Two weeks ago Jill wrote to me. The note she sent was both surprising and hopeful. In fact, it brings the tiny house movement in Ontario to the cusp of a new era! We have finally had our first real, significant and open bite that Ontario has had from a community. She enquired with the city and apparently, Kitchener is open to having a tiny house community, the only problem they have is that they have NOT been approached by a developer. So… knock, knock, knocking now on the doors of developers!
If there were a community there, my husband and I would seriously consider this. We are currently still tied to this area, because of my husband’s work, so it would mean selling our house and building another tiny house to live in. My list of wants for a tiny house community would be: A central shared building with laundry, a full kitchen and common room for community gatherings, a classroom and a guest room or two so that we could run classes. Full hookups for sewage, water and power (even if we choose not to use them), a community garden space, private fenced lots of roughly between 15x 30 and 30x 50 feet for each house (good fences make good neighbours and they also keep pets safe), and I think each lost should have a shed for storing off season clothing, sports equipment, hobby and outdoor items, gardening tools.
Personally, I would also like to be a part owner in such a development. In that, I would not like to lease or pay rent on the land for the rest of my life. I would strongly prefer for all of us who would potentially live there to be the land owners. What I mean is that I would like the developer to organize this in such a way that the lots are each privately owned and that we each own a share of the common spaces and everything is decided through the voice of a common not for profit board, similar to a condominium structure, which is to say that we would still have a fee to pay for common needs such as building repairs to the common structure, snow plowing, land taxes and all other common expenses of the community.
SAMPLE TINY HOUSE COMMUNITIES
A few questions:
- How many of you would be in the VERY SERIOUS financial position to consider living in a tiny house in Kitchener?
- How many of you would be in the SEMI SERIOUS financial position to consider living a tiny house in Kitchener?
- How many of you would be in the position for a lease to own position for considering living a tiny house in Kitchener (good credit rating, for a mortgage and leasing space)?
- If you were able to answer yes to any of the three questions above – then what would you want from a tiny house development? Do your desires differ greatly from my personal needs that are listed above?
Lastly… Do any of you know a developer who would be interested???
If you don’t know the city, here is some information About Kitchener
Tiny House Ontario 
I would like to have a real chance at one of these tiny houses to call home.
I’ve been emailing Justin Trudeu, sending him pictures of amazing eco-friendly tiny house builds. All of these tiny houses capable of living off the grid.
The only expence would be the mortgage and living expences.
Please do keep me in the loop.
I’m in Waterloo. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of a tiny house. I “lived” in a bunkie with access to a regular “home” for about 6 months. In Baden. (Shh! Don’t tell anyone!) Loved it. However, there is a compromise solution that is, well, a compromise, so everyone will hate it. There are a significant number of extremely small homes in the Kitchener area from post-war and circa Victorian era. Yes, it’s a structure. However, with some imagination, it could have all the appeal and efficiency of a “tiny” home without all the rigamarole of trying to wiggle through gaps in the current by-law or getting new by-laws written. A number of these homes are probably in the 200 to 300 square foot range. You just have to keep your eyes open for them. peace!
This is great news! I have never seen wartime housing that this that small – except in Saskatoon. I will for sure have a look when I am next in the area.
Hi Laura! Did you start your projects already? I can provide you with small houses at about $150/sq.ft , let me know if you looking for great little houses, I can send you some info.
Good Morning Laura, I just found this page today and noticed the last comment was March 23, 2018 is this still an active discussion? I am very interested in this idea and would love to know what the progress is at this point.
Maybe try Parkbridge? They own several mobile home communities across Canada including one in Waterloo Region
Possible that you speak with Parkbridge – they own/run several mobile home communities across Canada including one in Waterloo Region. Might be interested in tiny home development. Not sure lol
Hi Laura and group,
I’m considering buying property downtown Kitchener and the idea of a tiny house community sounds awesome!
What are your thoughts on the community being downtown? Proximity to other units would be smaller but you’d be much closer to other amenities!
What does the group think? Does downtown work for you or would you rather have something in the middle of nowhere?
Also what would you think a reasonable price for rent is for a spot downtown, this will help me evaluate if there is a valid opportunity in the heart of downtown!
Looking forward to hearing back from you!
Patrick
Are you thinking about the land that is right near King for a little under 400K. Honestly I don’t really care if the tiny house community is large or small – rural or in the city… I just want to have a home in it! Laura
I’m not sure where specifically you’re referring to but it may be?
I’ll get back to you once I have an update! But the more insight on interest in the downtown area the better!
Patrick
Benton St which is between Charles & Courtland Rd…right across from the old Arrow Shirts building. There’s a fair bit of land.
I think enough for several tiny houses or an apartment complex. Its close to uptown, the marker, employment services and the city’s bus terminal.
~Heidi
I see it on the map… but I do not see it in Realtor.ca. The location would be great for a lot of us, because of this location being so central.
I’d like to mention that there is property for sale right across from the old Arrow Shirts building which is now the Arrow Lofts…right across the street is an amazing property that I think would be perfect to help jump start this great idea of yours…perhaps even create a ripple effect…I’m hoping.
I’ll think good thoughts for you and others that are working towards a new community for the people.
Stay strong
Hi Blues girl, Though I want to live in that area, I am not from Kitchener. What I mean is that if you would be able to tell me about where that is… even the name of the street would help. Laura
I’ve called the owner and he is looking for close to 8MM for the lot.
I’ve created this form: https://goo.gl/forms/7jCZUIUx7HnluOL92
The more information I have from everyone regarding their needs / specifications the easier it is for us to justify an investment in land.
For instance, 8mm seems steep but if we had 80 people willing to pay 100k for a lot and there was enough space to satisfy everyones needs then it would make sense.
By completing the form I’ll have the right information to find a place that makes the most sense financially for everyone.
Looking forward to seeing results! Feel free to share this with anyone considering moving in the Kitchener TinyHouse Community!
It would have to be a very large lot for 80 houses to fit comfortably on it. how large is the lot and what is the zoning?
Hi Patrick I have filled in your form.
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Hi! I’m a student at the University of Waterloo and have been designing / saving for a tiny house since the middle of high school with the intention of building it after graduating. Since I grew up in Waterloo, I’d love to stay in the area after graduation. Is there any way I could keep in contact with you if you or someone you’re acquainted with decides to take this initiative to start a tiny house community? Thanks!
I responded directly to Laura, but thought I would post here for all to see……I am considering Tiny Houses for folks in our Region who are homeless and have very few options available to them. Affordable housing is scarce and to those who have mental health and addictions issues, or are youth, the options are even more limited. I am wondering about Region by-laws re: Tiny Houses, especially as it pertains to septic
I am retiring spring 2018 and would love to be involved in a tiny house community, especially Kitchener area… Most of these posts are dated 2016, I just found this site now….. has anything else happened since then???
Would love to be kept updated on this idea.
Thanks
Janice, sadly there has been no one that has come forward to do this. Yet there are hundreds of people (including myself) that would be very interested in a tiny house in this area. If I had the money to develop this myself, I would! Sadly, I have neither the funds, the energy or the know how to be a land developer.
Laura
I too am in the Kitchener area. Both my husband and I are 56 and 58 and we would like to retire to this type of lifestyle. Be free of debt, sell our home and live in a tiny house community. Are there any people on board with this and that have this same interest as we do? Are there any land developers and people who may be knowledgeable about laws and by laws regarding this? Maybe we can all arrange to meet at some point so that we can talk about moving forward with some of these ideas and find out how to proceed. There is strength in numbers and knowledge is power, so if there are enough of us with this same interest, we can all put our heads and thoughts together to ensure that this dream becomes a reality. There has to be enough interest in order to gain information. This is just my opinion, but I would love to know how many of us can come together regarding a tiny home community. Are there any others interested? Thanks, I am quite interested in this discussion. Blessings and light to all.
