Tiny Home Show showcasing miniature spaces

In the midst of soaring living expenses and spiking interest rates, the dream of owning a traditional home seems to be slipping away for many residents.

However, there's a growing trend that's offering hope -- tiny houses.

These compact dwellings, equipped with all the amenities of a traditional home, are becoming more popular as people seek affordable alternatives to traditional homeownership.

At the Tiny Home Show, currently running at Stanley's Olde Maple Lane Farm in Edwards, Ont., Mercedes Lloyd -- a visitor at the show -- describes her visit as a dream come true.

"Since I was 12 years old after I saw the show Tiny House Nation, I've been hooked ever since," said Lloyd. "There are so many reasons for one some financial freedom in the future, for more freedom to travel, more freedom to spend time outside, spend time with family, to just have more. To me it seems like a peaceful life."

For Lloyd, the 200-square-foot main floor, with a 65-square-foot upper level bedroom, tiny house, crafted by Bell Construction and Contracting, is perfection, and attainable at $154,900.

"It's so pretty, it's so beautiful," she said. "I can picture my little cat running around."

Joshua Bell, from Bell Construction and Contracting, says the model being shown is the company’s first, noting that it’s packed with features like a solid wood finish, 11-foot ceilings, a full kitchen, washer and dryer, pot lights, heating and cooling along with a large bathroom with a shower.

"We wanted it to feel like small living can feel," said Bell.

Bell expects to soon provide a similar model for $100,000.

"Young people need to have a place that after they go to work for 40 hours a week they can afford it and then they can call it their own and they're not renting. They're not putting money in someone else's pocket,” Bell said.

For Bianca Metz, the founder of the Tiny House Show, living tiny has expanded her family's life in unexpected ways.

"We went from spending $4,000 a month on a mortgage with a conventional condo and now we spend nothing we are completely financially free," she said. "What's the appeal, simple living financial freedom and living closer to nature."

Metz is passionate about sharing her experience and knowledge with others, from navigating land grants to financing options and says the show will feature a variety of programming aimed to help tiny first-timers.

"There are a few different components to the show so we have an indoor exhibition space with a ton of really great exhibitors who designed tiny homes. They also designed really cool structures for Airbnb businesses for additional dwelling units and we also have a lot of sustainable products," said Metz. "We will talk about tiny home financing. We are going to get into a lot of stuff about alternative living, affordable living, tiny home living, additional dwelling units and actually how to do it."

With exhibitors ranging from Quebec-based Minimalist Tiny Homes to mirrored eco-friendly cubes and cozy yurts, the Tiny House Show offers visitors a variety of possibilities for tiny living.

The Tiny House Show runs until Sunday at 5 p.m. Ticket are available online.