Having shelter above your head that doesn't take more than 50% of your income shouldn't be illegal. It's a damn shame. They don't want to increasing minimum wages, but have no problem raising property taxes and costs of living. Spirit crushing.
You have to realize that the government owns close to 90% of the land in Ontario and they refuse to sell it partly to keep property prices inflated. Of course we'd have one of the most expensive real estate markets in the world as the result of all this. That 90% of Ontario which the government owns is land which has so many resources (trees and other building materials) that it is shameful anyone in this country is homeless despite our literal riches and abundance of resources.
Tiny homes ought to be the answer to thousands of people. The governments (local, provincial and federal) hate tiny homes because tiny homes make these institutions less relevant and give more power to the individual. Anything that actively promotes this kind of change will be fought by the puppet masters.
I think the trick is to not care if the government is ok with what you are doing. They clearly don't serve the people anymore. I'm building a tiny home and tucking it somewhere. If they find it and have a problem then I will move it.
government shouldn't be able to dictate living styles!! not everyone lives the same!! if some loves to live out of a tent and can do it all seasons.. shouldn't it be their own choice? my rant!
The only sector that sees tiny homes as a threat to their bottom line is developers. Developers are well, financed and politically connected, which can affect zoning bylaws and provincial and municipal building codes and definitions. Also, the big banks aren’t likely to mortgage something as small as a tiny home. It’s likely not as profitable for them as is a typical larger and more expensive house.
I think the government should allow ppl to build tiny homes as their principal dwelling. We need to be mindful of our footprint and how we live. Thank you for the info.
I am a low income individual that have zero hope to buy a home. hopefully this tiny home will become legal. High taxes and rental bill to bill dreadful lifestyle need to address for the poor!
So glad to happen upon your site.....our housing prices on Vancouver Island are just as ridiculous and its just as difficult to find somewhere that will allow you to live in something that makes sense. We are paying $3,ooo monthly for rent, can't afford to save for a down payment to qualify for a mortgage and this would be the answer to our dreams. We ideally want to put 2 or 3 on an acreage
It's November 2020 now, I lost my job in May due to Covid-19. I'm seriously thinking of selling my house, buying a piece of land & getting a tiny house. Thought of it couple of years ago too! I live in Ottawa but didn't grow up here. Thank you for this video.
There was a time when I considered being a tiny home person but living in BC and finding out they are not legal anywhere in any way and with the cost associated with building one at $100, 000 with no way to get financing ......well its back to my plans of living in a trailer for me. And even that is illegal! BC makes no freaking sense. Here we have a housing crisis. Literally even small out lying towns do not even have rentals. It has gotten so expensive that barely anyone can afford to live alone. Being forced to go live with your family again or with roommates when your in your 30s is not the adult future i was told about. Honestly I'm even happy living in a trailer, I don't need lots of things or a huge house. I'd just like an option to be able to live alone and it be affordable aka survivable. The way things are going right now its either trailer or streets.
Nadine, we understand about the red tape. But it's been getting easier. Everywhere has a housing crisis, and government is pushing to get more housing in more ways. We are so happy to witness so many more ways to legally place tiny homes around Ontario in multiple different ways over the past few years. It's still a bit tough, but it's getting easier all the time. And the more we do it, the more mainstream it becomes, the easier it will continue to be. We can offer financing IF your home is on wheels. You do require a sizeable down payment, and a credit check, but even the financing is becoming easier. Let us know if you want to know more.
Good info, anyone else think it's insane that land is the price it is right now when you consider the pretty ridiculous amount of unused land we have here?
I always wondered about how they fit in terms of building codes, for instance, in Qc, stairs need to be minimum 36" wide, with a railing yatta yatta, fill in a million other rules. Obviously tiny homes usually never have traditional stairs. I think what happens most often, is people buy land, build a traditional home or cabin, and then build a tiny home without a permit, out in the back of your property.
This is a great idea! I've been thinking about an updated video myself, so this is just the urge I need. I'll get that going in the next month or so. I"ll post a link in the description of this video when I'm done, and if you've subscribed, you'll see it there too. Thanks again!
@@danielott7823from a Vancouver island. I’m looking to sell my home and acreage with a suite. I’ll have enough equity to pay in full for recreational land in the interior or southern BC . Then build tiny or buy an RV till my tiny home is built. We Need some updates. I think one pro about tiny home communities… if a mass forest fire were to threaten your property at least if you built moveable you can move it.
@@tracywatts1459 sounds great, Tracy. I'd love myself to buy some interior acreage and put some tiny homes on it. Can we at least help with you tiny home build?
I would love a tiny house as they're way more affordable and they're quite eco friendly compared to typical homes. It's so frustrating living in Ontario that there's no one law for tiny houses.