Thanks Laura, If/when I win the lottery I will hire someone to create this place we can live. But like most people, don’t have that much money. Maybe someone will come forward… Thanks I’ll keep in touch…Janice
Hello again Laura, I drove home from the 403 onto the # 6 hwy towards 401 today when I saw that in Aberfoyle there is a RV centre that has some Tiny Houses…when I noticed them I thought that I should email you to share this with you. Perhaps you might want to head in to talk to them to find out what they know. I wish I was better off financially but not quite there yet. Good luck
I am interested in the tiny house development. Live in a condo at present, no mortgage and $600 maintainence fees. Fees include, hydro and water.
I am retiring soon, and would not want to pay more in community services.
Thankyou
I am not in a position at the moment to financially buy a tiny house but l am definitely interested in leasing one to own.
Hi all, we are in our mid 50’s and are still extremely interested in a tiny house community, Around the KW area is perfect. Have there been any recent updates on this? It’s been up for debate for quite some time now and we are wondering if we are any closer to this becoming a reality at this time, Has anyone been responsible for looking into this, do we have people interested in having meetings and finding out any of the municipal laws attached to this? Any builders or planners or architects or people of this caliber or is this still at the talking stage? We are very interested in a communikindred type of structure/society and would love to be involved and to help making this happen, Do we agree on this?
I would very seriously consider getting involved in something like this and I have the financial means to do so. Has anyone approached the city of Kitchener recently? Does anyone know if any of the surrounding cities (e.g. Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph) would also be open to this? I am not a developer but I would love to get involved in making this a reality. Are there any other people who are also serious about this that would like to work together?
I see my whole name is displayed and nobody elses is. Not sure why as there is a privacy act and I did not give permission to have my whole name displayed. Please explain to me how this can be modified now, please
On Sat, May 20, 2017 at 9:55 PM, Tiny House Ontario wrote:
> Beth commented: “I would very seriously consider getting involved in > something like this and I have the financial means to do so. Has anyone > approached the city of Kitchener recently? Does anyone know if any of the > surrounding cities (e.g. Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph) w” >
Hi Heidi, First, yours is not the only full name on these comments. There are dozens of people, who use their real name on the internet. My name is Laura Moreland, and I use my full name here though, not in the the comments.
The privacy act that you mention PIPIDA, protects us from others but it does not protect us from ourselves. You see, your whole name is there because you put it in there. When people use their full name, I assume it is because they want it there, so I never change this.
This said, I think from your post that you have changed your mind and you do not want to have your last name posted. No worries. I have edited your last name out. If I have missed removing your last name from any of the comments you made please let me know.
Kind regards!
Hiya Beth, live in Toronto. Have you heard anymore re. development in Kitchener or any other locations. Thank you
I would definitely be interested if it is on the edge of town. I am also committed to stay in Kitchener because on my job. I really hope we can make this happen 😊
Reducing the size of homes is a bigger issue than we realize. Where are our children going to live? With the current pricing situation in southern Ontario having a detached house is out of reach for younger people. I grew up with 3 generations in 800 square feet of living space but today they don’t make detached homes that size. We are over housed. 🙂
I agree with this! Fact is that house size has tripled in my life time while at the same time the number of people in the house has halved. We are preposterously greedy! Ten tiny houses can fit easily on a half acre lot… and we are still allowing baby boomers to build their stupid dream home McMansions on 2-ten acre lots all over the countryside… it is absurd! It really needs to stop now.
Hi Like Minded people, 🙂
I understand that some people especially as a family, more than two to consider, may feel that a tiny house might not be their answer. But think of this…
Tiny houses can be built with bump outs…right.
If designed with lots of thought the roof design needs to perhaps be flexible. Google the Gypsy tiny house, or tiny houses with bump outs. Go through designs and pick out what designs to incorporate into your tiny house. 450 sq. is an amazingly huge square footage for a tiny house.
Also if downsizing who’s to say you can’t build 2 tiny houses side by each.
Think outside the box thinking 😉
I emailed Justin Trudeau in 2015, 2016 about how placing tiny houses in and around all communities blending them in that that would help give back dignity and cut costs on our health system, also providing tiny garden plots for them to grow produce would help in giving them a better feeling as well I email again April 2017 about this huge property that’s been vacant on Benton St., across from the old Arrow Shirts building for a multi unit apartment building that would house at least 250 homeless but honestly I do not think he cares about the less fortunate…saving on the health care system and the public support costs on the raise. This doesn’t seem to be a priority.
Driving around the KW cities you can see so many parcels of land that could go towards building structures smaller for people being able to afford the tiny house structures. All I hear is news on people wanting to build high raises, more high raises…
Excellent! Thank you for your advocacy work!
So where exactly is this project heading? Is it in the works with real power of becoming something for the KW region or not?
Hi Heidi… As you can see by the comments on this thread, there are many, many, many people who are willing and ready for this. Yet there is NO one organizing this and no developers have come forward.
I wish someone would!
❤ Laura
Hi Laura!
Great initiative! Thank you! Looking forward to the day a developer would come forward and make our dreams come true! T
developers are going to be unwilling to come forward as there is not as much profit to be made on a project like this. the overhead of this project is similar to a project with bigger homes which profit more for them. and in SW Ontario the housing industry is currently very busy with new construction. this may have a chance if the market takes a down turn but for now sadly it seems unlikely.
Hello Laura, answering to your comment regarding developers, I have contacted a tiny house developer that is in the northern parts of Ontario.
I did hear back but I think he has misunderstood my email and I think he may be too expensive.
Posting on Kijiji regarding finding a developer might not be all that hard, once the city of Kitchener By-Law sets things in motion. This all has to do with Kitchener’s By-Law.
Finding an Engineer to come up with developing Tiny Houses I do not think is not that hard.
Getting one to do this at a cost efficient way that’s affordable might be tougher.
Actually, I have been sending many Tiny House emails to Justin Trudeau, and will continue to do so. All I heard from one of his representatives was that they were talking about making life easier for all Canadians…I am not really impressed with Justin Trudeau as Canada’s Priminister.
What I was thinking regarding the Tiny House designs development for all communities across Canada was to design the tiny houses to fit in the community where a Tiny House owner would like to live…Still have but not just a cluster of tiny houses on some land.
I think that the if Tiny Houses were designed to fit in “every community” so they don’t look so different that perhaps the big house owners wont mind so much that the Tiny House is in that neighborhood, and maybe some Tiny House owners family members live close by so that tiny house owners are still able to be close to their family members…
Also Universities and Colleges to have competitions on designing Eco-Friendly Tiny Houses maybe with porches, and small gardens, if that suites the home owner.
I personally want stairs NO LADDERS up into a high ceiling loft, lots of tilt out windows, not all slider windows, and build on a foundation with a small tiny basement for washer dryer and fruit cellar for storing my gardens preserves like the good old days when houses had fruit cellars…main floor has a nice size kitchen lots of counter space, and a living room with entertainment.
My bathroom would actually have a walk in bath tube with jets, where I can sit in and work out my aches and pain.
I invite you to check out the thousands of Tiny Houses I have Pinned on Pinterest, which have nicely changed over the years to these very modern interiors and exteriors in design to be so amazingly creative, roomy and easy to living in.
I hope you get a chance to check out all the Tiny Houses I posted to Pinterest.
I was also thinking it would be great to have a community pool set up with park like setting if built in a cluster for all the tiny house owners as I think we are all like minded people that do not want large homes but rather live in a community setting, living healthier.
The North end of Waterloo has an RV park that has this and in the summer it’s like being on vacation close to home. Swimming, playing and relaxing does something for our soles…we all need to recharge and having this type of park like setting I think would help us to feel more proud of our Tiny Houses.
