Just imagine living in a 175-square-foot home.
Micro-homes, or tiny homes as they are more widely known, are becoming increasingly popular, said Laura Maillet.
Maillet is the leader of the design team at Kent Homes that came up with their micro-homes adaptation.
“They’re irresistibly cute.”
People in North America live in some of the largest homes in the world with the fewest amounts of people in them, said Maillet.
“With that in mind, we wanted to get involved in the tiny home movement.”
Maillet has had a passion for the idyllic homes for more than a decade.
“My daughter got me hooked on the idea, so I thought why not try it here and play around with the idea.”
Just imagine living in a 175-square-foot home.
Micro-homes, or tiny homes as they are more widely known, are becoming increasingly popular, said Laura Maillet.
Maillet is the leader of the design team at Kent Homes that came up with their micro-homes adaptation.
“They’re irresistibly cute.”
People in North America live in some of the largest homes in the world with the fewest amounts of people in them, said Maillet.
“With that in mind, we wanted to get involved in the tiny home movement.”
Maillet has had a passion for the idyllic homes for more than a decade.
“My daughter got me hooked on the idea, so I thought why not try it here and play around with the idea.”
Maillet and her team began researching tiny homes: how to build them, design them and the requirements to do so.
“They are under a building code, just like any building, but the difference is that these are mobile. They aren’t planted into the ground.”
Like an RV, they can move place to place but they’re not as easy to lug around.
“They’re designed and built just like a house, but you can take them with you if you move or relocate.
“They don’t take up space. You’re not planting concrete in the ground. It definitely has an impact on your environmental footprint. I just love the idea of people evaluating their impact on the planet.”
Maillet’s micro-homes are 175 square feet but still include all of the systems of an apartment or full-sized house.
“You’re not giving up anything but space.”
Brent Lewis, the owner of Travellers Home Centre, and Lisa DesRoches, sale representative said micro-homes are a great idea.
“I think for the right person, they’re the perfect fit,” said DesRoches. “Some people like them as a cottage and others want to stay in them all the time.
“We’ve had lots of people stop by and ask to have a look at the home or simply just pull over on the highway to see what it is.
“Ideally I’d like to live in the south in the winter some time and on P.E.I. in the summer and I would totally stay in a micro-home.
Lewis said the popularity of the homes could only grow.
“I think you’re going to see more and more of them popping up.
“There is also an environmental incentive behind them. People are becoming more and more aware of their global footprint and want to reduce their impact on the planet. This is a way to do it,” said Lewis.
“Depending on the buyer’s taste and what they want, the micro-homes can be altered to fit what they want. We can take a design that is from another tiny home and work from there.”
Anyone wishing to see the micro-homes for themselves, can drop by the open house today (Nov. 19) between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Travellers Home Centre location on the Trans-Canada Highway in Borden-Carleton.
