The top 3 products that made our first tiny home so amazing!
As a Canadian family-owned company, we strive to partner with other like-minded companies that produce quality craftsmanship. When we find someone or something we love, we just have to share!
With our first tiny home, The Fritz, we emphasized that quality matters and that there are a lot of amazing companies that we can support and showcase. These are just a few of the companies and products that made our first tiny home so amazing!
Duxton Windows
Our first tiny home was a modern Scandinavian design that had 9 windows and a full glass door by Canadian owned company, Duxton Windows & Doors. This company has been family-owned for 20 years and provides outstanding service; we were so happy with them! The amount of light in The Fritz made the space feel, well, more than tiny! The gift of creating a tiny space with ample light is that it pushes back the stereotype of it potentially feeling cramped and allows for both light and the surrounding views to be fully enjoyed.
They aren’t your typical windows either. One of the benefits of fiberglass, is that you don’t have to divide up the glass – if you want a huge window in one piece, you got it! The frame is stronger than PVC, and you can get a bigger and better impact.
When building tiny homes, energy efficiency is a top priority. Fiberglass is known as being a natural insulator, and you’ll feel warmer sitting next to a Duxton window, rather than an aluminum one, or a poorly sealed window.
In colder climates like our Canadian winters, triple-pane can offer almost double R-value than a double-pane. In our cold winters and really hot summers, having very high R-values means saving on energy bills, and consuming less energy – and while the climate crisis is getting more serious, we all need to be a part of the solution,” Aynsley Duek, Operations Manager says. “In a small space like a tiny home, temperature control is even more important. If you have a lot of heat loss through the windows, you’ll feel it through the entire space.”
We couldn’t be happier with the efficiency and natural light that Duxton Windows & Doors provided for us in The Fritz. From obscured glass at the flick of a switch, sliding doors with modern pulls, to locking or unlocking your door from your mobile phone - the future of windows and what they can provide in a home is bright.
WarmlyYours
Surprisingly, the primary heating provision for our tiny home, The Fritz, came from two Radiant Panel Mirrors provided by WarmlyYours. One in the living room as you enter, and one in the bathroom.
These radiant panel mirrors save energy, come with a 5-year warranty and provide clean heat without disturbing dust or pollen in the air like other forced air systems. The radiant heat doesn't just warm the air in the room but the objects as well, allowing heat to be absorbed and radiate off of nearby surfaces. In a tiny home, this is another way we can provide efficiency of purpose, design and utilize our space to the max!
Imagine yourself washing up at night next to the bathroom vanity, and the radiant heat emanating off the mirror warms your entire body. There are no infrared lights or glaring bulbs, simply a classic looking mirror that warms the entire area! The radiant panel mirror acts as a direct source of heat, transferring heat from the heating elements within, to the glass surface and then to you when you're near it. For a tiny home, this especially works well because objects and surfaces are typically in closer contact and therefore can warm up quicker.
“We provided the radiant panel mirrors that help keep this tiny home warm and comfortable. Radiant heating is a quiet, clean and safe solution that we have seen great success with when it comes to small spaces,” states Julia Billen, Owner. “Working with the Fritz team has been a pleasure and provided great insight into the tiny home community and their needs. It has been exciting to see them grow and get the recognition they deserve for their craftsmanship and love of these homes. We look forward to helping them warm up many more tiny homes to come!”
Phoenix Concrete & Tile
Concrete has a long history dating back to what many historians believe to have originated in Rome. While we don’t have the volcanic ash that they had 2000 years ago to create such long-lasting and durable products, the concrete industry has come a long way in the last 40 years specifically. And like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Phoenix Concrete Works felt like an appropriate name for this Edmonton company.
In The Fritz, we chose to incorporate concrete due to it durability and the beautiful design combination with wood tones throughout the home. Our bathroom had an entire wall surrounding the full-sized tub, along with a concrete custom vanity for our sink. The concrete is a GFRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete) that can be cast thinly to reduce the weight, along with a recycled glass bead that is mixed in to further reduce weight another 30-40%.
“We are not subject to the same rules as other solid surfaces” shares Owner, Simon Tippel. “For example, customers can have countertops that exceed 12ft in length seamlessly. That is not something that can be done with quartz or granite. We also start off with a mailable medium that can be formed into an endless array of shapes and colours, solving a multitude of design issues.”
Today, concrete in design goes far beyond sidewalks and driveway. Imagine furniture, wall claddings, worktops, water features, fire tables, sinks, reception desks, mantles, and a variety of home décor options. It’s time to use our imaginations for something a little more concrete!
At Fritz Tiny Homes, we are honoured to work with such amazing companies that put efficiency and quality at the forefront of design. Thank you to Duxton Windows & Doors, WarmlyYours and Phoenix Concrete Works for helping to make our first tiny home so amazing!