I wish us all the best in this becoming a reality for all of us Tiny Home Owners
I have been wanting to build a tiny home for about a year now. Trying to find just a couple acres around here though for a decent price does not seem possible. If you do end up doing a tiny home community PLEASE contact me. I would be very interested. Thanks and really hope to hear from you soon 🙂
New to this group, hoping to be able to throw my support and willingness in. Semi retired, mid 50’s, and very excited about a like minded (communikindred style) group to secure and develop land.
Things agreed with from above, individuals need to own their lot, or a solid ‘share’ ownership that has equity growth value. Lot sizes and or share sizes to be open to individuals needs (nothing to mini horse farm). Community feel, organization, and common building of some basic capability (workshop, meeting place, laundry).
How to get past what is likely to always be the first obstacle. A city is going to want all the tiny homes connected to water and sewer services, some kind of road infrastructure (many will want to park a car at their home) and most people are going to want other connectivity (power, internet, phone) that can be opted in or out.
That initial cost of land acquisition, and the basic infrastructure build to many points in that property will cost a substantial amount up front. Back of napkin suggests 15 committed individuals of $35-50k to start, to have a 1/15th piece of serviced land, then start building tiny home of your choosing.
Some lovely time in Chile recently showed me the ease and comfort of very small, very simple homes, and the joy of a central cocina building for community, shared kitchen, song and companionship.
I am always a fan of face to face vs endless written minutiae. Is there a table top group established?
Chris
I am interested in the tiny house community especially now with the soaring price of houses in Kitchener Waterloo and area. I currently own one third of an acre in the Chicopee area of Kitchener. I have seriously thought tiny is the way to go especially for young people starting out. I have been checking by laws as I thought I would start with one for my son. I would rather not have it on wheels but on a foundation. I haven’t seen anywhere if this is legal or not?
Really happy to have stumbled across this community and am doing some research into building in Ontario. Would love to connect with interested parties in making this happen in the K-W area.
I am a professional engineer and entrepenuer and interested in developing a tiny home village. I would like to know more about what Jill found out from the city, etc. Could you get me in contact with her?
Hi Mike, I think if you are interested you should simply approach the community. As you see there is plenty of interest in a community. Myself and my husband would also be keen since we have to be in this area due to work. Kind regards Laura
Hi,
Thanks for your response.
At the moment I am interested in knowing what the city of Kitchener has to say about tiny homes. I don’t know 1) How to approach the community (what does that mean?) 2) I don’t think whoever the community (must be a group of people) have all been in touch with the city 3) So I have no idea who to contact 4) You mentioned Jill had contacted this city and I would like to know more about what she found out, and I don’t see how contacting the community is going to help with that……
Hi Mike, if you are in the position to consider such a development the word is that Kitchener is open to this discussion. Jill, the person who wrote to tell me this is not in a position where she can be involved. I would assume that the community (City of Kitchener) being open means that the first step would be to contact the building department and see what, they have in mind and see if their desire matches your own.
I am not sure why this is so difficult to understand? Perhaps I am not communicating clearly because I am unwell.
Oh and I forgot…..
I said I would like to know what the city has to think about it. You said approach the community. The “community” (undefined) is some group of people who I will presume have mostly or not at all contacted the city. So they don’t know what the city thinks. Therefore it is very hard to understand why you would suggest this…..And even if some did, how would I possibly know who, so I could contact them.
I can of course contact the city. I appreciate you mentioning that in your later reply but that is obvious, no need to tell me that.
I currently have built a 360 sq ft tiny house on a fifth wheel trailer frame. I have a solar system heady to hook up. I am in an RV park down by Lake erie. The trailer park has just been bought by a new owner. The parks previous owner did not care if I had built the tiny house but the new owners look at our tiny house as something strange and have said no more building in the park. So now what else are they going to say? It would be so nice if there was a tiny house community that we could live in. My wife and I are both pushing 60 and would love to retire in our tiny house. The problem we have right now is the park is only seasonal and we rent an apartment.
Hi Ron. It would be really great to have a community near the lake, although I would love to live in Kitchener too. Is there a committee looking into this or just a site for individuals. Is it possible to see your tiny house?
Hi Mike,
About a year ago, I contacted the Mayor’s Office in Burlington, ON. I had attended a meeting when Syrian Refugees were arriving & until I go tiny I am one person in a 2 bedroom condo, so I was looking to offer free room & board and any other help I could to someone in need. Since I was outspoken at the meeting, I decided to use that one & only opportunity where I knew they’d remember me to follow up about Tiny.
I was thinking about it from a cost efficiency perspective for New Immigrants if we had a pretty little “community” – perhaps 1/4 subsidized and 3/4 for purchase to consumers.
And they were open to the idea-ish. Burlington is fairly thoughtful about being forward looking. But they were more in the “we’d need to see a full proposal from a developer before we looked a full zoning by-law changes”. This may be another community open to hearing from you.
I am interested in being part of a tiny house community. I currently live in 750 sq ft and am looking to downsize further. A community is just what I am looking for.
I would love to see this happen. I am ready to go tiny !!!!!!
Hi there,
I am also very interested in this, I am wondering if you would be interested in my proposal, if so then we can talk about this. I am thinking of purchasing a piece of land in Flamborough, Ontario. If we all chip in it’s not that much, we just have to find people who would be interested… let me know what you think and maybe we can talk about it, thanks.
Kim
I am a professional engineer and entrepenuer and am interested in creating a tiny home village. I would like to know more about what Jill found out from the city – can you let me know or get me in contact with her?
I am looking to retire in the Kitchener area in the next 4-5 years in a tiny house and preferably in a community. I am keeping my fingers crossed that one of these communities develops soon. I would appreciate being kept in the loop somehow. If it means an investment now to live there in the next 5 years I am in.
Me too, I am looking into it now, looking at land and I have a proposal, let me know if you are interested, thanks
I am starting a business building small homes out of shipping containers. My model home is nearing completion and will be on the market soon. I am focused on using sustainable and affordable practices that help hardworking Canadians achieve the life style they deserve. I would love to be apart of this project check out my blog! http://www.loftinthewoods.com/blog/
Hi Josh, thank you for reaching out. I have some questions about your build… why is your roof too short for the building?
-Laura
Am I too late to express a genuine interest? Haven’t been here in a few months ’cause the lack of changes to by-laws was just too depressing! I live in Burlington & used to live in Cambridge, Kitchener would be perfect for me. My only major criteria is that I Stay within a 1 day trip of my current Family Doc ’cause I’m disabled & don’t wanna find a new one.
I’ll be selling my current condo in the next 6 months or so & plan to move to a bachelor apt til I figure out my next permanent solution.
A “Townhouse Condo” scenario would be ideal. Where we all own our own property/buildings…but pay fees for snow removal,garbage collection, landscaping, etc. And a Community Centre would be awesome. While I’d prefer to have my own en-suite laundry? There are actually some VISITORS I wouldn’t mind farming out! A couple of overnight guest rooms that could be “rented” by community members would be terrific. My aunt had that in a building she lived in in Scotland for $10/night & it was so handy to stay there instead of her tiny apartment.
Jacquie
How can I get in contact with you. I have projects on the go including Solar, Solar Modules, other Construction project as well.
Hi Eddie,
You are in touch with me by writing here, or you can also reach me on Tiny House Ontario Facebook page.
Kind regards,
Laura
Finally! I’ve found a tiny house community in the KW area. I currently live in Kitchener and love the idea for the tiny house movement. If this is something a lot of people are serious about I would love to join.
Personally outside of Kitchener/Waterloo would be better because the houses are going up so fast around here and I personally would not want to be surrounded my big houses. Something with a little more privacy would be ideal, for the future community.
If people are still talking about this it would be great! Love the idea of a main building for a community feel, laundry facilities especially.
I agree just outside of Kitchener would be ideal.
I love the idea of a tiny home community in kitchener waterloo area. I’m local and as I approach the end of completing my degree and get ready to settle into adulthood a tiny home would suit my needs and budget and I would love to build and support like-minded people in a sustainable community. I will definitely try to stay in the loop on this topic.
