Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

A Canadian Couple Launch a Tiny Home Company With a Clever 268-Square-Foot Dwelling

A Canadian Couple Launch a Tiny Home Company With a Clever 268-Square-Foot Dwelling

Connoisseurs of living tiny, Heather and Kevin Fritz started their own design-build business to offer truly custom solutions.

Long before Heather and Kevin Fritz started building and designing tiny homes under the moniker Fritz Tiny Homes in Spruce Grove, Canada, they lived in a micro dwelling of their own. At the time, the couple were hunkering down in a converted Edmonton city bus while building a larger home. "We knew we wanted four children, and opening our home to others and hosting community dinners and events is very important to us," says Heather. "With that said, living tiny taught us about living simply and intentionally and how incredibly freeing and life-giving it is."

The Fritzes fondly remember the bed tucked between two emergency exit windows, which they kept open at night. "We could feel cool breezes cross over us, and there were the sounds of frogs, crickets, and rainfall on the tin roof," says Heather.



Heather and Kevin Fritz’s first project as Fritz Tiny Homes was a 268-square-foot dwelling sided with standing-seam metal and wood-textured aluminum. "Metal siding assures a maintenance-free exterior regardless of exposure," says Kevin.

Now, almost 16 years after their home on wheels, Heather and Kevin now have four children and a hobby farm that allows the family to spend time together outdoors tending to the gardens, chickens, goats, and ducks. They haven’t forgotten their roots, however: in 2019, they walked away from their jobs and launched their own tiny home company, armed with Kevin’s experience building custom high-end homes.



Heather and Kevin sit on a custom sofa in the living room, which features a bank of drawers underneath for storage. Above, a WarmlyYours mirror emits radiant heat and helps warm the tiny home.



Douglas fir paneling and ceiling beams punctuate the crisp white space, complementing Baltic birch plywood cabinetry and white oak countertops in the kitchen.

"We’re specifically interested in designing and building tiny homes because we like the idea of distilled design and making every square inch of space count," Heather explains.

Fritz Tiny Homes doesn’t offer customers models to choose from; instead, the company focuses on highly tailored solutions that will last for the long haul. "We could put out five models that reflect our ideas, and they might be 90% effective for someone, but when you’re working with under 400 square feet, 10% that’s inefficient might mean that a home won’t work for long," says Heather.

"It’s more creative," Kevin adds about the process. "Every person is a new client to get to know. It’s just fun and interesting to figure out how to give people a very efficient home with all the things they want and need."



A short hall connects the kitchen to the bathroom and holds integrated shelving, a wardrobe, and an electrical box. The open stair treads leading up to the sleeping loft save on space and keep sight lines open.

To get their burgeoning business off the ground, the Fritzes started by building their first tiny home sans client to "show people what we’re capable of," says Kevin. Constructed for roughly $160,000, the 268-square-foot tiny home is clad in black standing-seam metal and aluminum with a wood-like look. Varied rooflines lend architectural interest, and nine triple-pane windows flood the interior with sunlight while a layer of rigid insulation helps with efficient heating and cooling.



Pantry storage and a washer/dryer unit are tucked beside the sliding door that accesses the bathroom. "There's additional storage inside the sliding door," Heather says.

Inside, Douglas fir paneling and ceiling beams punctuate the crisp white space, complementing Baltic birch plywood cabinetry and white oak countertops in the kitchen. Every square inch has been considered: In the living room, a custom sofa is set atop a bank of drawers that offer deep storage, and the white oak staircase that leads to the sleeping loft features a left-right tread system that is half as wide as a typical staircase. The open treads don’t interfere with light or sight lines, and underneath the staircase are an integrated wardrobe, shelving, and electrical box.



A soaking tub with a rain shower head provides a sense of luxury in the bathroom, where a concrete wall, flooring, and vanity counter offset a white oak vanity and more Douglas fir paneling. "Glass beads were added to the concrete before it was poured," Kevin tells us. "This lightens the weight of the concrete by 37% and adds R-value."



Another WarmlyYours mirror in the bathroom heats the home.

The Fritz tiny home prioritizes health and sustainability as well. Two ember infrared radiant heat mirrors by WarmlyYours-one in the living area, and one in the bathroom-warm up the quarters. "The mirrors are on a thermostat and are the main heat source due to the incredibly efficient building envelope," explains Kevin. An energy recovery ventilator in the bathroom draws fresh air into the home through a ceramic core that heats or cools the stream depending on the season. "It makes for a healthier environment, extends the life of the home, and is 93% percent effective in terms of heat loss," says Kevin.



To create additional headspace in the sleeping loft, the Fritzes devised an inset in the Douglas fir flooring that accommodates a mattress. The backlit headboard and built-in storage that flank the bed are also made of Douglas fir.



On either side of the bed, custom cabinets store clothes, and have USB ports to charge devices.



"The white oak loft railing allows for open sight lines and creates a more spacious feel for the loft bedroom," Kevin says.



Each tiny home the Fritzes design and build is branded with the company logo on the front door wood handle.

The couple’s first build was such a success that they found a buyer before the home was complete. "Now we have a few new builds on the horizon there are tailored to each customer," says Kevin; one client is a woman who wants a separate office space, and another wants to feature her Peloton bike.

"The tiny home movement is full of people who are out-of-the-box thinkers-people who are value-driven and seem to see life a touch differently-and that perspective really resonates with us," says Heather.



"We give every client a questionnaire," Kevin says. "The first question asks what they need in their home. No compromise. The second question asks what they want in their home. And the third question asks what would blow their mind. At the end of the day, I’m looking to fit all of those things into their tiny home."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×