Big dreams continue for a couple who made a special return to the Cariboo from Victoria last following their completion of a tiny house at Alkali Lake.
Bettina Johnson helped build the 280 square foot home with her husband Robert, who is a Red Seal journeyman carpenter, for his parents.
She says they are taking a lot of thought, a lot of consideration if the project they named Esk’et Tiny House will become a local business in which more tiny homes can be built for the First Nation as well as other people across the province.
“We have a bit time now in the winter to actually sit down and figure all that out; crunch some numbers and put all that together,” Johnson said.
“We’ve had a lot of people emailing us and a lot of inquiries for sure, it’s just something we need some more time to put some more thought into.”
The Johnsons started construction on the tiny home in April and hosted an open house on Nov. 7.
Bettina says it was great to have so many come people come out and be interested in what they are doing.
“A lot of people were just really impressed by the feeling and the amount of space you can have in a tiny space. I think the lights went on in a lot of people’s minds where it wasn’t just theory where they actually saw it and said this yeah this not so crazy-this is actually livable.”
As for how Robert’s parents feel living in the 280 square foot home, Robert is optimistic.
“I honestly don’t know how they’d like it, but when I’m in the house I know that they’re going to love it-it’s close to home, they have everything they need and it’s compact. It’s a beautiful set-up so I think it’ll be really great for them.”
Robert says the tiny house had many custom features that required gluing.
He says he needs to find a heated workshop before he starts any further tiny house projects next spring as the glue is limited to certain building applications because during the winter it freezes.
“Down in the coast, there’s a lot of the tiny house movement. You can see it’s stronger on the coast, or Portland and Oregon,” he said.
“We just felt that this was something new for us and we felt that having this come into the Cariboo would be a great option for some people,” says Robert.
More Information on the Esk’et Tiny House is available through their website.