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United States Toe-Kick Heaters and Ikea Counters Come Stock With These $165K Tiny Homes
Welcome to Tiny Home Profiles, an interview series with people pushing the limits of living small. From space-saving hacks to flexible floor plans, here’s what they say makes for the best tiny homes on the planet. Know of a builder we should talk to? Reach out.
Minimaliste was founded in 2015 to address a gap in the tiny home market. "Everything that existed at the time was designed for hot countries. We wanted to make houses that were designed to withstand the cold here in Quebec," says company cofounder Jean-Philippe Marquis. According to him, the idea was a popular one. "We had barely put our first images online before emails from customers started pouring in by the dozen every week," he told Le Journal de Montréal in an interview last year. Here, he shares what the excitement surrounding Minimaliste is all about.
Minimaliste fabricates ten mobile models, as well as five ADUs exclusive to Canada. Their most spacious offering in the standard line, the 400-square-foot Charme houses one enclosed bedroom and two lofted sleeping areas.
What’s the most exciting project you’ve realized to date?
Our most exciting project would be our first Noyer model. It was designed for a corporate photographer in California who also owns a blog about tiny living. I think the most important element in this project was the upraised living area with eight-foot-deep drawers beneath it, along with a backsplash with a pattern that matches a vase that belonged to her grandmother.
One of the company’s more popular models, the Noyer is made to sleep up to three people. In this tiny home, the living area was raised to allow for deep, eight-foot drawers to tuck underneath.
Minimaliste offers three different finishes for their stone polymer composite floors. The structural insulated panels used for the walls are clad with white-painted engineered wood. Accent walls can be added to either end of the unit for $600.
What qualities make your tiny home stand apart from the rest?
From design to construction, we put a lot of thought into each and every aspect of the build. We strive to make no compromises when it comes to durability and energy efficiency. Using top-quality materials comes at a price, but it is also what our customers are looking for.
The ceiling in this tiny home’s living space is clad in stained knotted pine. The default countertops, sourced from Ikea, can be upgraded to a butcher block for $1,600 or quartz for $2,000. As pictured here, the standard flat doors were switched to shaker-style cabinets for $400.
What does your base model cost and what does that pricing include?
Our base models vary from $68,000 USD to $165,000 USD and from 200 square feet (travel trailer size) to 400 square feet (park model size). We include high-end finishes and all built-in appliances (oven and cooktop). The options list for each model is available on our website.
Outside of the offered customizations, Minimaliste fields requests for bespoke details. In this model, part of the kitchen backsplash was altered to feature the same blue floral pattern as a vase that belonged to the client's grandmother.
What aspects of the design can a client customize?
With our standard models, customers can select one of our three color schemes for the wooden accents and flooring, countertop finishes, and a lot of different options for the appliances and equipment, depending on the available services and utilities on the land where the house will be installed.
The slatting dividing the bedroom from the living area is usually straight, but was stylized here for the client.
The bathroom ceilings are lined with stained and varnished cedar. The standard flushing toilet can be swapped out for a composting alternative for around $2,000. Other bathroom add-ons include a bathtub for $600 and installing LEDs into the medicine cabinet door for $400.
Where do you ship?
We’ve been shipping our tiny houses everywhere in North America, from Mexico to Vermont, and from Washington to North Carolina. Our models comply with the RV code in the U.S., so they are allowed anywhere RVs are authorized.
The homes comes with a toe-kick heater, a Bosch oven, and an induction range. Other equipment and appliances are purchased at additional cost: mini-split or in-floor heating, propane appliances, a refrigerator, a dishwasher, and a stacked washer and dryer.
How long can a client expect the process to take after they put down a deposit?
The lead time varies between three and six months, depending on the model and our backlog.
Woodgrain imitation steel and standing seam panels are used as defaults for the siding. The steel can be replaced with cedar for $1,200 or yakisugi for $2,400. Swapping out both the steel and standing seam siding with cedar costs $2,800.
Do you assist with the placement of the tiny home?
We only provide the tiny house. The transportation is taken care of by a third party carrier. We advise on the best setup for the installation, but we don’t do any site preparation or installation. We will provide guidance in Canada for the installation of an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) with no wheels, but this product is not available in the U.S. at this time.
Editor’s Note: a previous version of this article incorrectly stated that toe-kick heaters and Ikea counters are included with Minimaliste’s entry-level model.
Minimaliste can also change out the glazing of its models. For example, this Ébène has double glass doors instead of the single one featured in standard models.
