Photos: Tiny homes fair offers a new way of living in Hamilton

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Published July 28, 2023 at 12:20 pm

COURTESY ACORN TINY HOMES
COURTESY ACORN TINY HOMES

A luxury spa bathroom with a Victorian-style slipper tub, Japanese toilet with a bidet and heated seat, and a custom-made preserved moss wall.

A kitchen with retro appliances, a solar fridge and a dedicated tea station with floating shelves. 

Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves with a rolling library ladder.

For $370,000, you can live in what’s been described as a luxury, custom-designed home — an “oversized” tiny one on wheels that has a purple theme and is designed to be partially off grid.

The 530-square-feet, medieval-inspired “Purple Heart Manor” is one of the 20 homes, bunkies, cabins and trailers featured at this weekend’s Tiny Homes Show in Ancaster.

COURTESY ACORN TINY HOMES

COURTESY ACORN TINY HOMES

COURTESY ACORN TINY HOMES

COURTESY ACORN TINY HOMES

For three days starting Friday (July 28),  people can speak with builders, learn from expert speakers about zoning, permitting, parking, designing, building, powering and registering their tiny homes, and explore the spaces for themselves. The event is happening, rain or shine.

Toronto-based Acorn Tiny Homes built this tiny home trailer, dubbed Purple Heart Manor, to be 43 feet long and 10 feet and six inches wide.

Such tiny homes may attract people who want to downsize, live a more minimalist lifestyle or find something more affordable or unique.

Ed Peterson, founder and director of operations for the Tiny Town Association, said in an email to hamilton.insauga.com that typical residents of tiny homes are singles, couples, single parent and young families, empty nesters, seniors, veterans and people living with disabilities. Tiny Town Association is a non-profit advocacy group that hopes to expand affordable housing options across Canada.

Tiny homes can cost from $85,000 to $250,000, he noted.

He said tiny homes are affordable and “easy to maintain,” though it could be a challenge to find a location.

While he doesn’t feel tiny housing is the solution to the affordable housing crisis, he said “I feel it can be part of the solution.”

D’Arcy McNaughton, co-owner Acorn Tiny Homes, started his building company in 2020. He said tiny homes are gaining more appeal in Ontario for people who are looking to own their home that is more affordable and even unique. He noted the starting price of a traditional starter home could be $500,000. With an aging population and young families facing a housing supply crunch, tiny homes could help meet the need for affordable housing since they could be built faster, he said.

“The price points are significantly lower than any property,” he said about tiny homes in a phone interview with hamilton.insauga.com.

He said his company offers more choices and customization for “four-season, livable” tiny homes that are certified as a permanent home and exceed Ontario building code for insulation. For those reasons, their homes may be higher in price than other tiny homes. His company sells tiny homes ranging from $150,000 for smaller homes to $250,000 for a premium, luxury custom home. Tiny homes his company builds can be on wheels and foundation. They can be as small as 8.5 feet by 24 feet or as big as 10.5 feet by 43 feet, he said.

“A lot of people can benefit from tiny homes,” he said. “So many options in this industry now allow us to meet the needs of people from all walks of life.” Tiny homes like the ones his company offers provide “permanent, year-round livability.”

He said there’s a huge misconception of tiny homes being like the Trailer Park Boys, a Canadian mockumentary TV series that featured low-income characters. “But that’s not what tiny house living is, this is a solution to the affordable housing crisis,” he said, noting he, his wife and child live in a tiny home themselves on family land in Toronto. “These are beautiful homes, many designed to fit directly into the community.”

COURTESY TEACUP TINY HOMES

COURTESY TEACUP TINY HOMES

COURTESY TEACUP TINY HOMES

COURTESY TEACUP TINY HOMES

Alberta-based Teacup Tiny Homes, another exhibitor at the fair, said its homes are “permanent tiny residences that are luxurious and affordable.” On its website, it said the tiny homes are installed on foundation and designed according to the Ontario Building Code.

It noted that municipal bylaws and provincial guidelines are increasingly accommodating tiny homes due to the current housing crisis. 

At the Tiny Homes Show in Ancaster, admission is free for children 12 and under.

A single day pass  is $25 during the show ($22 in advance).

A three-day pass is $45 during the show ($38 in advance).

Those coming with a group of at least 10 people are asked to contact organizers: [email protected]

The event is at Ancaster Fairgrounds (630 Trinity Rd. in Jerseyville). The indoor expo is in Marritt Hall. Home models are outdoors in Heritage Square.

Free parking is available.

Except for service dogs, dogs are not allowed at the show.

Food and beverages will be on sale.

The following is the show schedule: 

  • Friday, July 28:  9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 29: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Sunday, July 30:  10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
COURTESY ACORN TINY HOMES

COURTESY ACORN TINY HOMES

 

COURTESY ACORN TINY HOMES

COURTESY ACORN TINY HOMES

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