Now that I read some of the previous communication I can say that I am very interested in the project. I have been following the movement since it conception about 10 or more years ago. It has been on my vision board ever since. I am close to retiring age but not ready to retired. Haveing the community not too far from a city is a great plus. One of my requirement is that I will have enough space to build a greenhouse or the community will have one. I am an avid grower of tropical fruit trees.I will also need an area large enough to grow my own food, have a couple of chickens for eggs only, and possibly a goat for cheese. Unless the community will have that. I have the financial means to buy into the project. I will not be able to build my own tiny home, therefore my funding will have to cover that as well.Please keep me in the loop with news
Hi Laura and Nora,
I’m not sure if this is an appropriate response but I’m replying in case.
Way back when this link was started I sent an email saying I would be interested in purchasing farmland for myself and my horses in the Kitchener area. I expressed my interest in a property that did not include livestock for consumption… I live in Kingston but was considering moving further west to be closer to family and friends in that area. Unfortunately I found the costs of land in the Kitchener area to be cost prohibitive. I have since continued to explore land in the Kingston area. I currently have an offer in on a 35 acre property 20 minutes from Kingston. There is potential to purchase more land adjoining this property. The 35 acres I am considering includes a three bedroom house, an in law suite/apartment in a separate building and a frame-in for a green house. I will be looking to rent/lease either the three bedroom house or the in law suite/apartment along with 2 acres for someone interested in gardening, permaculture, and/or running their own small business that would be complimentary to my equine therapy business.
I would like to share the property in this way and would also be interested in purchasing the additional land down the road a bit for a small tiny house community.This of course would be conditional on Kingston (Frontenac County) being open to allowing a tiny house community. To date I have not approached the city about a tiny house community as I would not be in a position initially to take it on as an extra project. Moving, and some necessary renovations on the property along with establishing an equine therapy related business will be my first priority.
Sincerely interested in exploring ideas,
Joan Fast
Hi Joan. How are things going in Kingston?
Hi Johanna,
Thanks for checking. I am still looking into the same property mentioned in the fall. There have been some complications with a lien on the property that have caused one delay after another. It’s looking like things may be settled soon.
Joan
Hi, I live in Uxbridge and love the idea of a Tiny House community. Years ago, after visiting a friend that lives in Kitchener in a well planned development, I became interested in the concept of a well planned community. Finding this website has got me thinking that it’s time to find out about our local zoning bylaws. I would like to be relatively close to amenities, while living amount the trees and nature, in a community of like minded people. I can envision something like an old state campground (read big trees and lovely stone fire pits) , with larger lots and a few shared resources.
My boyfriend and I are very interested in buying a tiny house. We want to live completely off grid and live simply. But where to put our tiny house. So we would be very interested in this community, hopefully it allows cheaper options for those who want to live off grid. But I am very interested in a community of like minded people.
What do you mean by off grid… like no electronics and such or something different? Sorry for prying just interested where other people are coming from.
I moved away from KW just a couple of years ago, but I miss it greatly. I had been agitating at town hall to get permission to build tiny for years before that. I’m 6000 kinds of interested in a tiny house development. And while I am on social assistance presently (due to lack of jobs in Toronto), they have indicated that they want me to live more affordably (Which is literally impossible where I live currently, unless I’m on the streets). I have already downsized and sold most of my belongings just to afford shelter and food, and it won’t be long before I have to start choosing between them. No one should have to experience that. No one. /: I am willing to do whatever it takes for this development to happen and I’m 110% on board.
I am very interested in being a part of this community and would love to be kept informed.
1000% interested!!!! Please forward my info to relevant persons and let me know what I can do to help make this happen!! My family of three (husband and I have a 3yr old daughter) also aim to remain Car-free so somewhere with access to transit and grand-river car share would be ideal. ❤
Hello , yes this is such a great idea and I would love one of these tiny homes and think every city should have them.
I would seriously consider it however I would like my tiny house to be bigger than 200 sqt – would opt for the just under 400 sqft…. Would depend where in Kitchener though….
We are also looking for about 480 sq ft…a couple of shipping containers 1×40 ft and 1×20 ft
Just found this in CBC.CA.
If someone is interested in an area then perhaps start this process by approaching the town council.
Just a suggestion… 🙂
Tiny homes, tremendous opportunity? Stephenville hopes so
Bylaw amended to allow single dwellings as small as 387 square feet
By Maggie Gillis, CBC News Posted: Jan 14, 2018 8:00 AM NT Last Updated: Jan 14, 2018 8:00 AM NT
The tiny home on the right is the first model that will be built by a developer in the new Stephenville subdivision.
The tiny home on the right is the first model that will be built by a developer in the new Stephenville subdivision. (Submitted by Sean Hickey)
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The town of Stephenville on the west coast of Newfoundland is banking on a tiny trend to grow the community.
It’s amending a bylaw to shrink the minimum dwelling size to make way for a subdivision of small — very small — homes.
Mayor Tom Rose said the town was approached by a developer interested in capitalizing on the growing popularity of tiny homes, and council members decided to seize the opportunity.
“They are affordable, they’re trending, and this town is pro-development, we’re open for business,” said Rose.
A bylaw that requires single dwellings to be at least 750 square feet was amended with the full support of council in November 2017, to allow for homes as small as 387 square feet.
Hickey’s Tiny Homes Subdivision
The layout for the tiny home subdivision in Stephenville. Developer Sean Hickey plans to break ground in the spring. (Submitted by Sean Hickey)
It’s something other communities will likely face if the trend of tiny homes continues to grow.
The town of Torbay, almost 800 kilometres away on the Avalon Peninsula, is currently grappling with bylaw issues after getting its first tiny home proposal.
‘You don’t always get the full loaf of bread, but sometimes you get the bun, I’m good with that.’
– Stephenville Mayor Tom Rose
Developer Sean Hickey has been working with the Stephenville town council since his proposal for the tiny-home subdivision was approved in principle a year ago.
He is now selling 15 tiny-home lots measuring 25 by 100 feet on a piece of land he owns on Brook Street, in the west end of Stephenville.
Hickey has already sold three lots, and is planning to build two tiny homes himself, with an asking price of $80,000 to $90,000.
Brook Street tiny home subdivision
The site for the tiny home subdivision on Brook Street. (Mike Campbell)
“I’ve been approached by two people that have a big home, but they spend the winters in Florida. They have a summer cottage but they would just like to have a little tiny place here, a home base, you know,” said Hickey.
“They’re waiting to see one of the finished products.”
Smaller house, lower costs
When the square footage drops, so does the cost of living.
The mayor hopes the development will appeal not only to snowbirds, but to first-time home buyers and people looking to downsize.
“Even millennials out there, now they’re a different breed, I think millennials will look at tiny homes,” said Rose.
“You’re going to have a lower mortgage, property tax, heating bill, so you look at all those factors.”
Tiny Home
This tiny home in progress proposed for Torbay sits on a trailer, but Hickey says the homes in his Stephenville subdivision will all be fixed-base, allowing for the inclusion of a basement if desired. (Submitted by Jess Puddister)
A lower property tax for the owners of tiny homes means lower revenues for the town, but Rose isn’t concerned.
“You don’t always get the full loaf of bread, but sometimes you get the bun. I’m good with that,” he said.
“I just want to look at how we can capitalize on growing the community, so if we ended up with 100 tiny homes I know the property tax is going to be smaller, but it’s still going to be a property tax and we’re still going to have residents buying goods and services.”
Hickey is planning to break ground on the first tiny home in the spring, and hopes to have it completed by the end of June.
With files from the Corner Brook and St. John’s Morning Shows
Can you please forward my information to Jill.. I love in Kitchener and am also looking to build a tiny! Anyone in the k/w region I’m willing to help us get this community!
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! WE’RE IN FOR SURE! SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS, BUT IT’S EXCITING!
