By Brenna Owen

THE CANADIAN PRESS

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted many Canadians to re-evaluate their housing and work arrangements, spurring some to think not big, but tiny.

Pamela Robertson builds tiny homes in Gibsons on B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Sunshine Coast and said she couldnB次元官网网址檛 keep up with requests for quotes after the pandemic hit.

B次元官网网址淓verybody wanted a tiny home that was built in stock and I build to order,B次元官网网址� said Robertson, whose tiny homes on wheels are inspected to meet the Canadian Standards Association specifications for recreational vehicles.

While many people are dreaming of making the move, Robertson warns that building code requirements and regional rules can pose major hurdles.

B次元官网网址淭here are tiny houses on wheels out there and theyB次元官网网址檙e all living under the fear that somebody is going to call them out.B次元官网网址�

Like many jurisdictions, B.C. prohibits year-round living in RVs outside designated parks. Neither the provincial nor national building codes covers mobile homes and they present challenges related to lofts, ladders, small stairs and other features characteristic of tiny homes, she said.

Robertson said her company, Sunshine Tiny Homes, adheres as much as possible to the codes, as well as the international residential code that has specifications for tiny homes, in hopes CanadaB次元官网网址檚 codes will one day differentiate tiny homes from RVs and other prefabricated houses.

SheB次元官网网址檚 advocating for a pilot project that could see tiny homes on wheels temporarily permitted on property thatB次元官网网址檚 already allowed a second dwelling, but the Sunshine Coast Regional District has yet to give the green light.

Robertson is also saving to build a tiny home of her own in the area that she said is hard-hit by low vacancy rates and high rental costs.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very dire here. ItB次元官网网址檚 basically becoming unaffordable for people, for single people. So, tiny homes are definitely one of a multitude of solutions.B次元官网网址�

The Canadian Home BuildersB次元官网网址� Association joined calls for a friendlier regulatory landscape for tiny homes in 2017, requesting a number of changes to the national building code related to construction on a chassis or trailer, ceiling heights, stairs, escape windows and other features.

It can take years for code changes to be approved, if at all, said Bob Deeks, president of RDC Fine Homes in Whistler, B.C. HeB次元官网网址檚 been a committee member with the homebuilders association and with Codes Canada, which is responsible for developing the national building code.

ThereB次元官网网址檚 a diversity of perspectives at the table, he said, noting the health-care sector advocates for changes, such as minimum stair dimensions, that could prevent injuries, but those changes could curtail smaller homes.

B次元官网网址淭hat person living on the street? They donB次元官网网址檛 care what those stairs look like,B次元官网网址� said Deeks.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e going to design the very best housing that the world has to offer, but nobody can afford,B次元官网网址� he added.

Elsewhere in B.C., Jessika Houston is preparing to move into her new tiny home on wheels in early February after itB次元官网网址檚 finished.

Houston, 42, had been thinking about tiny living and initially planned to rent after selling her four-bedroom house in Surrey.

When the pandemic hit and her rental circumstances changed, she said it was time to make the move to a more stable home thatB次元官网网址檚 easier to maintain.

Houston said she went from working 60 hours a week and commuting two hours each day to starting her own business with more flexible hours and commissioning a tiny home from a Vancouver-based builder.

B次元官网网址淢y whole intention behind all of it is to be able to live a lifestyle that I can go and experience life instead of being stuck in the rat race and working 9 to 5 and coming home and cleaning on the weekends,B次元官网网址� she said.

Like RobertsonB次元官网网址檚 homes, HoustonB次元官网网址檚 farmhouse-style tiny house is built to CSA standards for RVs. A bedroom on the main floor will boast a king-sized bed, she said, while a loft is accessible by stairs with built-in storage.

Houston found someone to lease her a spot to park her tiny home in the Lower Mainland, but she said others arenB次元官网网址檛 so fortunate, given bylaws that restrict living in a tiny home on wheels throughout the region.

B次元官网网址淲hen youB次元官网网址檙e in the city, you have to worry about the neighbours and somebody reporting it,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淩ight now, the way the landscape is set up, you have to go out into the country so that nobody can see it.B次元官网网址�

Houston bought her home outright, but financing is another major hurdle for many tiny-house hopefuls.

The company thatB次元官网网址檚 building HoustonB次元官网网址檚 home, Mint Tiny Homes, lists the price for a 6.7-metre home at $92,500, while larger models with more features and customizations can top $130,000.

Banks are wary of lending money to people building homes without sufficient comparables, said Daniel Ott, president of True North Tiny Homes. The company builds and designs tiny and modular homes and garden and laneway suites across OntarioB次元官网网址檚 Golden Horseshoe.

B次元官网网址淧re-COVID, I was having some decent conversations with credit unions,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎s soon as COVID hit, even they said, B次元官网网址楴ope, donB次元官网网址檛 want to touch it.B次元官网网址�

So, Ott looks for creative solutions for clients who canB次元官网网址檛 buy outright.

B次元官网网址淚 actually drive them to go talk to a Realtor and buy a piece of property. Even though it sounds like youB次元官网网址檙e spending more money, youB次元官网网址檙e actually able to finance it so you need less money down,B次元官网网址� he said, noting banks are more likely to finance a home mortgaged in combination with the land.

OttB次元官网网址檚 company was recently involved in the purchase of a mobile home park west of Toronto on the shores of Lake Huron.

The goal is to create a tiny home village of sorts, he said, where plots of land can be bought and sold like condo or strata title rather than leased.

While others push for building code changes, Ott said heB次元官网网址檚 most keen to see municipalities update their zoning and other bylaws to recognize growing interest in tiny homes as a solution to housing affordability woes.

Otherwise, said Robertson, B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e restricting ourselves out of living.B次元官网网址�

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 25, 2020.

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press B次元官网网址 Fellowship.

READ MORE:

READ MORE: