Heather and Kevin Fritz of Fritz Tiny Homes have just launched their latest miniature house on wheels-it is both a gym and a house. “Our client, a yoga instructor, asked to make room for her Peloton bike and an eight-by-eight yoga studio, where she can teach remotely,” Heather said. "We fit these two things, and even more."
The house is named after the client Ashleigh Trahan and is wrapped in black metal and Douglas fir. The tall windows show the landscape of Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
The small Canadian house designed by Fritz Tiny Homes for Ashleigh Trahan and her partner Elyse is covered with metal and Douglas fir.
Heather and Kevin Fritz equipped the living room/yoga studio with a green velvet Article sofa. They customized the sofa by removing the legs and adding a wooden base with large built-in storage drawers. An A-frame window fills the small house with sunlight and scenery.
"For many years, I have dreamed of building a small house — when the pandemic hit and housing prices skyrocketed, I realized that now is a good time to realize my dream," said Ashley, who lives in a tiny house with her partner Elyse "I want to build a small house to reduce the cost of living and prioritize the things that are really important to me," Ashley added. "I want freedom of location, space for activities, and the ability to enjoy outdoor activities."
Fritzes arranged an open office area between the living room/yoga studio and the kitchen. In this area, there are hidden storage drawers under the concrete table top.
In response to Ashleigh and Elyse's love of outdoor activities, Kevin grinded Douglas fir and painted it on the ceiling to create a warm, woody feel to the interior. The material also refers to the towering pine trees outside the A-shaped window in the living room, which doubles as Ashleigh's yoga studio.
White cabinets create a light and bright beauty in the kitchen, and the slender microwave oven doubles as a ventilating hood. A castle lighting chandelier hangs above the Phoenix concrete counter.
The sofa from Article is covered with bright green velvet, which makes the living room full of life and connects with the green of the pine tree. Heather and Kevin customized a sofa for this space, removed its legs, and installed it on a wooden base with large built-in storage drawers. A folding table and stools that can accommodate 6 people are stored in one of the drawers for Ashleigh and Elyse's friends to use for dinner.
A staircase with alternating risers and built-in storage drawers leads to a loft-style bedroom. The entire floor of the house is Douglas fir.
The office area is located between the living room/yoga room and the kitchen, with a concrete counter with storage drawers and a Blauberg Vento ERV ventilation system hidden below it. Floating walnut shelves have recessed lighting at the bottom to illuminate the work area.
The checkered walnut ceiling of the mini-gym provides head space for standing and riding a Peloton bike. The windows in front of (and next to) the bike provide the feeling of outdoor riding.
The kitchen showcases bright white cabinets, a full-size LG refrigerator, an extended microwave oven with a built-in range hood vent, and the propane series from Unique Appliances. "When we build small houses, we like to put everything on the upper part of the wall, and we put the functional elements on the lower part," Kevin said. "This maintains an open feeling and does not block the sunlight pouring in from the windows."
The bathroom is equipped with brass fixtures, hexagonal tiles from Phoenix Concrete and hexagonal walnut tiles cut by Kevin with a CNC router.
Heather and Kevin's favorite custom small home design is the walnut pull-out cabinet near the front door. "It integrates storage space for jackets, shoes, and any odds and ends that need to be placed in the front area," Heather said. "The cabinet also hides the wheels well conveniently."
The loft-style bedroom has a headboard with integrated LED light for reading on the bed at night. The windows on either side of the bed provide cross ventilation.
The mini-gym where Heather and Kevin placed Ashleigh's Peloton bicycles is located behind the house next to the bathroom. The compact space is marked by awning windows and checkered walnut ceilings. "The high ceiling allows head space to stand on the bike, and the windows make you feel like riding a bike outside," Heather said.
Fritzes created a built-in bedside storage space in the loft area, where Douglas fir ceiling provides warmth and texture.
Heather and Kevin used concrete wall tiles to complete the spa-like bathroom, and glass beads reduced the weight of the material. For the shower floor, they used CNC routers to cut hexagonal tiles from walnut wood and sealed them with epoxy resin for waterproofing.
The openness of the loft-style bedroom allows customers to enjoy the scenery from the bed.
A staircase with storage drawers under each riser leads to a loft-style bedroom, where there is a tall drop area, built-in bedside storage space and a headboard with integrated LED lighting, providing comfort and practicality. "Ashleigh is 5'10, so we wanted to provide her with plenty of standing space in the attic," Kevin said. "Landing also makes getting in and out of bed easier."
The metal cladding provides a durable shell for small houses on wheels.
"Sports is an important part of our lives," Ashleigh said. "I was worried that moving into a small house might mean sacrificing space for yoga, weight training and my Peloton bike. But when I started designing my house with Fritzes, I learned that preserving all aspects of my lifestyle is making small The key to the house is to live sustainably in the long term. I am very happy-we have a mini gym and a room where my partner and I can spread our yoga mats."
Kevin and Heather Fritz were talking by the fire pit in the front yard of the little house.
More from Fritz Little House:
A Canadian couple launched a small family company with an ingenious 268 square foot home
Design and construction: Fritz Tiny Homes / @fritztinyhomes
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