Please contact me if this goes further. This is exactly what I would like to be involved in and Kitchener is perfect!
Hi! I’m VERY interested in making this happen. I have a good credit score, some savings and help from family. Also, it would be great if it’ll be close to the University of Waterloo.
I’ve been interested in the tiny home movement for sometime. I’m in Toronto, very interested and have the financial means.
After extensively traveling and seeing 1000’s of smaller communities I can safely say that this idea has good karma. Anything is possible as long as you don’t fall into the government trap.
Now for the REALITY CHECK! Everywhere on this planet PPL have been trying to do same since around 6,500 yrs ago when male priests took over Egypt by charging for alms to get into afterlife. True fact. Before this men and women alternated in ruling over earth and systems. Women held land and property on it. Men protected women and kids, in turn protecting land and property. Hence a mutual arrangement and lifestyle.
Corrupt priests and their descendants spread like wildfire, spreading their system of rule as they went. It is this system of commerce and rule we live with now. It’s why many are turning to alternate ways of living and to get back to original rights, in part, as priests have decimated everyone’s natural and inherent rights for profit. You play in their corrupt sandbox of statutory law and you will lose every time, as literally Billions of PPL on earth have to now. Natives have lost land to them, and so have farmers, towns, communities, freemen, freemen on the land, regular PPL and list goes on and on. They will nickel and dime you, tax you, regulate you, harass you, and drive you nuts till you’re in the poor house or totally broke.
The only way is to KNOW YOUR LAWS … in order (simplified version)
1 = universal laws of universe and everything. Literally! The stuff tyrants don’t want you to ever know … hidden in ancient texts and knowledge.
2 = natural laws. Laws of nature = survival, eat or be eaten, know your wild foods, remedies and poisons, animals etc.
3 = common law. Laws of ALL peaceful and wise people from ancient times to now, with emphasis on healing and making everyone better. Making an environment for everyone’s better life. Decisions made by your peers as a whole by virtue of your environment and circumstances … NOT some priest, noble, lord, judge or henchmen for them. It is your most powerful law against the following.
4 = common law of England. Common law of the people. Learn it forwards and backwards, inside and out. Better check out http://www.lawfulrebellion.org/ for explicit details.
5 = civil law. Derived from Roman civil law … good tool against government and the corrupt.
6 = statutory law / state law / lord’s to noble’s to sovereign’s private estate law dominating over the PPL or voluntary slaves / gentiles on claimed land. The LOWEST form of law as it deals with animals as cargo. YES, they consider you as animal cargo as long as you’re singed with / UNDER them.
7 = cannon laws. Specific to Roman Catholic Church, its subsidiaries and ilk. This is very important as the church has carried out many inquisitions to get rid of women and their families … literally in the millions.
Watch and learn (4 parts) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZfvfVbl6A4 … am I free in a so called democracy.
There are number of sovereign cities or areas that extend from corrupt Egyptian priests to today. In order, they are: Moses and Israelites till Jerusalem, Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Merovingian Kings of southern France / Sion, Vatican / Roman Catholic Church, Inner City of London / Knights Templar / Anglican Church, Inner city of Moscow in Russia (Rus is one of lost tribes of Israel), Washington D.C. / Knights Templar & Freemasons. For more detailed info see http://www.sacred-texts.com/
Canada is a signatory to International Human Rights, yet it takes away those rights by saying, as long as it’s within statutory law. Translation: as long as they control you and your rights by their corrupt commerce law. Complain to United Nations … it works!
Now you have choices as to which laws you want to operate in and who you want to be. For one to be free you either need to make a treaty with natives, as they still hold the title to land called Canada and United States, or claim homestead or settler rights. Siding with natives you become enemy of The Crown / Temple Bar / Knights Templar and to claim land as homesteader you get 1 / 4 section of land up to 4 per family. Settlers can start a settlement by specific rules … do your studies. Homesteaders and settlers are supposed to get everything they need for free for first 5 years in order to establish themselves and their operation for the rest of their lives. It’s a one time deal.
Five miles each side of Grand River for its full length is native land. Lord Kitchener made a treaty with natives as did Lord Brant / Brantford. These need further study in archives for your protection. Due to influx of PPL from Toronto area KW is packed. Bio-WASTE is rampant since pharmaceuticals, petroleum and other chemicals are NOT fully cleaned out and can’t be by government filtration plants, same for most cities. See CBC, KW record, rabble.ca, rights groups, archives and other sources for details.
Dan Malloy seems to be part of Malloy clan, as in John Malloy, a former ignorant of constituents MP?
As far back as 1960’s people in KW area have been pushing for affordable housing and similar housing projects as yours. Don’t be fooled, ALL have been turned down or red taped due to government / industry control. Many who pushed have been harassed, beaten, arrested, permanently disabled, or pushed until they stopped or moved out of the area.
HINTs: get as far away as possible from cities and past and present industry … because there is over 28,000 highly contaminated sites larger than 1 sq mile across this land. Do full scientific and pollution study of any land, water and air, including full resonance and frequency spectrums for a minimum of 2 years. If you claim rights to land make sure you do for mineral and air rights also. Be careful of city expansion, industry, big business and future development expansion for minimum of 30 years. Many farms are failing or being forced out by big business / government so they subsidize by selling or agreeing to sharing land … option to help or to buy anyone? If doing homestead or settlement you have the right to train and hire your own sheriff and deputies.
Google earth and the likes is your friend, in satellite mode, once you figure out why certain areas are fuzzy or foggy, especially when satellites can and do take pictures clearly enough to read a garage sale sign. Satellites are taking HD pictures of whole earth 24/7. Lots of free land out there ready to be claimed back from Crown.
There are loads of under the radar and off grid communities out there. Many are within smaller towns or rural areas. Many can’t be seen from above or you can walk right past them and never know it. Muskoka’s and above on the map is mostly empty land.
Helpful real working IDEAS to clean up / restore planet:
Geet by Pantone http://pesn.com/2010/07/29/9501680_GEET_plasma_fuel_processor_kit_now_in_production/
This works tech can power a house and up to a farm, and dispose of toxic waste while doing it. Almost anything, short of nuclear waste.
Stanley Meyer’s water powered car: http://waterpoweredcar.com/stanmeyer.html What comes out the exhaust pipe is pure clean water, also hydrating environment.
Troy Reed – Surge tech magnetic motor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMumLZJCD3s
Compost heater / fuel generator: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/use-compost-heat-water-78520.html Have used about truck load to heat a 30 x 50 ft. cabin in Muskokas during many coldest of winters, fuel for cooking and lighting as well. Pile only covered by tarp. PVC pipes running into cabin for heat. One pipe from top center of pile for gas/fuel.
Waterloo region dumps 18 Olympic-sized swimming pools of it monthly for price of 4.7 million to contractor. http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6694978-next-biosolids-public-sessions-scheduled-for-june/
Hemp / cannabis / marijuana: has the unique properties to cure 95 % of what may ail you. It is the only plant that matches our gnome, and is said in ancient texts to correct mistakes in our genetic code. It can restore even deserts and has 1,000s of uses. Before oil industry outlawed it, it was the biggest industry and product on earth. Western farmers were FORCED to have at least 10% of their crop be hemp. Even today, women who work with hemp continually have the healthiest babies.
A simple bi-metal plate with ground wire stuck in earth off one side and connection to capacitor on other side will charge capacitor 24/7 and forever, works idea from Nicola Tesla.
Helical wind generators are much more efficient than propeller types: http://helixturbineenergy.com/ Little to no noise, not bird traps, oldest found in Iraq at 3,500 years and still working.
As mentioned, permaculture is great, as 1 acre can feed a family of 4 for whole year, with spares to trade. Greenhouses are necessary for having all year and winter greens and may be used as heat supplement to home if/when designed properly. We live on a planet and in a universe where everything is free or nearly free and anything is possible with the right knowledge and wisdom.