Great information. I currently live in a 3 bedroom townhouse, but with COVID and reduced work hours is making it harder for me to keep up with bills and expenses. I'm looking at downgrading to a Micro Tiny House on Wheels and living minimally. I love to travel, so I will be taking my house with me.
We built a tiny home on our 50-acre rural Ontario property & trailered it out into our forest. It wasn't our primary residence, though we certainly did sleep in it. One winter morning, a guy with a clipboard (never a good sign) is waiting for us. He tells us that not only is it *not* legal to sleep overnight in the tiny house - even on our own property - but get this: it's not legal to sleep *anywhere* on your property, even in a tent! even for a single night. So all those times as kids that we slept in a tent overnight in the backyard? Yeah, we were "breaking the law." Also. If you go for a country drive anywhere in North America, you'll notice that about every second home has an RV parked somewhere on the property - and you just know that the homeowner's eccentric bachelor uncle is living there in their driveway. And? Also illegal. Apparently you can only *legally* sleep in an RV in an RV park - I kid you not. It begs the question as to how Walmart gets away with permitting RVs to stay overnight in their parking lots, but whatever. Canadians are finally waking-up to the fact that we're living in a country that's far more restrictive than we've been led to believe. For years, we've been told how lucky we are compared to our American neighbours - and yeah, we don't pay for healthcare, that's true. Still, as a physician, I can tell you that there's nothing "universal" about our healthcare - not when you consider that citizens of every other country that makes that claim also enjoy universal dental coverage as well as coverage for medications. Who knew, right? This isn't about bashing Canada; I'm glad to live here for many reasons - but I'm fed-up with the Draconian restrictions on everything. And as a doctor with many patients on disability, I'm fed-up with a country that sends billions of dollars overseas, yet pays our own citizens (trying to live) with a disability a measly $1400/m - how can anyone live on that?! I apologize for the rant - we still use our tiny house for lots of things, but it's frustrating when we've had so many people ask if they can park their own tiny house on our (mostly unused) 50 acres, and we have to say, "Sorry. For no very good reason, it's not allowed."
New Brunswick is tiny friendly as well. I have 1.5 acres water front with a tiny home as my full time primary home with no other primary home. Was told I'm allowed to have up to two on my property. I just have yet to find a insurance company that will insure it as a home.
I call it "tiny house" when you are building it smaller than legally required by building code. You must have 30" doors on bedrooms. You must have 3.5 sq/ft opening window for egress in bedroom. You must have 30x48" clear space for your toilet. The rules go on. If you comply with all rules and your build is still only 250 sq/ft you have a "small home"
You are absolutely right. We call it tiny homes for marketing purposes. But for legal purposes, especially when talking to a building department, we say that we build OBC compliant small houses. ;)
It's the same in Australia. Pisses me off. Local nanny state government, always telling people what they can and can't do. And there's ALWAYS a hefty price tag for every small thing.
They're going to have to make changes at some point, and the more people ask about it the more they will have incentive to. Little by little though, we'll see the change!
Thanks. I'm planning on moving north. This helps me prep. By the by another type of property in the US that fits the bill for a tiny house is a "spite house".
Well, I'm glad you enjoyed the video, but SO MUCH has changed in 3 years since this video was put out. We can now put tiny homes (as long as they are built to the Ontario Building Code) in almost any place in Ontario. However, Burlington is probably the hardest.... You can do it, even though there is absolutely no zoning written to allow it. If they turn it down, and you appeal to the province, the province will force the city to allow it. So Burlington knows this, and they will just allow it "as of right". You will have to go through a minor variance though.
Ontario here. When speaking with a Lanark County resident on the subject, she explained that the county restricts tiny homes to a 10 yr period n a property.
I suppose that depends on what designation Lanark County is actually talking about when they refer to "tiny home". The term itself doesn't exist legally. We at True North actually build small houses (legally speaking), so depending on how the property is zoned, or how we designate the structure, it could be there forever, though we do have one coming up that is a 20 year "Garden Suite".
It is a shame....that we have gotten so entangled in capitalism, that a human being can be punished for building the type of shelter they want to live in. The sadder thing is that we have accepted this, and the question we ask is not, "what sort of shelter can I afford, sustain, and am I happy to live in?". The questions we ask are "am I going to be punished? and what options does capitalism have for me that will ensure I am not punished?". A people conditioned by colonial education and navigating a world of debt traps everywhere.
Thank you for sharing this information! I subscribed. I love this idea of a tiny home that can sit on a foundation yet still be moved. Thanks again from a future tiny home owner in BC.
