Why live tiny in Canada?

In a nutshell, here’s what it’s all about. 

The tiny home movement has really taken off in the past decade, moving from the realm of brave rebels and sexy outlaws into the mainstream. While tiny homes are much more popular in warmer climates (and friendlier zoning by-laws) of our neighbours to the south, you will be seeing more tiny homes in Canada in the near future. 

So, if you’re not living in a tiny home just yet, here’s where you are missing out!

Financial security is a big one.

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The main, number one, very important reason why people are choosing to live tiny is that tiny homes are much cheaper than conventional homes. This means less money going towards your mortgage, utilities, and home maintenance. More money for the rest of your life. If you consider the chunk of your income currently going towards your mortgage (if you are one of the lucky ones able to snag a house in this hot real estate market), you will understand the draw of the tiny home. So, let’s take that apart a little bit:

A tiny home is way cheaper than a conventional home.

A newly built, custom, tiny home in Canada costs about $100,000, or between $70,000 and 150,000, depending on the bells and whistles you choose to include or omit. This is A LOT cheaper than buying a conventional home in most parts of Canada, as currently, the average home price in the country is over $600,000. 

Now, there’s a bit more to it because, of course, a tiny home does not come with land. But even then, you will most likely be way ahead on the cost of buying a conventionally-sized home. 

As tiny houses become more popular in Canada, you will also start seeing more “used” tinies being sold by their previous owners. This will give you even more affordable options. 

The other side of the cost conversation is that tiny homes are just so much cheaper to maintain and heat/cool. For example, ff you need to replace the roof of your home, you won’t have to get a second job, since your roof is tiny as well. The ongoing expenses of home ownership are significantly reduced.  

The benefits of a simplified life.

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When you embrace the minimalist philosophy of tiny living, more benefits await. 

A tiny home’s floor space is not conducive to mindless spending and buying things you don’t need. Chances are, you will need to pare down in a big way when you move into a tiny house – and you’ll have to keep your possessions minimal on a permanent basis. A tiny house will keep you from having to buy furniture for rooms you rarely use, and from getting carried away shopping just because you’re bored. The less you need to buy, the less time you will spend shopping, the more time for everything else! 

Mobility.

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Although not all tiny homes are on wheels, many are. They offer a fully functional house that you can move if needed by hitching it to a regular pickup truck. So, if you move often for work, or even find yourself in an emergency situation involving forest fires or risk of flooding, you can move your home to a different location relatively easily. 

A benefit to society as a whole: ecological footprint.

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All the above benefits to the tiny home dweller also offer a benefit to Canada as a whole. Tiny homes are already more ecological based on their size – there is less energy required to heat them and less building materials are needed to build them. Additionally, smaller dwellings can be placed closer together, increasing the density and walkability of cities and reducing traffic. The small footprint naturally reduces consumerism and waste as well – there is only so much stuff you can fit in a tiny house. Finally, tiny house buyers often go for sustainable lifestyle options, such as solar panels, non-flush toilets, electric or propane heating, etc. With smaller scale and mobile living, these options become more practical as compared to conventional homes. 

Life on your own terms.

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All of the above benefits come together to form the most important quality of tiny home living – building a life that makes sense for you. Tiny home dwellers are able to escape the runaway real estate markets, cookie-cutter developments, and wasteful conventional lifestyles to build a life and home that is uniquely suited to them. The ability to live well with less is the essence of tiny living.