I’m certainly not an expert in the field and I’m NOT qualified to offer advice…just opinion…but I wish to offer the suggestion that you seriously approach the local council and make a presentation about the benefits of small homes. Tons of resources on-line to help. Also we see developers as only interested in large projects but you might have success if you start contacting builders to see if they could build “Code” homes that are simply smaller. I’m thinking that there is a huge untapped market for builders (in small homes) but they just haven’t seen it yet as they are used to minimum square footage’s.
When I grew up we had three generations in a post-war 800 square foot home but now we have been told that families need 2000 square feet or more to live in. I don’t get that…
Just some thoughts…and good luck.
Dan.
So very right Dan…we have become accustomed to MORE SPACE…and much of it wasted space and unnecessary space really. We grew up in a small apartment when we first arrived in Canada and I live now in a small two bedroom with my three grand daughters. Needless to say, I’m moving to give them more space..sigh..We have become a society of “more is better”.
I was planning my tiny home when I found myself with three little girls in my care, and of course my plans changed. I am moving to a larger space to satisfy the mindsets of everyone else. The girls are very excited about tiny living, but unfortunately the child protective services and the family courts seem to think more space is appropriate and more space is better..double sigh..LOL..With that said, I have started the process of redesigning my tiny house to include two lofts and a small back bedroom for the three girls, and surprisingly enough, IT WASN’T THAT HARD..This is the age (12, 8, and 2) that little minds are like sponges, and I have such an opportunity to remold their thinking from what society “expects” and sees as normal living. Slowly we are seeing peoples mindsets changing to consider the footprint that is left from our “more is better” lifestyles. The middle girl gets so excited about all of us having our own tiny houses, as they get older, and living on a piece of land where all our porches can face each other for morning coffee…LOL…so wonderfully sweet. But what a great and wonderful thing if I could actually do that for them without all the red tape and run around I imagine I will face living in Ontario.
There is something to be said for simple living environments. I have to admit that I do not consider myself an “activist”, but I have been much more outspoken lately about government controls and “bylaws” that make no sense for the citizens they are meant to serve. Someone dictating the amount of spare feet I must live in, just burns my butt…LOL
Like you I was raised in a humble spare footage AND I TURNED OUT ALRIGHT! LOL
Anne,
I think that we become activists when something unjust touches us deeply. I believe the lack of options for those who have less money is the thing that spurns us on.
Poverty gives a feeling of being trapped, unable to escape, or to inch your way up out of it, or even ease the thing that is binding you. I know this feeling all too well. Despite all of that I did find a way out. But this experience stayed with me and haunted me and it is most certainly what made me who I am.
Your responsibilities are heavy and I am fighting a good fight to open up the possibility of less expensive and sustainable housing not just for me, but also for you. I am wishing you the best in all of this.
In sisterhood,
Laura
See whoever is going on Thursday at Queen Street Commons at 7 pm. We look forward to meeting Laura and anyone else going.
Cristiana and Frank
I am very sorry Frank and Cristina, I am unable to be there.
Please do let me know how the evening goes.
L
Will do…..until next time!
I am definitely interested! I also heard the Hamilton Tiny Home Meetup group is hosting a meeting in Kitchener on June 2nd at the Queen Street Commons at 7pm.
I used to own a house in Kitchener and currently own a condo in Cambridge. My wife and I would seriously consider selling what we have and building a tiny home if there were places available in the area to build.
Could Tiny Houses be considered Garden Suites in Hamilton, ON and Grimsby, ON?
Hamilton
“Temporary Use By-laws zone land or buildings for specific
uses for a maximum period of three years at a time, with the
possibility of extensions. For example, when the temporary
use of a “garden suite” (a one-unit detached residential
structure containing bathroom and kitchen facilities that is
secondary to an existing structure and is designed to be
portable) is authorized, the Temporary Use By-law may
allow it to exist for a period not exceeding ten years, with
more extensions possible”
from:
Click to access BSZoningBylawBrochure.pdf
And
Grimsby
“Garden Suite: means a dwelling unit that is ancillary to an existing residential structure and that is
designed to be portable….”
“Except as otherwise specifically permitted in this By-law, the following uses
are prohibited in any zone:
The use of any mobile home trailer for human habitation, except as a
garden suite or help house,”
from:
file:///C:/Users/student.user/Downloads/Zoning%20by-law%2014-45,%20Office%20Consolidation%20January%201,%202016%20(1).pdf
I will be interested,and move to Kitchener,from Cornwall,but we like to know about fee for land,services.keep me in touch.
Denise
I would love to be a part of this. I have the financial ability and I love the Kitchener-Waterloo area. I used to live there for 7 years. I’d love to see the development have a yoga and meditation hall, vegetable gardens, and lots of trees.
I would love this. I have the financial ability and I love the Kitchener area. I would love to see a common yoga and meditation hall that all the residents could share.
What about Brantford and surrounding areas. My husband and I want to start a country community living type situation.
I would be interested in finding out more about the Kitchener community. My training is in geography and I’ve done some policy planning work for Regional government. How does this group work? Is someone looking for land and would we purchase it together?
So much yes!!! My husband and I have been wanting to move to a tiny house for some time. We are minimalists and would be over the moon if this happened!! We currently live in kitchener so this is really, really ideal. We would definitely want a garden area!
I’ve been looking at tiny house living for a while now and already live in this area. This would be a great opportunity.
I live in Kitchener and my foundation is 500 sq ft my taxes are 1,650 per year. I have a front yard that is 200 sq ft and a backyard that is 350 sqft. My taxes alone are 1,650 per year. and the condo fee is $318 which covers the exterior of the building, water, snow removal, and landscaping. There are 60 units on the parcel of land we are on. I pay averg $100/mth for heat and $70 hyrdro. You round out that math and it’s $625 just for services, @ 60 units = $37,500. That doesn’t include the financing for the house or the cost for the land that it sits on. Being in Kitchener there is no way that you could say: $3000 for the land plus $300 for a condo type fee per tiny house and build your own house for $10k-20k. .;. While I think the tiny house community is an awesome idea, I believe it will cost people much more than they think.
I am glad to get some figures out of Kitchener. What you are saying is that your house and land together have 1050 square feet of space and what I have suggested for individual space for each house is half this, so this should put the land tax for each half as well, which would be $825 a year. About $70 a month.
As for your condo fees, they cover the exterior of your building, we will only have one community building that we share the cost of upkeep for, not 60 units. We will have snow and landscaping so I expect that the figure that I gave of $200-$300 a month to cover the monthly fee is ample.
As for heat and hydro, most tiny housers produce what they need by using simple off grid systems so we don’t really need to be concerned about this. It would just be supplementary from the main house.
As for the cost of land… I see that land is VERY expensive and I am sure that getting the land developed will not be cheap either. I am not sure where you got the figure of $3000, but if you do find some land there for that, please be sure to let me know, I will take a hundred parcels!
Each individual would also have to buy/build or already own their own try house.
I hope this clarifies any misunderstanding.
kind regards,
Laura
Here is the link I use to keep an eye on the market. I’m not a realtor just a home owner.
Thanks,
Dan.
https://www.realtor.ca/
Hi Laura,
Please count us in on this land venture in Kitchener. Just an FYI….we didn’t invest and get scammed for the Kingston land. We wanted to get involved but thought it was too far. We were pondering about communikindred and still are.
However, if the price is right and the location be Kitchener or surrounding area, then it’s perfect for us as well.
We were told about 500 sq ft and under and not having to pay for the property taxes on the dwelling/house. However, this said: we know that land taxes/fees still have to be paid. Sorry if I didn’t clarify this from the start. So I think that we too want to know: where do we go from here and when?
.
We have a 2-4 year plan and would like to retire debt free and mortgage free. To live among others who are like minded and are willing to help each other prosper and succeed in a healthy and green type of life style.
Please keep us posted,
Frank and Cristiana
Hi Frank and Cristiana,
I am glad that you were not scammed!
