Climbing into a loft bed loses its charm quickly, especially when you’re half-asleep at 2 AM. The Barred Owl by Rewild Homes acknowledges this reality with a rare approach in tiny house design: everything happens on one level. Built by the Nanaimo, Vancouver Island-based company, this 34-foot tiny house abandons vertical gymnastics for the spacious comfort of apartment-style living.
The difference starts with dimensions. While most North American tiny houses measure 8.5 feet wide, the Barred Owl stretches to 10 feet. That extra 1.5 feet might sound modest on paper, but at the tiny house scale, every inch transforms how a space functions. The added width creates genuine breathing room, allowing the interior to feel less like a cleverly arranged puzzle and more like an actual home. Mounted on a triple-axle trailer, the structure maintains mobility while delivering a footprint substantial enough for full-time living.
Designer: Rewild Homes
The layout flows in railroad apartment fashion, with rooms connecting directly to one another. Entry opens into a bright living room finished in whitewashed pine tongue-and-groove. The galley kitchen features butcherblock counters that wrap into an eating bar doubling as a workspace, practical for the growing number of people who work remotely. A full-size refrigerator, four-burner propane cooktop, and oven eliminate the compromises typically associated with tiny house cooking. The dining area seats two comfortably, functioning equally well for meals or as a dedicated home office.
Sliding barn-style doors lead to the walk-through bathroom, a space that defies tiny house stereotypes about cramped facilities. Inside, a large walk-in shower with carefully chosen tile work sits alongside a proper sink and flushing toilet. Storage space and a washer-dryer unit handle practical necessities without feeling shoehorned in. The bathroom connects to the ground-floor bedroom, where ceiling height allows standing upright, a luxury that loft-based tiny houses simply cannot provide.
The Barred Owl targets people seeking permanent downsizing rather than weekend adventures. Its single-story configuration addresses aging-in-place concerns that most tiny houses ignore. Mobility limitations, balance issues, or simply the desire to avoid ladder climbing at night make this design particularly relevant. The apartment-style layout also appeals to those wanting tiny house benefits like lower costs and reduced environmental impact without sacrificing the floor plan logic of traditional homes.
Rewild Homes finishes the exterior with black metal siding accented by cedar, topped with a standing seam metal roof. A built-in overhang shelters the front entrance, fitted with recessed lighting. The home currently sits unused on private property just north of Nanaimo, available for immediate possession at around US$118,000 after the original purchaser’s circumstances changed. For those willing to pare down possessions but unwilling to sacrifice comfort, the Barred Owl demonstrates that tiny living doesn’t require climbing ladders or compromising on essential amenities. It’s a practical answer to whether downsizing can work long-term without feeling like perpetual camping.
