Yes, you can live in a tiny House a few different ways. 

1) You can build a Tiny Home - Secondary Dwelling Unit (SDU) on your property. These are also known as Additional Dwelling Units (ADUS), Secondary Suites, Laneway Homes, Garden Suites, Granny Flats, Coach Houses and more.

2) You can purchase a Tiny Home to then Lease Land as a tenant

3) You can host a Tiny House Tenant on your property, should your properties Zoning bylaw approve of this

Tiny Homes On Wheels - THOWs

Tiny Homes of wheels are a recognized by the Province of Ontario as a habitable dwelling. Though anything with a RV certification will likely only be able to be a seasonal dwelling. If your Tiny Home or future Tiny is on wheels, speak to your builder about their certification. If you are building out of province ensure your builder builds to the Ontario Building Code.

Tiny Homes on Wheels are recognized, however for permitting purposes, they need to go through the proper channels in your Municipality (Planning + Building) to ensure that is it built to code and thus permit-able where you want to place it. The foundation will be important here, and your wheels need to come off, among other requirements.

YES! Tiny Homes as Secondary Dwelling Units are permitted across Ontario. With the enactment of Bill 108, homeowners are now allowed to build Secondary Suites “within” “exterior” and “exterior detached” (ie - a tiny home). You need to check with your municipality as to your zoning and other requirements - or ask us how we can help! We offer property search services to help you understand your options and see if your property meets the requirements for a tiny home build!

Yes, and no, here’s why.

It really comes down to the Municipality, and Permitted Uses for the specific Zoning Bylaw associated with the property of interest. (Whether that is a property owner looking to rent or lease land, or a tiny home owner looking for parking spot). If the Zoning of the property does not allow for a Temporary Use Bylaw or a Secondary Detached Dwelling then you may not be able to use that property.

Here is the yes -

Because the Province of Ontario has outlined that Tiny Homes (on wheels,manufactured/container, or site built) are allowed as habitable dwellings, Municipalities have to recognize them. However the municipalities will outline bylaws and provisions to protect their towns and people and ensure these are regulated, as is their right to do so.

Here is the no -

Your home MUST be built to the Ontario Building Code - even if it is built out of province. There are many certifications for Tiny Homes - ensure wherever your home is going to be parked, you understand what you need to make that modular structure permit-able. Speak to your municipality - or hire us to!

Tiny Homes can be referred to as many different things - be aware of the verbiage and that you are talking about the right "Type.”

Tiny Homes, Tiny Homes on Wheels (THOWs), Mini Home, Micro Home, Small Home, Container, PreFab. In your municipality you will see this type of verbiage - Secondary Dwelling Unit, Accessory Dwelling Unit, Additional Dwelling Unit, Secondary Suite, Garden Suite, Laneway Home, Breezeway Home, Granny Flat, In-Law Suite, Coach House.

A word of caution, because many municipalities are still trying to understand “Tiny Homes” I recommend using whatever term your municipality has already outlines in their bylaws - and if they haven’t - Refer to the home a Secondary Dwelling Unit if Site Built, or if purchased as a delivered unit - a Manufactured Home.

Secondary Dwelling Units built on or brought to your property are subject to your local Zoning bylaws for a “detached secondary dwelling.” See “Types of Homes” above for the list of verbiage to look for. Depending on “how” the home is built (ie - site built, prefabricated or manufactured off site etc) will require certain certifications on the home. As it stands the province recognizes two CSA certifications for manufactured homes, those are the CSA A277 and CSA 240.2.1 - anything built to CSA Z240 will be deemed a seasonal dwelling, anything with an “RV” attached to the certification will have a difficult time attaining a building and occupancy permit as these are managed under the MTO (Ministry of Transportation). Please ask your builder what their certification is, and remember - the build, no matter where you buy it from, HAS to meet the Ontario Building Code! Book a Property Search or reach out to your municipality to see if your property qualifies.

Tiny Homes for Land Leasing fall under a different category as a Temporary Use Bylaw, you have to speak to the municipality the property is on to see if they allow this. I can help!

If you want to avoid costly mistakes it is advised to speak with someone who can help you. You can talk with me, reach out to an Architect, Builder, Designer, Contractor, or other related industry professional - remember that not everyone will understand how to navigate the world of Tiny - so be sure to choose someone who can connect the dots.

A few ways!

1) First you will book a Free 10 Minute Discovery Call, when booking that appointment, you will be prompted to fill out an intake from which will provide me with some details on your dream + project. During our call you will tell me what it is you hope to accomplish and from there I can answer some questions and give you a good idea as to whether booking a larger consultation is the next step, or if there are a few things you would want to look into more on your end.

2) From this call you should be confident in moving forward so I will prompt you to book a 1 Hour Needs Assessment Consultation where we discuss the details of your project, I give you relevant information you will need to launch your project in the right direction (builds, bylaws, certs, cost considerations, design etc), and you receive a Report filled with details from our meeting, including what you will need to know moving forward, and an actionable item list you can use as a guide. This meeting and report is to give you a clear path forward so you can begin your project confidently!

3) Property Search - This service is for homeowners to see if they can build a tiny home on their property. This search can be done for Land Leasing as well on behalf of the property owner to host a potential tiny home tenant. I look into the zoning and permitted uses of your property as well as other important elements to note about the property to give you a good idea how and where to start your project.

4) Corporate Consulting - If you are an industry professional looking to get into the world of Tiny Homes, or understand them in any capacity, I offer consulting to businesses to help you understand how they can be utilized in different fashions. I have worked with Architects, Realtors, Financial Advisors, Builders and more to help them navigate this new market.

5) Small space and Community Design - As a Tiny Home dweller I am in a unique position to assist others in small space design, downsizing, multipurpose use spaces and more. With my Permaculture Designation I help others in Tiny House Community design from practical and conceptual ideation to full community design.

Yes! As a consultant I have a list of preferred professionals I work with, people I have spoken to at length who understand this movement deeply. I caution to be careful when researching on your own, many builders are not building homes to the right certifications for your situation, I can help you connect with trusted builders and professionals!

• Sustainable Builders + Tiny Home Manufacturers - I help you connect with my trusted list of Tiny Home Builders who can help you on this journey - I work on your behalf to ensure this process goes smoothly for you, and the proper considerations are made for Ontario.

• Designers, Planners, Architects - To plan your project, I can assist you both in small space design that makes sense for you.

• Contractors - To Vet Land Leads and Liaise with Municipalities on your behalf, and the landowners behalf to ensure we have a clear picture of how to legally permit your build on a property.

• Financial Planners - To ensure you have a clear idea of this project financially, and what you are able to do to make it happen.

• Real Estate Professions - To assist with Land Leasing (if you are interested in hosting someone on your property) to find land to buy.

• Real Estate Lawyers - To assist with Land Leasing Agreements