I think Communikindred is a wonderful plan and I think that they are very close to fruition, so please don’t give up them for something that is not even in the early state of… well an early state of not even planning!
As for what we do next… I am not sure. If you look down in the comments you will see that Joan has written to let us know that she is in a position to buy a large farm in the area and is quite interested in this because she also wants to live within a community of people who care about sustainable living and community. I would expect that Joan will be looking around and hopefully she will be in touch over the next days. I will send her an email if I have not heard back in a few days to see if she is still keen.
Do take care,
❤ Laura
Hi Laura,
Before pressing “post comment” on my lengthy response to you yesterday I thought it would be wise to do a real estate search as Dan suggested. Over the last few months I have casually kept an eye on real estate in southern Ontario and my search included rural Kitchener. I don’t recall the availability of farms and land being so limited and expensive in the Kitchener area. Dan, mentioned that there is tons of rural land within 30 minutes of downtown Kitchener. Dan, it seems you have to be a member of realtor.ca in order to pull up results. I have not been able to do a search that site yet.
I will do a little more searching today. I did a cut and paste of my lengthy response to you from yesterday and am including it below. Even if it turns out that I put the cart before the horse in terms of considering Kitchener as a viable place to purchase rural property it is information and perhaps some food for thought and discussion. Last winter I did a sustainable building workshop. I learned that some counties are more open then others when it comes to interpretation of the Ontario building codes. If a tiny house community is not feasible in Kitchener perhaps there would be other areas in south Ontario that would be.
Hi Laura,
I love it that you are vegan and that you mention the distinction that animals are friends not food. On that note I am beginning with a comment on creating a tiny house community. The topic of animals being friends and not food is an important one for me. At the same time I am aware that there’s a multitude of preferences and differences of opinions that members in any given community will have things that are important to them. I have discussed community living with friends and acquaintances for the last few years and have also done a little reading about living in communities. I’ve concluded that it is not easy for North Americans who have been cultured to be free and to be individuals to suddenly come together and live in community. I speak for myself as well!
Someone writing about community living pointed to the divorce rate in North America. His point being that if the divorce rate is so high between two individuals who know each other intimately and have committed to a life together so much greater is the challenge and potential for complications with each new individual that is added to the community. Albeit in a tiny house community people would be living in their own homes, there would still be a lot of sharing involved. This particular author concluded that only a small percentage of the population has the maturity and disposition to live successfully in community. He also concluded that it would be easier to create a community, modeled after a successful corporation. A community in which the members are in alignment with the company and are happy to be an employee because the company is successful, well run and is a pleasant place to work. They join the company because they are able to have a fairly independent career within the structure of the company without taking on the challenges and expenses of owning their company.
It seems that the shifts happening on our planet are pointing the way for us to find ways to live more sustainably. Community living certainly makes sense on many levels. One of the great things that the people in this online community have in common is an interest in affordable and simple living. What a great place to start a community from!
An upfront ownership of the land on which one puts a tiny house or rents to own seems like a good way to avoid needing to lease or pay rent indefinitely. Having said that I don’t consider myself a “developer”. I’m cut not cut out to sit in long meetings. I would need professional help to determine condominium structure, to work out fees for common needs, expenses, organize snow plowing…. As with all such projects it only can go as far as energy, enthusiasm and a budget allows. At the same time I like your idea to have everyone be an owner of their land just like in a condominium complex. It would be interesting to see if the city would grant approval for a rural condominium complex. If this were the case small pieces of land would need to be severed in order to create the option to own, rent or lease a tiny home and the land it sits on. As in a condominium complex I imagine they would also be buying or selling their part of the investment in the central shared building with laundry, a full kitchen and common room for community gatherings, a classroom and a guest room or two.
Starting small with perhaps a few people and enough land to evolve a tiny house community in the future is about where my comfort zone and budget is at this time. It would be great to connect with someone who is thinking along the same line and is also in a very serious financial position to invest with me in a rural property as this could move things forward with more ease.
Wonderful that Jill has something written saying that that the city is open to the idea of a tiny house community. Sounds like Jill is thinking of something more urban when she approached the city. Perhaps this would be more realistic in terms of the additional costs to commuting and the need for members to either own or share a vehicle?
As for size, foundation or no foundation…. I like the idea of a mix as well. However, the city would have much to say in terms of meeting building codes. I imagine it would be much easier to get approval from the city if there was a pre-determined size and structure.
Proposing something “unusual” to the city zoning and planning department can be a costly and a long and drawn out process. I recently had an offer on a property in Kingston that qualified for severance. Getting a severance is a bit of a catch 22 though because you have to purchase the property before you can apply for a severance. The city may give verbal approval for a severance but many bridges must be crossed before the approval becomes official. The city planner in charge of severances told me to plan on 2.5- 3 months to get official approval and to set aside $30,000.00 for things like: application to the city $2,000, Conservation Authority $500, Health Unit $5,000, surveys, legal fees, Cash in Lieu of Park Plan $1,200-1,300, a well… After discussing possibilities with the city for a couple of weeks and getting verbal pre-approval for a severance a home inspection uncovered too many hidden problems and the deal did not go through.
I learned that it would most likely be simple, straight forward and inexpensive to get a severance on a piece of land compared to what would be involved in setting up a tiny house community. Indeed a developer may be what is needed to get a tiny house community off the ground unless the progressive city of Kitchener is interested and would support being the first tiny house community in Canada (I don’t know of any others?). I have not yet approached the city of Kingston with a tiny house community proposal. I was however impressed with their open response when I mentioned things like earth homes, and alternatives to the typical septic systems.
As to where to go from here, I am at the stage where I’m ready to purchase an agricultural property in Southern Ontario. I would be interested in exploring further and approaching the city of Kitchener if:
1. I found affordable land within 30 -40 minutes of Kitchener to invest in.
2. A few people would be in the VERY SERIOUS and in a financial position to consider investing in a piece of land in rural Kitchener based on getting verbal approval for this from the city. This could be set with a lease to own a tiny home or providing your own tiny home.
3. A few people with a good credit rating, would be in the position at this time to lease to own or to lease land in rural Kitchener.
Thanks,
Joan
Hi Laura:
I would suggest Google Maps and check out the areas around Kitchener. Nothing is cheap but it may be in your range. And the website to check current listings is REALTOR.CA … not .COM. Oh, and Hamilton is really getting to be a great city. I’m sure it always was but it’s improving all the time.
Hi Dan, Yes, we like Hamilton a lot, but my allergies give me a lot of trouble here. We have a little house here, but our property values have doubled in our time here. This is incredibly fortunate for us, but not so awesome for people who are trying to get into the market. I would really like to be at Tiny House Ontario full time – but H loves his work and it is here, and of course there is the matter of not having enough money to keep us for more than a few months if he stopped working, so here we are.
It honestly could be much worse… we have a pretty good life carved out for ourselves here.
❤ L
Hello I my husband and I are very interested. We do not require a common building or storage space. Ideally, we just want a place to park a tiny house on a lot in Kitchener-Waterloo city limits. If such a place existed we’d start building our house tomorrow.
I would be very very interested.
My husband and I are Tiny House fanatics and definitely looking for a change. We are currently living in Guelph but willing to make the small move 😉 Keep me posted!!
My husband and I are 65 and travel down south in a tiny travel trailer in the winter. We’d be interested in downsizing to a tiny house for our summer home base. Would seniors be welcome in a tiny house community?
Of course! A community that would not welcome seniors would not be a place that I would want to call home. I am 50 years old myself.
❤
Laura
I’m looking into Tiny Houses to house folks experiencing homelessness; there are no units (especially for youth) and few landlords who want to work with shelters to house folks.
I am wondering what the by-laws say about Tiny Houses – especially around septic, etc.
