It’s been nearly two decades since the tiny home concept was first popularized. Today, tiny homes are a growing movement across North America.

Generally speaking, tiny homes range between 100 and 500 square feet, the average being around 250 square feet.

For comparison’s sake, the median size of a new single-family home in the U.S. in 2021 was 2,273 square feet, according to realtor.com.

 Tiny homes are also different in that they’re usually built on wheels, providing portability similar to a mobile home.

“Multiple factors fuelled the growth of the miniature-house movement,” says Liz Alterman, a writer for realtor.com. “As thousands of people lost their homes due to unemployment or foreclosure during the 2007–08 financial crisis, many turned to tiny homes as an affordable alternative to a traditional house.”1

Since that time, the trend has gained appeal for reasons apart from affordability. Those looking to reduce their environmental impact see tiny homes as an excellent option. They also appeal to the minimalist since the lifestyle doesn’t allow for the accumulation of possessions.

In general, the trend towards downsizing has become entrenched with rising interest and inflation rates.

A website called Today’s Homeowner reports that tiny homes were a $21.9 billion market in America in 2024 and are expected to grow to $29.9 billion by 2033. In 2024, there were an estimated 10,000 tiny homes in the U.S. and these homeowners are expected to have a 45 percent lower ecological footprint than the average American.2

It’s no surprise then that the downsizing trend is showing up in Manitoba.

Tiny Homes on the Prairie

Tiny Homes on the Prairie is a Mitchell-based business founded by Jonathon and Elana Penner eight years ago. Their business serves as a way to address the growing demand for tiny homes while keeping the staff of their roofing company working year-round.

 At present, they build one tiny home per year, outsourcing for the trailer on which it sits and the trade skills they don’t have.

“If we advertised and really pushed it, we could be quite busy,” Elana Penner says. “We’d have to expand our company quite a bit because then it would be year-round.”

As it stands, they only build tiny homes that can be CSA-certified, a requirement of many banks and insurance companies. In order to get CSA approval, though, the tiny homes must be built indoors and the Penners only have one building on their property large enough to manage that.

 The Penners’ primary clients so far have been those who are looking to downsize from their homes and yards for practical reasons.

“It’s a lot of people who are just sick and tired of having to maintain a big house,” says Penner. “It’s usually empty nesters. They want the freedom that if, down the road, they decide to move to B.C., they can actually do that.”

But there are others who come to the Penners. These are cottage owners looking for portable guest suite options or those who are interested in an RV alternative for their seasonal camping site.

Still others are grandparents who want to move in next to their kids in order to help with childcare so the parents can keep working.

This January, Tiny Homes on the Prairie was represented at Winnipeg’s Renovations Show, held at the RBC Convention Centre. Penner says about 6,000 people toured their display model.

“You can tell immediately the crowd that it appeals to and the crowd that it does not,” Penner says. “It seemed to appeal more to the outdoorsy person. Because your home is so small, you do experience the outdoors more and that’s one of the reasons why it’s still more trendy in B.C., because it’s just not as cold in winter.”

The Penners offer six floor plans. They range in size from eight and ten feet in width and 30 to 40 feet in length. Prices can be anywhere from $140,000 for a very basic model up to $210,000. Many finishing options are available to provide personalization.

Penner imagines it won’t be long until tiny home communities begin popping up around the province. There is already one such community near Brandon.

As is so often the case with new trends, though, technology and demand gets ahead of legislation.

“The problem with a tiny home in a general neighbourhood is that municipalities have a minimum square footage for houses,” Penner says. “In a municipality like Niverville that’s close to the city, you have no idea how fast a [tiny home neighbourhood] would fill up.”

Ritchot and Niverville Bylaws

Tanis Klippenstein is the planning officer for Ritchot. She says the RM’s single- or two-family dwellings must be a minimum of 700 square feet, significantly larger than the average tiny home.

“Most tiny homes fall under the definition of a mobile home based on the way they are constructed,” Klippenstein says. “[They would be] required to be built as per the CSA standard… If a tiny home is built on a permanent foundation, the tiny home would need to meet all the requirements within the Manitoba Building Code (MBC) for a single-family dwelling. A vast majority of tiny homes do not meet the MBC requirements for required plumbing, minimum ceiling heights, minimum room sizes, etc.”

If the tiny home is constructed under mobile home parameters, she adds, there are still very few zones in Ritchot that allow for them, although a conditional use permit could be sought from council.

