{"id":563016,"date":"2023-01-25T17:48:28","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T14:48:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-one-ontario-couple-downsized-into-a-tiny-home-on-vancouver-island-2\/"},"modified":"2023-01-25T17:48:28","modified_gmt":"2023-01-25T14:48:28","slug":"how-one-ontario-couple-downsized-into-a-tiny-home-on-vancouver-island-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-one-ontario-couple-downsized-into-a-tiny-home-on-vancouver-island-2\/","title":{"rendered":"#How one Ontario couple downsized into a tiny home on Vancouver Island"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3e2e0868235\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3e2e0868235\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-one-ontario-couple-downsized-into-a-tiny-home-on-vancouver-island-2\/#%E2%80%9CHow_one_Ontario_couple_downsized_into_a_tiny_home_on_Vancouver_Island%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;How one Ontario couple downsized into a tiny home on Vancouver Island&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CHow_one_Ontario_couple_downsized_into_a_tiny_home_on_Vancouver_Island%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;How one Ontario couple downsized into a tiny home on Vancouver Island&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n                            The pair gave up plenty of possessions to move into a modern 360-square-foot tiny home near Victoria.\n                        <\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Ashleigh Trahan and<\/span> Elyse Wellhauser met on Hinge in December of 2020. At the time, Wellhauser was working in oncology research and lived with her cat, Neema, in a 1,500-square-foot Kitchener apartment. Trahan, an HR rep, owned a four-bedroom house in Kincardine, Ontario, which she\u2019d previously shared with an ex. She was ready to downsize, but thanks to pandemic price surges, she knew she\u2019d have to pay more for a rental condo than her current mortgage. She soon fell down a rabbit hole of tiny-home videos on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>. \u201cIt seemed like an interesting way to live,\u201d Trahan says. She ran the idea past Wellhauser, whom she\u2019d only been seeing for a few weeks. \u201cI said, \u2018That sounds like a great idea for you!\u2019\u2009\u201d Wellhauser recalls. Neither had any idea that, within nine months, they\u2019d be cohabitating within 360 square feet.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/api.fintelconnect.com\/t\/l\/63f6287eb85d5f001b442ce3\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1244105 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Nesto-NativeAd-MAC.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Trahan got in touch with Heather and Kevin Fritz, the Alberta-based husband-and-wife design team behind Fritz Tiny Homes. The Fritzes\u2019 own stint living in a converted city bus inspired them to launch their business, which specializes in luxury custom dwellings under 400 square feet\u2014most of them on wheels. <\/span>Trahan came with a $200,000 budget and a list of must-haves: space to ride her Peloton bike, ceilings high <span class=\"s2\">enough to clear her five-foot-ten frame, a workspace, and room for another person\u2014<\/span>one day. For inspiration, <span class=\"s2\">she gave the Fritzes photos of mid-cen<\/span>tury mansions and A-frame cabins, which she admits was entirely impractical. As the build progressed, Wellhauser began weighing in on Trahan\u2019s design choices, and the home started to feel like theirs. Wellhauser decided to jump in. \u201cWe\u2019re both 35,\u201d she says, \u201cand I thought Ashleigh was the one worth taking the chance on.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1243064\" style=\"width: 1930px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"wp-image-1243064 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/living-room.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1282\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">This emerald Article sofa stores even more seating (like stools and chairs) underneath<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">The first leg of the couple\u2019s adventure was foiled by Ontario\u2019s complex bylaws. Only a handful of municipalities allow tiny homes, and most RV parks aren\u2019t zoned for them. Trahan and Wellhauser\u2019s move-out dates were fast <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roaching, and they had nowhere to go. On a whim, Trahan put in an application at an RV-slash-tiny-home community near Victoria, B.C. They secured a spot for $700 a month and sold most of their belongings. Wellhauser had to find a new home for Neema. \u201cIt was like doing an archaeological dig of our lives,\u201d says Trahan. \u201cWe were like, \u2018How are we going to live without all this stuff?\u2019 Now I don\u2019t remember what we were worried about.\u201d <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em><strong>READ:\u00a0<\/strong>How a N.S. physician turned artist put down new roots on family land<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_1243065\" style=\"width: 1282px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"wp-image-1243065 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/bathroom-e1674592882441.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1272\" height=\"1545\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The bathroom maxes out at 34 square feet, enough to comfortably fit two people\u2014\u201cif one is showering,\u201d Wellhauser says<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>By October of 2021, Wellhauser and Trahan <span class=\"s2\">were in the finished space, which came in just under budget. It\u2019s a treasure chest of space-saving hacks. An Article sofa sits atop custom storage drawers that hold a table they unpack for dinner parties. (They can comfortably host four, but 15 people once crammed in for a housewarming.) Every riser in the narrow staircase hides a drawer where they keep kitchen gear. A walnut cabinet, which pulls out to reveal a mini coat closet, conceals the wheel well. And the ceiling in Trahan\u2019s microgym is coffered to accommodate her full height when she\u2019s standing on her Peloton. Douglas fir panels and giant angular windows channel the A-frame of Trahan\u2019s dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1243069\" style=\"width: 1292px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"wp-image-1243069 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/stairs.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1282\" height=\"1920\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Each of the tiny staircase\u2019s risers contains a compartment packed with kitchen gear<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">There are some annoyances to tiny-home life. A single 20-pound propane tank fuels the stove, warms the water and heats the floors. If the tank runs out on a chilly night, either Trahan or Wellhauser has to schlep outside to change it. There\u2019s also very little privacy, a fact they quickly learned when they both attempted to work from home. After a brief sabbatical, Wellhauser returned to oncology and now commutes; Trahan works less than she did back in Ontario, in part because her workstation doubles as the dinner-prep area. But for all their space constraints, life for the couple feels more expansive than ever before.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em><strong>MORE:\u00a0<\/strong> How a B.C. couple turned a shipping container into their dream home<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_1243066\" style=\"width: 1930px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"wp-image-1243066 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/bedroom.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1282\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trahan and Wellhauser\u2019s bed is level with the loft\u2019s windows, giving them an enviably cozy view of sunrises and stars<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_1243070\" style=\"width: 1930px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"wp-image-1243070 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/outdoor-chairs.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1282\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Encircled by cedar trees, Trahan and Wellhauser feel much more connected to nature<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>This article appears in print in the February 2023 issue of<\/em> Maclean\u2019s <em>magazine. Buy the issue for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/canadianmags.ca\/collections\/macleans-single-issues\">$9.99<\/a> or better yet, subscribe to the monthly print magazine for just\u00a0$39.99<\/em>.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1242897 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/FebCover-e1673528760807.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"666\" height=\"895\"\/><em>This article contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/macleans.ca\/economy\/realestateeconomy\/habitat-tiny-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;How one Ontario couple downsized into a tiny home on Vancouver Island&#8221; The pair gave up plenty of possessions to move into a modern 360-square-foot tiny home near Victoria. Ashleigh Trahan and Elyse Wellhauser met on Hinge in December of 2020. At the time, Wellhauser was working in oncology research and lived with her cat,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":563017,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/outdoor-766x431.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[132744,119136,77158],"class_list":["post-563016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-habitat","tag-tiny-home","tag-victoria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=563016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/563017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=563016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=563016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=563016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}