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Itsy Bitsy Tiny House Is Anything But, Absolutely Perfect

Much of the criticism leveraged against tiny houses is that, as beautiful as they might be, they're hardly practical in real-life scenarios, especially if you throw kids or a pet in the mix. Neither are they very durable, you'll often hear. Well, Itsy Bitsy would like a word.
The Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical home 21 photos
Photo: Instagram/Itsy Bitsy on Spider Lake (Composite)
The Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical homeThe Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical home
The tiny house movement has been around since the early 2000s but only gained serious traction in recent years as the housing crisis worsened and awareness on environmental issues went up. The international health crisis of 2020 fueled both these factors and, with them, the tiny house phenomenon to the point where, right now, if you haven't already made the transition, you're probably planning it, are considering it, or daydreaming about it.

That last part is a joke and an obvious exaggeration, but only to highlight the wide reach of tiny houses and other types of mobile homes. Tiny living, once a niche thing only wool-wearing, avocado-eating, homeschooling hipsters would do, is now the norm in many parts of the world. Because of their size, tiny houses are still seen as ideal for non-family types and, at best, as temporary living solutions.

The Itsy Bitsy Tiny, also known as Itsy Bitsy on Spider Lake, can clear the air on both counts. It's one of the earlier lofted builds from Canadian builder Mint Tiny House Company, which now specializes in premium park models, and it offers whatever proof you still need that tiny houses are durable and family-perfect.

The Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family\-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical home
Photo: Instagram/Itsy Bitsy on Spider Lake
Delivered sometime in 2017, the Itsy Bitsy became an Internet star just as other tiny houses were starting to crowd the market – and fight for people's attention online. At the time, it had already served as a full-time home for a family of four for one year and a half on Vancouver Island and was just about to become a popular rental. As of 2023, it changed hands (and location) when the original owners sold it off. But even today, it remains in excellent condition, has weathered several harsh Canadian winters, and created that unmistakable "home” feeling for whoever crossed its threshold.

So what makes Itsy Bitsy so notable? It's a combination of excellent craftsmanship with rustic-like styling and a smart layout that integrates all the functionality you'd find in a brick-and-mortar home. At a pinch, this 34-foot (10.3-meter) tiny house can sleep as many as six people on a permanent basis, or even seven on occasion, if the seventh is willing to crash on the living room couch.

It offers the usual creature comforts of a home, like a full kitchen, a full bathroom, and plenty of space, but in a more compact footprint styled like a wooden lodge, with white walls and contrasting dark wood floors and countertops, and the occasional pop of color in navy blue. It features extensive glazing that allows natural light in, it has underfloor heating in the bathroom, proper ventilation, and connects to the grid for water, electricity, and sewage.

The Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family\-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical home
Photo: Instagram/Itsy Bitsy on Spider Lake
If you're looking for that one tiny house that embodies the appeal of the whole tiny living trend, the Itsy Bitsy is it. It's small but still retains the main features of a home, it feels elegant and very cozy, and it is built with quality materials that take into account all weather conditions. It's also a great example of the kind of creativity that goes into building a tiny house.

For example, the ground floor is 34 feet (10.3 meters) long like the trailer, but the second level is actually longer, at almost 40 feet (12.2 meters), because both lofts, situated on either end of the house, are cantilevered. This allows for larger lofts but also for a full-size bedroom on the ground floor, which remains one of the rarest features in tiny houses.

It's true, the length and weight make Itsy Bitsy less mobile, but life is all about compromise, isn't it? With tiny living, you can't have your cake and eat it, so whatever choice you make for your future forever home will mean some sort of compromise on another aspect of the build.

The Itsy Bitsy Tiny is a family\-perfect, elegant, durable, and very practical home
Photo: Instagram/Itsy Bitsy on Spider Lake
Even so, Itsy Bitsy doesn't feel like a half-measure project. The kitchen is compact but perfect for cooking up meals for the entire family; it even has a dishwasher drawer, yet another rarity in this type of home. The bathroom is also full-size and even includes a stacked washer and drier, while the living room can be used only for entertainment purposes – yet another rarity in tinies. Even the main bedroom, which is perhaps the one area where you can tell that compromises were made, still integrates several storage solutions, including under the bed.

Tiny living is not a solution with appeal or applicability for everyone. Then again, which solution is? But for those for whom downsizing is a must for whatever reason, a build like Itsy Bitsy shows why tiny houses can be perfect forever homes – yes, even for a large family.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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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.
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