With such a housing crisis and overall cost of homes, we have way too many laws in Canada. Our ancestors just 100 years ago, had the ability to just live. Now, we have so many rules and regulations that are hindering our ability to just live. Maybe, its time to push back.
Yes, there are a lot of laws and regulations, as there are in many places throughout the world. These rules and regulations are there to protect people from unsafe conditions. We have proven, however, that it is possible to build within these rules and regulations, and the more we do it, the easier it gets. You just need to make sure you work with someone (like us!) who knows what they are talking about and can navigate through these regulations with ease.
I love tiny homes … would be so much more practical… we all need less ,not more …I would move in to one tomorrow if we could have a legal one in N.S. I’m sure many would enjoy as we downsize . Thank you for sharing…
In three years the average cost of a three bedroom home where I live has gone from $300,000 to $800,000+! The cost of living due to Covid has increased living expenses way beyond what is financially affordable! Those of us entering our retirement years in the next few years are making hard decisions of selling our homes to get into something smaller but the cost of something smaller is more expensive than the larger home we already have! I'd love to venture in to the tiny home life with everything on one floor that will take us through to assisted living phases of our life. A parcel of property with a tiny home, and a couple of bunkies for when the kids come to visit and have their own space would be a dream come true! Now to find that parcel in a community in Ontario that allows it!
Fabulous video thank you very much this was so informative! I tried both links but it’s been deleted or something. How can I attend am info session and get the checklist you spoke of please
There is an affordable housing crisis in Ontario and one of the solutions could be to make tiny houses legal across the province. Why is Ontario still doing nothing to address this?
there are a LOT of ways to live in a tiny house legally in Ontario. But you need to build to Ontario codes, and all tiny home built out of province are not built to Ontario codes.
I am have begun my plan to save $ and research options for tiny home living and this was invaluable information, thank you so much for posting this. You're in Hamilton, yes! I am in Niagara, I will definitely be coming to visit you soon
As a senior..being looking at this option for sometime in around maybe the Huntsville area as that is where my granddaughter lives. They are looking at other properties somewhere in the area with big acreage so would be interesting to know what would be available for that area...yes much more affordable for sure. Nice to know thee are people in the province that can build them.
Hi Liz! That sounds like it would be a great solution for you. If you'd like to learn more about how to make it happen please email us at hello@truenorthtinyhomes.ca
Please keep making videos!! I’m 19 and want to move out and live in a tiny home and thankfully I live close to an area where I can legally have one but I need more information on like, everything 😅 also great video!
I love the idea of tiny home. I'm located in St. Catharines not to far from you there. I just started renting a Garage so I can build my Tiny house. I'd love to talk to you, have a few questions. Currently looking to purchase a trailer.
this is gonna be a great channel if you figure out all the provinces and their areas..bet your channel will blow up with new subscribers..i myself am in need of info for b.c....especially the central kootenay area
Hi, M Khan. Whom did we call about what, exactly? I'm not sure of your question. We totally understand the housing market being unaffordable for most, and that's exactly why we are doing what we're doing, building homes for people.
Thank you for having Canadien content. I'm in Alberta, and been thinking about tiny houses but always unsure of the laws regarding tiny houses. Could this be considered a camper, since it is on wheels? And do you have any info about Alberta laws concerning tiny houses?
This could be an RV only if it is certified as one during construction. In may places, however, it's not legal to live full time in an RV, so this might not be the right answer for everybody. I don't know the specific laws in Alberta, and you will find that they differ from one municipality to the next.
Ontario really needs to change the laws, Tiny homes should be allowed we should be able to have tiny home communities, some people can't afford a big home, I would love to own a tiny home on wheels as I can move it to wherever i would like to live and hook up in a tiny home community, I believe there is one up around Goderich. Let's hope they figure out the tiny homes. and laws. thanks for this .
Fantastic video! Over 200 hundred of us are gathering at Legalize Tiny Houses and Homes in Muskoka (on facebook) and are putting together a guide of where people may live tiny in our district. We now know for sure that tiny homes on foundation, around 200sq'+ are legal in the Town of Huntsville, if built to Ontario Building Code, with appropriate permits. (We'll be releasing posts on the other 2 towns and 3 townships as soon as we have official replies to our querries.) My question: the tiny you featured at 6:10 that can slide off (and on?) a trailer - is it built to both R.V. standards with a CSA sticker AND Ontario Building Code? We are also interested in picking your brain about a condo development specifically for tinies that allows for tiny land ownership and mortgages, and have designers and developers on board. We are watching your project outside of Goderich with interest!
Ha ha! I just replied to another comment of yours on another of our videos. It is not possible to designate a single structure to multiple CSA registrations. So a unit like this would be registered for CSA-A277, which is a building built off site and transported but meets Ontario Building Code. Technically, we could meet any province's code with this CSA designation, but Ontario is the hardest.
