ItB次元官网网址檚 no secret that Victoria is facing a housing crisis. However, what is not so widely available, are alternative solutions to high-rise densification, but options are out there B次元官网网址� and one is to live in a tiny home.
From June 15 to 17, , in partnership with and , will hold a series of workshops led by Edmonton-based educator and speaker Kenton Zerbin, who lives and works out of a tiny home he designed with his wife, Melissa.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a trendy topic, but in Victoria in particular. The housing crisis means thereB次元官网网址檚 such a crunch; people are really looking for solutions,B次元官网网址� says Tobi Elliot, co-founder of Tiny House Courses BC.
In 2016, she began spreading the word about tiny homes B次元官网网址� traditionally a structure anywhere from 18 to 48 feet long, and on wheels B次元官网网址� by offering introductory classes on Gabriola Island, where she lives.
They quickly sold out, so Tiny House Courses BC decided to bring Zerbin back in January 2017, hosting workshops in Nanaimo and Victoria.
B次元官网网址淭he conversation was already happening and we sort of tapped into that,B次元官网网址� Elliot says, adding the issue of affordable housing is no longer exclusive to Vancouver.
Want to take a Course this summer? Watch this space! Mon June 4th, weB次元官网网址檙e running a weeklong contest to give away a FREE seat in EACH of our weekend courses w. ! Stay tuned, details to come!
B次元官网网址� Tiny House Courses B.C. (@tinyhousecourse)
In Victoria, Tiny House Advocates of Vancouver Island, who formed in July 2017 with the goal of working with local governments to make tiny houses legal, has reached over 400 members and is growing.
Tiny homes have built a reputation as sustainable, affordable and community-building options for housing. But, thereB次元官网网址檚 more to the concept than meets the eye, Elliot says.
B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 just look at a photo on Instagram or Pinterest and go B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址榯hatB次元官网网址檚 nice,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� she explains. B次元官网网址淵ou have to know what your lifestyle is, what your energy needs are going to be, where youB次元官网网址檙e going to put it, how often youB次元官网网址檙e going to move it and how youB次元官网网址檙e going to work with the bylaws.B次元官网网址�
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The workshops discuss the principles of building, maximizing light and so forth. Participants choose from 15 designs, tweaking to preference, on paper. The blueprints are then transferred outside to a patch of land to see how that translates to a realistic setting.
B次元官网网址淭here are reasons why you design tiny houses in particular ways,B次元官网网址� Elliot explains, pointing out they must be breathable, utilize proper building materials and stay within budget. Try not to build it with debt, she adds.
In Edmonton, where Zerbin parks his tiny house in a farmerB次元官网网址檚 field, the city amended five bylaws to make it legal.
In B.C. the desire is there to do the same, says Elliot, who considers the workshops a launchpad where interested tiny dwellers can access a large amount of research B次元官网网址� the focus of which has now become how to work with municipal bylaws.
A is paving the way to allow tiny homes, while Central Saanich is on how to zone and use land going forward, with structures like tiny homes and carriages houses in mind.
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B次元官网网址淔or interest to coalesce into a movement, you need dedicated individuals in a community who are going to build relationships with municipal officials together,B次元官网网址� Elliot says. B次元官网网址淕oing forward to your municipality and having solutions already B次元官网网址� that empowers them to come up with solutions for you.B次元官网网址�
A pilot project for tiny homes is underway in Maple Ridge, based on a loophole found in an old bylaw left over from Expo B次元官网网址�86 designating RVB次元官网网址檚 as a legal unit in which to reside.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 exciting news because itB次元官网网址檚 so transferable to other places,B次元官网网址� says Ben Garratt, of Tiny Healthy Homes. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a good starting point because itB次元官网网址檚 a big pain for municipalities to write new legislation.B次元官网网址�
Garratt, who designs and builds tiny homes, says the project will open the door to legally allow such houses as a way of increasing density in urban areas. On Vancouver Island, he points out, B次元官网网址渢here is tons of landB次元官网网址� where B次元官网网址測ou can easily park on five acres of land without bothering anyone.B次元官网网址�
| Tiny house builder Ben Garratt says he fields calls from people in cities big and small, looking for affordable housing solutions, particularly in B.C. where the market has grown significantly in recent years. Photo courtesy of Tiny House Courses BC |
To create effective policies around land use that keep up with density, tiny houses are going to have to be part of that, he continues. B次元官网网址淵ou can build high rises all day long but thereB次元官网网址檚 still a lot of unused space in cities.B次元官网网址�
Calls to Garratt come from people living in cities like Vancouver and Victoria, as well as those in smaller communities and more rural settings.
Things are changing in that regard, he says, as the fantasy of living off the land, and off the grid has morphed into living tiny, in a big city.
B次元官网网址淸ItB次元官网网址檚 the] most viable option for a lot of people; as soon as thereB次元官网网址檚 some legalities ironed out, I can see it kind of exploding,B次元官网网址� says Garratt, recognizing living tiny is not for everyone, but a great option in a housing market like B.C.
Elliot maintains creative housing solutions are imperative, especially for islands.
B次元官网网址淭he whole point is you donB次元官网网址檛 live for your house,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淵ou live for your life and your lifestyle and part of that is community.B次元官网网址�
For more information on the cost of the workshops, or to register, visit . Follow them on Twitter to win free tickets to workshops in Victoria or Shawnigan Lake.
