There was nothing in Southey’s zoning bylaw setting out minimum square footage — until someone asked.

Then the town about 50 kilometres north of Regina put restrictions on building size.

The inquiry came from Cam Hein. “I made a mistake when I talked to the office because I used the term ‘tiny house,’” she said. “I think I scared her rather than saying it was just a house.”

In 2018, Hein purchased a lot with a condemned trailer in an older area of Southey. She cleared the trailer off the land, and left it vacant. Since then, she had a small home — 16 by 24 feet — built outside of the municipality.

“It has everything every house has, the only thing is it’s less square feet,” Hein said. Within its 384 square feet, the fully insulated home, built to code has one bedroom, a full bathroom, a kitchen with full-sizes appliances and a living room. When she inquired about moving her tiny home to the lot she already owned, town council passed a bylaw to restrict the minimum to 800 square feet.

Council’s debate centred around building density, height, and placement to ensure the small homes wouldn’t negatively impact the neighbourhood’s character or appeal. There was worry about tiny homes being erected near big homes in new developments. Any development not meeting the minimum requires council approval.

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