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“These are popular with families, those who want that extra space, and extra storage. Also with those who want the standup bedroom (quite literally a bedroom you can stand up in), and for those who don’t want to go really tiny,” he says.

Because Mint Tiny Homes are on wheels, they don’t require foundations or any hookups, says McBride. They can be used the moment they’re driven onto a property.

“Our walls are insulated to R21. We use a closed cell spray foam, and they’re very highly insulated. Much higher than a regular RV. As for heating and cooling and things like that, we have lots of options from air conditioning to heating. You can heat with propane, or you can heat with electric,” he says.

When it comes to the finishes they use, McBride says they’re designed to look like a home, not an RV, and this really translates in their resale value.

Photo by Courtesy of Hewing Haus

The demand for tiny homes, he says, is growing — from tiny homes in backyards, to people buying an acreage and putting a tiny home on it.

“If you look at the U.S., and California, there’s a new city every month opening up its bylaws for tiny homes. Even Oregon and Texas. More and more cities are becoming tiny-home friendly,” he says.

Speed of construction, and homes that are guaranteed to be good quality in terms of engineering, construction and insulation, is all part of the appeal of modular, factory-built tiny homes, says Daniel Engelman, president of Edmonton’s Honomobo, which makes prefab shipping container homes.