It may be the little things in life that make it meaningful, but that doesn't have to apply to a tiny home you'll be calling your forever home. If you're not convinced, the Macdonald would like a word.
The Macdonald is a fully custom tiny house from Canada-based builder Fritz Tiny Homes, showcased to the world last year.
Unlike most other tinies out there, many of which we've also covered extensively in recent years, this one is so lavish and beautiful it seems to leave behind all notions of downsizing. But it's still a tiny home in every sense of the word and more mobile than a regular park model, so it's still a great example of downsizing by living in a mobile home.
Tiny homes are all about leading more intentional, affordable, and sustainable lives. Ideally, a tiny home comes with a compact footprint that translates into more affordable housing, reduced overall costs, less pollution, and – the proverbial cherry on the cake – the ability to move from location to location at will.
Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes
You can see why the tiny movement has gained so much popularity in recent years, especially after the 2020 international health crisis: tiny houses promise to address most of the most pressing housing issues of today while delivering unexpected freedom to work from home, wherever home might be.
That said, tiny living remains a "niche" thing that's not for everyone. Downsizing means, before all these amazing things, scaling down your entire life to stuff that can fit inside a home built on top of a trailer. In a way, the biggest advantage of these mobile homes is also the number one detractor for many.
A tiny house like the Macdonald bridges the distance between a proper home and tinies because it comes with a much larger footprint and customized touches that make up for everything else. It uses a gooseneck design to maximize the convenience of the layout and offers standing height throughout, an incredible amount of storage, a proper garage, and features you won't normally find in this type of home.
Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes
Based on a triple-axle trailer, the Macdonald is 32 feet (9.7 meters) long, not including the gooseneck, 8.6 feet (2.6 meters) wide, and 13.6 feet (4.1 meters) high. This model was designed for two-person occupancy, which, of course, makes it appear even larger than it already is, but it can sleep up to four people in absolute comfort. The gooseneck design makes it more easily towable, which was one of the main requests of the owners.
In fact, the home was "completely designed around the life of our clients." They asked for a couch in the living room that expands not into a queen-sized bed but into bunk beds; they asked for a spa-like bathroom and a bedroom with extra storage and plenty of headroom. They also asked for a garage they could store their e-bikes in, as well as for the ability to go completely off-grid.
Fritz delivered on all these counts and, in the process, built a tiny that makes a very strong case for downsizing. The Macdonald has everything, from all the necessary appliances (including a dishwasher and a washer-dryer unit) to high-quality materials, and a bunch of surprise features. These include a spa-like bathroom with a soaking tub, custom concrete sink, heated rack, and a laundry station; a bedroom where you don't have to crawl on all fours just to make the bed, and which has his and hers wardrobes with hidden seasonal storage and even a fold-down home desk; a full kitchen, and a spacious lounge.
Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes
The Macdonald also has a built-in projector in the living room, where one of the blinds doubles as a projector screen, large picture windows that let natural light in, in-floor heating, and custom furniture throughout. It has extended autonomy off the grid thanks to 12 roof-mounted solar panels and 100-gallon (378.5-liter) fresh and gray water tanks hidden under the elevated floor.
The Macdonald also features a bike storage room, which Fritz dubbed the "gearage" and equipped with custom bike racks that make loading and bringing two heavy e-bikes into position a breeze. Also here is the inverter, the UV and particulate water filtration system, and the combi boiler, and you still have some roof left to store some biking gear.
"This is what retirement can look like for an adventurous, active couple ready to explore North America," Fritz says of the Macdonald custom unit. A better way of describing it would be something along the lines of "this is what downsizing can look like with an unlimited budget and zero compromises."
Photo: Fritz Tiny Homes
The builder never revealed an estimated price for the Macdonald, which is not surprising if you remember that it's a fully custom unit. However, a similarly sized unit from Fritz Tiny Homes starts at $170,000 and can go as high as $190,000 with personalization. It wouldn't be that much of a stretch to assume this one cost even more, all things considered.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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