Fritz Tiny Homes, a tiny home builder in Alberta, has been turning heads with their breathtaking designs and intentional lifestyle approach. We chatted with the company’s co-owner, Heather Fritz, about the process, the journey, and what’s next. 

A tiny home builder with a luxury touch, breathtaking design.

When Fritz Tiny Homes was founded, it was with the intention of building luxury tiny homes. Heather tells us about those cautious first steps that soon turned into conviction – the market needed what she and her husband, Kevin, wanted to do.

“There’s a lot of ways to build tiny homes, a lot of different builders out there and I’m just so grateful for all of them, because the movement is so strong and growing. We need tiny homes in all different cost brackets. The accessibility for affordable housing is such a big part of it as well.”

“Kevin and I had something that we wanted to bring to the industry, which was the high-end tiny house. We were wondering if there’s room in the movement for this, if there’s even an interest, because the movement started as an affordable housing movement. We landed in the tiny home industry going, “Hey, there’s a level of finish that we’re accustomed to. There’s a level of building science that we always uphold to. We can’t imagine building anything under this level of building science and this level of finish.”

Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes

“There’s a level of finish that we’re accustomed to. There’s a level of building science that we always uphold to. We can’t imagine building anything under this level of building science and this level of finish.”

“We said to ourselves, “well, let’s try it”, and we put out our first tiny house, The Fritz. And then, that house was sold very quickly and we said, “ok, there’s room for this.” That led to our next customer contract and things just really started exploding.” 

Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes

Fritz Tiny Home builds were memorable from the get go, and they were noticed even outside of the tiny home community. By making homes at that level of architectural interest, Fritz is able to reach audiences that were not already “sold” on tiny homes.

“What’s been neat is being recognized by Dwell magazine twice. That for us has been so meaningful because we really feel like a tiny home recognized in Dwell is a win for the movement as a whole. That means, everyone, the decision-makers, get to see that this is a valid way of living. That is something that will translate into policy change.” 

Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes

Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes

“Last year, we did the Tiny Toy Drive, where we took The Fritz to Spruce Grove and we just opened it up and said, “Hey, community come on in for a tour. Come see what a tiny home is all about, our vision for it.” So, in exchange for a toy donation, we had thousands of people walk through. And we had three mayors and six town councilors come through as well. They said they never knew a space this small could feel this big.” 

Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes

If you’re asking about cost per square foot for a tiny home, you’re doing it wrong.

Heather personally experiences the difference between people who are well-versed in tiny home living and those who are new to the concept. She says, many of the conventional concepts of home construction don’t apply, including cost-per-square-foot – a common cost comparison device in the traditional industry. 

“We get people who understand our pricing right away. They will say, “Of course, how could it not cost that much? Everything’s made in house and you’re using the best materials.” But then you also get people who don’t know much about tiny homes and how they’re built. They will ask me about the cost per square foot.”

Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes

 “You cannot talk about the cost per square foot on a tiny house and compare that with a traditional build. Yes, cost per square foot is something that the building industry talks about. But you can’t take this concept and apply it over here because it just doesn’t apply. There is not a piece in our homes that’s not dual purpose, there is not an inch of wasted space. You have so much packed into such a small, small footprint that the cost per square foot, if you decide to calculate it, is astronomical.”

Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes

“Take all the things you want in a house: kitchen, bathroom, appliances, windows, walls, sofa, storage. Now, strip away all of the dead space on the floor. That’s a tiny house.”

The Fritz difference is more than materials and building science. Every custom build is a portrait of its owner.

“Basically, there’s two ways to work with us: the Halycon model where the floor plan is fixed, but complemented by a-la-carte options, or a completely custom build. We take on four clients a year for a fully custom model. That’s when we sit down and go through an intense process of digging into how can we create a home that supports your lifestyle, that really matches who you are as a person, and your values and where you want to go in life. In this situation, the build is like a blank canvas and we just start to create on that.” 

“The Trahan, is an example of that where it was a completely custom design. For example, the clients asked us if there was any way that they could have a Peloton bike in the tiny house. They thought it was probably impossible. But we made it happen – in order for a 5’10 woman to be able to stand on her Peloton bike, we needed to raise the roof in that spot.” 

Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes

Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes

“We also added a stunning window to the living room space. She is a yoga teacher who teaches online, so she wanted to have this feeling of being able to work outside and this beautiful room that is her zen space but also her work space. I could walk you through that whole home and point out every detail and tell you how each detail of this home, every single thing about it, is all about her. Down to the green velvet couch which is just that funky style side, that vibrant side of her. She wanted a style that was mid-century modern mansions and A-frame cabins blended into a tiny home. That’s exactly what it is.”

Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes

“I could walk you through that whole home and point out every detail and tell you how each detail of this home, every single thing about it, is all about her.”

Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes

“For another client, this meant stepping back a little bit. This client wanted a very Rocky Mountain vibe to her home and she wanted to do the interior herself. She really has a heart for spreading the wealth and hiring local. So, she wanted the interior finishing done locally in her area, using materials from her environment. We did the whole exterior, right up to spray foam insulation, utilities, and everything she needed, then handed it off to her. Now, she’s finishing it with her personal touches that are very much unique to her life, like the colours inspired by the rivers that she rafts on.”

A Scandinavian-style model as a blank canvas for your own look & feel.

“As you can see, the custom design process is extremely time intensive and only allows us to do a few builds a year. So, for people who don’t want to wait too long and are happy with a little bit less customization, we are offering a 28-foot model where we’ve taken all that we’ve learned so far in our journey and made that into what would be the most appropriate floor plan and style for our target demographic. It’s a modern Scandinavian style that gives our clients the opportunity to really play with the look and create something of their own.”

“It has a living room off the front with big windows, the same kitchen that you’ve seen in all of our tiny homes. Bathroom with the option for a shower or tub, either a composting or wall-mounted toilet. A washer-dryer combo. And, of course, tons of built-in creative storage solutions. A traditional set of stairs going up to the loft, where the loft is dropped all along the side of the bed, so you can stand up alongside the bed to get dressed, then just climb up onto the bed.”

Fritz Tiny Homes is not only a builder. Check out the Off The Fritz Podcast.

Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes

The Off the Fritz podcast, launched on December 2, 2021, is a new way for Heather and Kevin to connect with their audience and share some of the conversations that shape the tiny home lifestyle. 

“I think the podcast is going to catch people by surprise. They will probably come to the podcast expecting that it will be everything about tiny homes, that they will be educated on tiny homes or on issues surrounding them. And there is a component of that. But it’s actually more about intentional living. What we wanted to do was really dig into honest conversations with people that have chosen to live life more intentionally and a bit off the beaten path. So, not everybody we talked to lives in a tiny house. But these have been very neat and exciting conversations because we are speaking with really inspiring people who live from the heart, live from that place of value. The podcast can help serve the movement and our community as a whole.”

“So, for example, we talked with Christine Platt. She’s written a book on minimalism, but more from the perspective of the Black African diaspora. I love her work and her message of intentional living within minimalism. We talked with Zack Giffin from Tiny House Nation. His podcast was more about issues surrounding tiny houses and legalization and affordable housing. We talked with Alan from Dream Big Live Tiny, getting into questions like, “Who are the people behind these tiny home accounts on Instagram?” But also we are just talking with our friends that have a mountain biking Youtube channel, talking about how they were able to take that leap to align their jobs with their passion and how they found success.” 

The Fritz journey: meeting clients in a place of authenticity.

The Fritz family can also tell us a thing or two about following their passion and taking a leap. They started their tiny house building company in January 2020, just as COVID-19 made its appearance. Instead of being frightened away by the added uncertainty, they leaned in and followed their passion and their instinct on what people need.

“Kevin was a stair and railing designer and maker, so that’s where his design background comes from. And he was just working in multi-million dollar homes and his stairs and railings were being shipped all over North America. But we decided we were tired of working for somebody else and wanted to move our work into something meaningful where we could make a difference in others’ lives.” 

Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes

In the end, it’s all about making connections and building something meaningful together.

Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes

“We have four young kids and our lifestyle is very intentional, which means I can really meet my clients in that place of authenticity and creativity. In my experience, people interested in tiny homes or looking at tiny homes are people willing to think outside of the box. They’re often doing this because they care about the environment. They’re just a more caring person in general. They are often outdoorsy people who are focusing on health and wellness in their life. By sharing who we are as people, beyond the company, I think that’s where we can just connect.”

“In my experience, people interested in tiny homes are people willing to think outside of the box. They’re often doing this because they care about the environment. They’re just a more caring person in general. That’s where we can just connect.”