Well, we can legally get a building permit to put one in any backyard in Ontario, so the possibilities are now endless. However, finding a backyard that is both available and willing to have you is a piece of the puzzle that no one has solved yet. So, most of our clients are putting them in a family member's backyard.
Well still leaves me nowhere. I don't have family who own property. So I guesse I will never know what it's like to own a home. 60k a year apparently is not enough for a mortgage. A d land requires a 50$ down payment. Making it impossible for a blue collar guy to ever own a home or property
@@whoispriest Yes, I hear you. We have many people contact us just like yourself. No one in the family has a property suitable for a tiny home. Either they all live in condos, or they all rent, or the properties are too small to fit anything in them. It is very frustrating, I know. It's why we've tried multiple times to create a tiny home village, but that keeps getting stopped one way or another as well. One day, one day, we keep saying...
@@UpSizeDown why not set up an REIT, and make the community self funded. when have enough to purchase first plot of land sell lifetime leases for tiny homes to generate a return, all tiny home leasees would own a share of the REIT and once a year either participate in profit sharing or purchase addition land to do same.
@@whoispriest That's a great idea. Except that although funding is an issue, it wasn't the biggest issue. The biggest issue is getting a township to agree to what we wanted to do. And when we did have a township fully on board, it was the other investors that wanted to go a different route (seasonal versus year round living). We have had some other challenges in business as well, so once we've cleared those up, we will get back at trying to make a village happen. A REIT could be the way to go.
Omg...thank you so much for posting this video. This has been my dream and I want so badly to fulfill it. I'm definitely going to subscribe. How can I get ahold of you if I have more questions?
We can't possibly find enough time to answer everyone's questions directly. So keep doing your own research, watch more of our videos, and if you're ready to start building with us, then fill out our readiness quiz at our website app.truenorthtinyhomes.ca
the biggest problem in canada is that government makes building las so complicated that it takes YEARS to figure it out and it costs THOUSANDS to permit anything. by the time people wade through all the red tape they have spent most of their money on silly permits and inspections. this garbage needs to change if people are to truly be able to live in tiny homes.
I am interested in living in a tiny house in B.C. Canada. Where can I get info. on by laws, can I park them at a trailer park. Is there a company in Canada that will build one for BC weather. Thanks.
Hi Mamta, We build tiny homes that are specifically designed and insulated to withstand Canadian winters. If you're looking for information on by-laws, you would have to go to the municipal website of whichever town you want to live in and find out their regulations from the zoning,planning and by-law departments to find out what's allowed. Check out our website truenorthtinyhomes.ca for more info if you like.
Hi Ginette, Quebec has a lot more lenient regulations when it comes to tiny homes so there are more places to legally place them. Depends on the municipality. We also can build and deliver to Quebec. If you'd like more information please contact us at info@truenorthtinyhomes.ca
I'm going to be building a tiny house on a foundation. I'm just recovering from a stroke right now. I'm in the KW area. Being I'm going to have a basement (only to where I change things from summer to winter attire. Is there anything talking about that??
Hi, Sheri. This is not a common scenario, but it is one that I have examined for clients. It would end up not being that much different than pre-building a pier foundation and then lifting the tiny house in place. This "lifting in place" would have to be done with a crane. The biggest difference would be that the services are connected to both the basement and the house. If you're building in place, I guess that is no problem. If you are interested in having the tiny house pre-built (by us for example), and the foundation built on side (obviously, has to be), then the services would have to be coordinated and connected later. We've done this, and it's very doable.
4:13 - in Nova Scotia you say you can build a 400 sq ft cabin without a permit, we thought it was 20 square meters, which is 215 square feet. Would love it if you were right! Where can I find the info on this specifically for Nova Scotia?
I understood this to be something new in the code as of 2020. I could be wrong, as I'm not intimately familiar with Nova Scotia rules, and was going off of the information given to me by some prospective clients.
Thank you for sharing. I want to purchase a 0.3 acre piece of land around Cranbrooks, BC in the Kootenays, close enough to Calgary, where the family lives and the Winters are not so harsh. I love red wine and mushrooms, so I guess I could have vineyards, cherries, etc there, and the weather does not usually go below - 7 C in the Winter. Any handy man out there or people who would like to start a community to put tiny on wheel houses, coups with meat chickens and laying egg hens, planting gardens, etc. interested to escape the very imminent government and global digital currency control already in place and worse to come? I can't wait till the government, provinces and municipalities get the point and change the laws and regulations for people who want to live a simple life in an alternative way in affordable dwellings.
