PakVille | One more room, in the garden

Sometimes all that’s missing in a house is an extra room so that it no longer feels cramped. The young Montreal company PakVille offers a practical and relatively economical solution for adding a pavilion in your courtyard that can be used as an office, a yoga room, or even a tiny house.

Launched on 1^er Last January, PakVille’s house extension concept was presented to the public for the first time this weekend as part of ExpoHabitation. Faced with the rise in popularity of teleworking and tiny homes, the company wants to offer an almost turnkey product that is easy to install.

In recent years, several retail giants such as Amazon, Home Depot and Costco have introduced tiny homes or studio apartments to the market. kit to assemble yourself, but PakVille goes further, according to its founder and CEO, Parinaz Pakniat, by offering buildings with good insulation and which can be connected to the electrical and sanitary networks.

Particular care has also been taken with aesthetics to offer buildings that stand out from similar products offered on the market, often designed to be installed on land, independently. “Nothing prevents us from putting PakVille on natural land, but we wanted to have a model that could also be used in the field of house construction,” indicates Parinaz Pakniat, a civil engineer by profession, who worked for several years in the construction sector, notably on the construction site of the new Champlain Bridge.

If she decided to go into business, she says, it was to have a greater impact on society.

The engineer wanted to present a more affordable solution than traditional construction. PakVille first designed tiny wooden houses assembled in a factory, but the transport costs were too high and the possible dimensions were limited.

In partnership with a company based in Toronto, it has therefore developed tiny houses made of panels to be assembled on site, the core of which is made entirely of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET), i.e. a foam composed of plastic flakes obtained by the transformation of plastic bottles. This core is then covered with two sheets of fiberglass, to reinforce it, then with a decorative fire-resistant coating on its internal face and a water-resistant film on its external face.

“This product is the result of extensive research and analysis in the industry, carried out by our various partners since 2010,” explains M.^me Pakniat. The material has been used and tested in real life in different industries, including wind turbine construction, high-speed train manufacturing and food delivery truck trailers. » Resistance tests were also conducted in independent laboratories and at Concordia University.

Three models

The buildings are offered in three models, all 12 feet wide. It is their length that varies. The most compact, PakMontreal (starting at $30,000), is 11 feet long. The PakStockholm (starting at $35,000) is deeper (15 feet) since it has a covered patio. Finally, the most luxurious, the PakShiraz (starting at $50,000), with a length of 22 feet, can serve as a tiny house. In this model, offered in three configurations, it is possible to add a bathroom and a kitchen.

Although the models come with a base covering, it is possible to personalize them by choosing the color and materials, or even opting for a white canvas to be covered later. Those who prefer wood can obtain the first model (already assembled) designed by PakVille, for higher transport costs. Delivery times are six to eight weeks.

The company recommends placing the building on a screw pile foundation. Although installation is relatively simple, minimal construction knowledge is required. Having taken steps to obtain a license from the Régie du logement du Québec, Parinaz Pakniat hopes to be able to offer an installation service. PakVille is also looking for partners in different regions of Quebec.

And winter?

Can you use a PakVille tiny house all year round? Yes, believes the CEO. PakVert panels have a thermal resistance (R-value) of 4.5 per inch. In Canada, residential construction standards require an R-value of 24.5 for an above-ground wall. However, standard PakVert panels are 4 inches thick, therefore an R-value of 18.

“We believe that an R-value of 18 provides sufficient insulation for the intended use of these units, ensuring comfort and energy efficiency,” she argues. The company still offers 6 and 7 inch thick panels when used in a more traditional residential setting. M^me Pakniat specifies that the insulating performance of PakVert panels does not deteriorate over time.

Also, the units can be equipped with a heating and air conditioning system.

Pay attention to the regulations

If in Ontario, it is now possible to add a tiny house on already built land, in Quebec, several municipalities still prohibit it. “Units without a kitchen and without a bathroom are generally considered to be extensions of a house,” emphasizes M.^me Pakniat. But there are still criteria to respect and a permit to obtain for most municipalities. For larger models, we fall into tiny house regulations and unfortunately in Quebec, only a handful of municipalities allow it. » A regulation which, the entrepreneur hopes, will be called upon to change.

A PakVille building will be demonstrated at ExpoHabitation (booth 535). The event takes place until Sunday at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

Visit the PakVille website