Tiny Home and a Tiny Footprint in Toronto

Pricing

Tori and Meghan mention that “the exorbitant price of real estate in the greater Toronto area forced us to look at alternative options. Knowing that most traditional houses were too large for us, we decided that a Tiny House would suit all of our needs while carrying a much smaller price tag in comparison to a condo or apartment.”

According to co-founder Jean-Phillipe, the company has built 12 custom tiny homes, and the average price fora turnkey Minimaliste home, including all the appliances and furniture, is around $120,000 Canadian Dollars, or $90,000 U.S. dollars. For Tori and Meghan, they found that finding financing was a bit of challenge. “We were lucky enough to have a great financial agent who helped us with the process and made it possible,” they said. “We think as tiny houses become more popular, mainstream financial institutions will make it easier to secure a loan.” 

While the price tag was certainly one area of interest for Tori and Meghan, The Ébène also filled their expectations in terms of interior space and livability. Because they weren’t planning to move the home as a tiny house on wheels, they opted for a wider trailer to maximize the interior living space.

Characteristics of The Ébène

The Ébène has a beautiful exterior that combines the Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique of preserving and waterproofing wood through charring the wood with other natural cedar finishes. As with other tiny homes, the interior space is designed to be flexible. The living room can easily be transformed into a larger dining room when company arrives for dinner. When asked about the favorite part of their tiny home, Meghan said that it was “hard to choose, but I would say our kitchen and our living room, as those are two places we spend most of our time. And Minimaliste did an amazing job bringing our vision to life.”

For the two adults and two miniature Dachshunds that share the home, the lofted king-size bedroom above the living room includes built-in cabinetry for closet storage spaces. The full-sized, high-tech kitchen is complete with a convection oven, a ceramic glass cooktop, a microwave, and a refrigerator/freezer combo. There is even a large pantry for kitchen storage options.

The bathroom has a shower and tub surrounded by sleek Muraluxe wall panels and a side-by-side high efficiency, Bosch Series 300 washer and dryer—ENERGY STAR qualified to save energy and money. The second lofted area is placed smartly above the bathroom, with a ladder for easy access that doesn’t reduce interior space.

Getting used to their tiny home took some time. Tori and Meghan explain that “the biggest challenge has been learning the ins and outs of our specific tiny house. Getting to know the appliances and the nuances of tiny house living, and knowing that we have different issues than a regular foundation house” have been some of the challenges. However, they have also learned the art of “being patient when issues do arrive.”

Once you have settled on a design that you love, however, you will be able to say, like Tori and Meghan, that “living in a tiny house has been an amazing experience, and I look forward to waking up every morning in my house.”