Versatile tiny homes provide unique lifestyle on a limited budget

Mark Kirk sold his house, moved to Calgary, and only then realized how much stuff he really owned, and how little of it he regularly used. This revelation – along with his desire for a career change – led Kirk to start his own tiny-homebuilding business, Blackbird Tiny Homes.

These homes are called "tiny" for a reason, measuring between 120 square feet and 420 square feet. Kirk says that while tiny homes have been around for close to a decade in the United States – and are the subject of more than one HGTV series – they're a relatively new option for Albertans.

City needs to pave the way for small housing option

If Tiny House Hunters, the compact-sized spin-off of HGTV's hit show House Hunters, is anything to go by, tiny homes may be coming to a neighbourhood near you. That is, if the neighbourhoods near you are in the United States.

Up north, however, the question of whether tiny houses will be fully embraced by Calgarians is up for debate.

With their limited size – usually around 400 sq. ft. or less – tiny houses often come at a fraction of the price of their traditional counterparts. Though prices vary from builder to builder, Kijiji listings for tiny homes for sale in the Calgary area range from about $17,000 to $39,000.