Amanda Colvin has experienced firsthand what it is like to watch an elderly family member suffer from isolation and loneliness.
The Niagara-on-the-Lake home builder, along with her husband, Scott Colvin, has moved into the tiny home business, which they see as an opportunity to help ease the housing crunch and keep families and friends close to loved ones, while creating a gentle density that benefits everyone in the neighbourhood.
“My grandmother grew up in Thornhill and once her kids grew up and moved away, she was fairly isolated there, especially since a lot of her community of people started to age and pass away,” said Colvin, who started Buot Tiny Homes with her husband this past spring.
“She was living independently, and perfectly capable of doing that, but because of the social isolation, she was struggling to sort of find that continued desire to get up in the morning and start her day.”
A solution, Colvin believes, could have been for her father to move her grandmother into a tiny home or accessory dwelling unit on his property in Mississauga — if he had one.
Instead, her grandmother moved into a condo unit in Mississauga, which Colvin said wasn’t much different from living in another community — it still meant having to travel between family locations.
“She went through some mental health challenges,” said Colvin.
Now that the Ontario government has eased the rules and regulations around accessory dwelling units — also known as tiny houses, coach homes, granny flats or garden suites — the options for families who want to remain closer, or for residents who want to make additional income, have been expanded.
As of June 1 this year, Bill 23, the province’s More Homes Built Faster Act, came into full effect, creating a process for landowners to double original allowances from one to two units of living space on their properties.
The new rules also feature exemptions from development charges.
The Colvins believe their tiny home model is perfect for communities like Niagara-on-the-Lake.
“There’s definitely interest,” said Amanda Colvin.
“I’ve had some conversations with members of council in Niagara-on-the-Lake who have expressed excitement and interest in having more of this kind of sort of micro-development happening in the community to support people who need to live here, to work here and who can’t afford over a million dollars for a home.”
Coun. Maria Mavridis is one of those councillors and sees a need for this kind of moderate increase in density. She welcomes the new provincial rules.
“I have a friend and her parents want to sell their house and kind of live with her, but, you know, not live with her,” said Mavridis.
“This would be a great alternative.”
In Niagara-on-the-Lake, as in many communities, another demographic struggling with high housing costs is young people, or anyone just starting out on their own, said Mavridis.
“For the younger generation, it’s just getting tougher and tougher to purchase their own home,” she added.
“I think that is a great alternative for that, too.”
Accessory dwellings also open up income streams for homeowners who want to create rental units to offset the cost of their mortgages, those in favour of them say.
Speaking of mortgages, the federal government announced new measures this month intending to make this process easier.
On Oct. 8, federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that as of Jan. 15 next year, the government will allow mortgage insurance for Canadians who intend to construct additional units for use in long-term rental opportunities.
Borrowers will now be able to finance up to 90 per cent of their home value, including the value added by the additional units, and pay the mortgage over 30 years.
“This is a way that community members can have another income stream off of their property, and continue to live in the community they love … without damaging the overall aesthetic and appeal of this historical place,” said Colvin.
The Colvins believe their modular homes fit that bill perfectly.
Modern and including all amenities and services no matter the unit’s size, the structures range from super small bachelor-style homes to units with one or more bedrooms.
The units are constructed in sections, each section like a block of Lego. The more living space you want, the more blocks you put down.
Without basements, and water and sewage hookups that tie directly into the main home, they are environmentally friendly when it comes to construction.
“One of the great things we can do with this is we can plot these where there are trees,” said Scott Colvin. “We don’t have to clear-cut.”
As for the price points, the smallest unit, at 92 square feet of interior living space, starts in the $55,000 range.
As for the upper limits, the company lists a 545-square-foot unit at $260,000.
“But there are no upper limits,” said Amanda Colvin. “You can build them together endlessly.”