According to Niverville CAO Eric King, council recently scaled back on their minimum residential unit requirement, dropping it from 800 to 600 square feet. Even so, it’s still a far cry from the average 250-square-foot tiny home.

Apart from new developments, there are few to no places for a tiny home in Niverville. Developments are designed by developers who seek approval from council on the development plan which typically follows closely with the town’s pre-existing bylaws as well as market demands.

To date, King says that Niverville developers have yet to ask council to consider special zoning for tiny homes.

“[If] someone comes to us and says, ‘I want to use these 20 acres [for a tiny home neighbourhood],’ well, that starts the conversation,” King says. “It does take time to change the zoning bylaw. It doesn’t happen overnight. We need to have our engagement with the community and then create a zone specific to tiny homes.”

As for an individual who wants to purchase a new lot with the intention of building a tiny home on it, King says it would likely not pass design controls set by the developer, whose main interest is in creating a very specific aesthetic throughout the development.

Addressing Homelessness

When speaking about the tiny home neighbourhood concept, King isn’t completely unfamiliar. In recent months, he flew to Fredericton to attend a conference on sustainable communities.

A portion of that event included a tour of 12 Neighbours, a tiny home community built under the auspices of a charitable organization by the same name. The neighbourhood was created as a means of reducing poverty and homelessness.

Today, 96 tiny homes sit in neat little rows on a parcel of land donated by 12 Neighbours founder and president Marcel LeBrun.

LeBrun, a former computer engineer and software entrepreneur, sold his company and invested $13 million into creating the 12 Neighbours community.

The community offers far more than just housing. Full wraparound services include retail shops which provide jobs for residents as well as training workshops where they can learn trades.

As well, there are addiction and mental health supports to help residents get back on their feet.

While homelessness isn’t a big problem in Niverville—yet—King says that tiny home communities could serve as a reasonable option for those trying to get by on lower payscales.

“Where does someone making minimum wage live in our community right now?” King asks. “I can’t regulate the price of [apartment suites] for people who are working at Dairy Queen or McDonalds. And them driving out from Winnipeg isn’t helping our community and isn’t actually [helping those employees get ahead].”

Because the appearance of a tiny home can resemble that of a mobile home, King says a tiny home neighbourhood might be a hard sell to Niverville residents due to the stigma that comes with trailer parks.

Even so, council is not in the business of competing with developers, so the first step to a tiny home neighbourhood would have to be taken by a developer.

Building Your Own Tiny Home

Alexa Sawatzky is a former resident of Niverville and tiny home enthusiast. Sawatzky and her partner Harrison, along with Sawatzky’s father, began their tiny home project about a year ago.

“It started as a dream probably ten years ago,” Sawatzky says. “I don’t think I took the idea seriously until 2019 when I was finishing college and thinking about my next steps. I’ve always been inspired by alternative styles of living. For a long time, I imagined myself living in a van or a school bus. But I discovered tiny homes on YouTube and I think the uniqueness of the different builds really drew me in.”

Financial freedom is one of the motivating factors, she says, as well as having the option to park it until a piece of land is purchased.

“Obviously, building a tiny home requires a large initial investment, but you can buy materials second-hand or find ways to recycle materials that keep costs much lower than building new,” Sawatzky adds. “In the end, our home will cost my partner and me around the same as a downpayment on a regular home, only we’ll be mortgage- and rent-free.”

Sawatzky, her partner, and her father designed their tiny home from the ground up, based on personal preferences gleaned from hours and hours of scouring the internet. This includes the trailer on which it sits.

Once complete, their tiny home will fit into the “average” category, at around 250 square feet of space, including the mezzanine where the bedroom will be located.

So far Sawatzky isn’t too concerned about sharing the compact living space with a partner and their dog. It won’t be much different, she says, than apartment living.

It will provide a way for the couple to get out of the city, eventually, and live off the grid using solar power and a composting toilet.

“We anticipate that one day we’ll have land where we can spread out and experiment with other types of alternative living,” she says. “Maybe a shipping container for the home gym and a yurt for the guests. We’re excited to eventually explore different opportunities like these.”

One thing Sawatzky and her dad have made sure of is that her tiny home will be Manitoba winter-friendly. Two layers of insulation and in-floor heat will help keep the chill out. A small woodstove will complement the heat source for a cozier ambience.

“Building the tiny home ourselves has been really empowering. We’re learning so many new skills and developing our sense of self sufficiency. It’s also been a great way to connect with family, especially my dad who has put a ton of energy into the home and has made the whole process so much more meaningful.”