Scott Smythe, president of central Alberta-based Tree Hugger Tiny Homes, at the Red Deer Home Show on Mar. 7, 2020. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

optimism remains

Biggest Red Deer Home Show ever features pint-sized residences

Mar 8, 2020 | 12:02 PM

More than 270 businesses took part in this year’s Red Deer Home Show, which organizers say makes it the largest ever.

One unique company at this year’s show was central Alberta-based Tree Hugger Tiny Homes, which recently launched. President Scott Smythe says the industry is going through what could be classified as a “tiny home revolution.”

“Coming out of the residential industry, which was very slow, I wasn’t really happy with the position I was in, so I looked for something else. I could’ve become another of the million builders building spec houses in central Alberta, sitting on them for six to eight months of a year,” Smythe explains. “Then I had an ah-ha moment where wheels all of a sudden opened my market to Canada and northwestern United States.”

Most tiny homes are on wheels, he notes, which allows the home to be moved quite easily.

“It’s a huge trend. The way people are living and looking at living is completely changing,” Smythe says. “The lifestyle of minimalism goes hand in hand with this; you have to lose some stuff to live this lifestyle.”

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(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

While to some that may seem daunting, there are numerous advantages to living in one of Smythe’s 400 square foot spaces. They include lower land costs, property taxes and utility expenses, and less likelihood for someone to go into deep personal debt, all things which could lead to more family and/or travel time.

The unit Smythe presented at the home show costs $102,000 retail, and includes one bedroom, though they can be custom-built to fit one’s needs or dream vision.

“The foundation is a trailer rather than concrete, it’s wood framing, wood sheeting, and spray foam insulation, which would be better than a traditional house, and then usually the finishes are a little more higher-end, so granite countertops, hardwood floors, and solid wood finishing.”

He also mentioned in a presentation that the average American home is about 2400 square feet with an average of 2.5 people/household. In 1950, the average home was 980 square feet with an average of 4.3 people.

People 50+ are the most common in the tiny home market right now. Smythe shares that the City of Red Deer has expressed to him that they are looking at zoning regulations for tiny homes.

Emily Damberger, the City’s planning manager, says changes may be unnecessary as tiny homes could fit under the same regulations for trailers. She says whether a neighbourhood full of tiny homes could ever pop up in Red Deer would depend on if a developer came forward with a proposal.

Andrew Wiebe, President for BILD Central Alberta, which hosts the home show, says the rise of tiny homes is not a bad thing for traditional home builders.

“It’s a different market. If you can build a big home, you can build a small home. Most builders will do it all and can adapt,” says Wiebe. “It’s a pre-manufactured home, and we’ve always had those, so it’s not a threat to traditional builders, but it is fascinating to see, particularly the media coverage of it. There are YouTube channels, with millions of subscribers, devoted to the tiny home movement.”

A year ago, Wiebe said there was a sense of optimism at the home show, which hasn’t gone away.

“The economy was tough last year. We didn’t see a recovery. I don’t think that sense of optimism is gone; we have the largest show we’ve ever put on. We had to release more booths because we sold out, and then those sold out,” Wiebe says. “I think local businesses are saying we can’t just wait in the store for people to come through our front door, we have to get out and meet people.”

Energy efficient renovations, such as solar, as well as landscaping projects, continue to be top of mind for many attendees at the Red Deer Home Show, he said.

Last July, BILD reported 18 total housing starts in central Alberta, an increase from 11 in July 2018. Year-to-date totals showed 184 starts, up from 93 in the first seven months of 2018. There were 244 in all of 2019, down from 272 in 2018.

That total is also below the three-year average of 282, the five-year average of 383, and the ten-year average of 527. Sales of newly built homes also dropped 14.6 per cent in 2019 compared to 2018.

BILD’s latest housing report from February 2020 shows seven housing starts took place in January, down from 20 a year ago.