwelling would not be able to be on wheels, would have to be hooked up to full services, and built to building code or CSA standards,” she said.
Anderson said the city hasn’t had any requests for permits to build tiny houses so far. She said there currently no plans for tiny home subdivisions, either.
“We are not pursuing the creation of specific sites for tiny homes at this time.”