Hi,
we were with the understanding that if you have a tiny house of 500 sq ft and under, that there would be no property taxes? We just want to get clarity on this issue. Also, $200.00-$300.00 seems a little steep to pay on a monthly basis, if you are also adding utilities on top of that.
In looking back at the tiny house community that was being built in Kingston,they were asking for $3000.00 per lot for investment and then $50.00 per month per lot for such things as snow removal and upkeep and so on. We feel that lots should be bigger than 30 x 50 feet and able to accommodate a storage shed like you mentioned. We are more than happy with living in Kitchener, as we think this is ideal for us, since we already reside here. ,
We are in our 50’s and have a 2-4 year plan, and with this in mind,we’ve been talking about a Tiny House Community for quite some time.
We think that perhaps the person you may be interested in speaking with is Manfred. You will find him in Meetup and he is in charge of the communikindred community. He is a fantastic source of information and can likely point you in the right direction so that this can all be expedited sooner, rather than later.
Please note: we are very interest in this, but the reality is that the dollars and cents all need to make sense to us, as we are planning for retirement.
Thanks, Frank and Cristiana
Hi Frank and Cristiana,
Let me first begin by saying that there is NO tiny house community in Kingston Ontario. The so called Smart Communities have been advertising on Kijiji for years and yet there is nothing there and there is likely never to be anything. I have had dozens of people tell me that they believe it is a scam and I have reposted this over and over. If you have given them money, I am sorry. I cannot use this group as a yardstick for anything because they are simply imaginary.
As for under 500 square feet not having any taxes, who gave you this information? If you own land in Canada, even if there is nothing on it, you pay tax.
This said, the figure that I have given is just a guess. I have based this on my experience of sitting on a condo board, and also on our current lot in Hamilton, where we have a 900 square foot home, This house has land taxes of about $2400 and it is about three times the size of the lot that I would suggest for a tiny home. Also, I know the importance of OVER estimation when one is thinking about these things. We must always do so because it is better to be able to refund people then to ask for more later.
I am however, relieved that you mention Communikindred! This is a group that I have been keeping up with and I think they will come to fruition soon. They will have lower costs, of course, because they will not be in Southern Ontario where land and taxes are very high. I also do not think that they are incorporating a larger central building for the community in their plans and some of the money would be for upkeep on this. They are also further away from services such as the library, hospitals, theatres, galleries, grocery stores and so on. Personally, I like a little of both worlds. I like to be rural and isolated, but I also want to be right there in hum of culture sometimes both in one day. But there are lots of people who crave the life that Communikindred is offering! I am sure that they will succeed!
Really? I just discovered that site the other day! So there isn’t any truth to it? Nothing in Kingston? That is very sad if in fact it is a hoax. 😞 I was so hoping we were on to something. Fingers crossed for something to transpire around the Chatham-Kent, Kingsville area.
There are three tiny houses in the Kingston area. THO as well as Guillaume and Matt’s places. Yes, Wayne the person who has posted the website, does not have a tiny house. My personal experience is that he is a creepy individual. I get several people writing to me privately to say that have a feeling that he is running a scam. I can’t help but think this too. I am very surprised that the police have not shut him down.
Hi Laura, I have been very interested in building a tiny house on wheels for myself and have been looking around for a long time now. I have been looking at your site and all the while being part of Smart Communities in Kingston. We were a group of 15 individuals but due to lack of management , I believe the group is slowly dwindling down. I left the group and am know living in southern Ontario. No, the group was NOT a scam, and we were not a community yet. We found Kingston city very uncooperative and difficult to deal with. No one ever gave out money since we were waiting to be organized. And the figures given were just that , figures. Nothing written in stone. I’m still looking at my dream , but the only way I could do it is privately.
yours truly
Dear Anonymous,
I wish you had left a name. It is so much nicer to be able to say hello to someone that you have been hoping to hear from. It is good that one of you has finally contacted me. What I will write may not be easy for you to hear, but I will speak it anyway.
I had personal dealings with Wayne here at Tiny House Ontario. To say that the man gave me the creeps is a huge understatement. I don’t suppose that he has let you know that I had to hire a detective to find out who was sending me creepy messages. While his threats were not physical in nature, he was insistent that I give him my address and when I would not he threatened that he would find me, hunt my down, search Google Earth looking for my location, ask around and so on. I repeatedly asked him to stop this, but he would not do so.
This may not sound to scary to you, but if you were a woman who is living alone in the woods and some random unknown man from the internet who so happened to live geographically close to you, was hunting you, you would probably feel the same. The fact is: that HE is the single person that keeps me from being more public about my house. If it were not for him, I would allow interested parties to come to my home and look around, but it is my fear of Wayne knowing where I am that forces me to be private about my location. I am afraid of him.
How all of these threats stopped was that I hired a detective so that I could inform the police if there continued to be problems and threats. Of course I keep records on all of this. This detective wrote to Wayne to let him know that they had discovered his identity and that if he (Wayne) did not stop contacting and threatening me, that the police would be called. Fortunately, he followed the advice of the detective and stopped all contact, but the next thing that he did was to start this so called “Smart Communities”. I did not find this to be a coincidence.
Over these last many years, there are several other people who have written to me to tell me that they have had similar experiences to me, of course I keep all of this in my file because I found the man to be so threatening and wanted to protect myself and others. Frankly, if he is not a creep who has ill intentions, then he should not behave like one.
That your group has a lack of management, I am sorry. To me, this is a no brainer. The man who you have chosen to follow has a long history of failure.
Across Ontario and indeed the world, there are many people in many communities that have started Tiny House communities and advocacy groups. These groups have not posted a hundred and one ads on Kijiji asking for $3000, used photos of other people’s tiny houses without their permission and made a whole lot of promises that they cannot keep. Nor have these groups asked people to fill in papers giving a whole lot of personal information. NONE of this should have been done. All of these things point myself and others to beleive that there is an underlying deviance and frankly because of my own personal experience with your big giant head, I had very good reason to mistrust him, and I have heard many voices rise to me that show that others have that same feeling.
Now that you know this, you can choose to believe me or not. Regardless, I strongly suggest that you, or another one of your group who is a natural leader consider starting a new group. We members of the tiny house community in Ontario are gaining ground. Literal ground. I think it would be a pity for my home town to be left behind, because you have – so to speak – put your money on the wrong horse.
You are right about one thing. Nothing is written in stone. I hope that you will follow your dream. I also hope that the tiny house wannabee community in Kingston holds together and follows through. It would be wonderful to see a community there, it is my dream too! I want you to know that I am NOT against any of you (but Wayne) I am happy to be a member of the (real, physical) Kingston tiny house community and I hope one day you will join us. There are three of us now, that I know about, and we should be working together.
Very kind regards to you and best of luck to all of you who are hopeful and pushing toward a future where we can live in sustainable housing. We should be able to do so without fear and as a community!
❤
Laura
Hi Laura,
This is very interesting to hear about the small tiny house community in Kingston. I responded to the Kitchener link earlier when I heard that the city was potentially open to a tiny house community. I said that I would consider moving to Kitchener and purchasing land for myself and my three horses and possibly to make space for a tiny home community. When I looked deeper into it I discovered that land close to Kitchener was cost prohibitive. I am continuing to search for land in the Kingston area. It would be great to connect with someone in the tiny house community in Kingston to discuss what has occurred so far in discussions with the city about tiny houses.
Thanks,
Joan
Dear Joan,
I am mistrustful of the leader of the so called “Smart Communities” in Kingston. Please take the time to read the extensive answer I have given in the comments on this thread. The community there is in great need of a leader. Perhaps you will fill the void and become the voice for those who wish to have a community there.
Wishing you the best and hoping that you will stay in touch!
Laura
H Laura,
Thanks for your response. I did read your detailed comments you made about the situation in Kingston. At the moment most of my energy is going into searching for a property. To keep my costs down I am often looking at properties with potential to sever. Therefore lots of trips to the city planning department. I will continue reading your posts and will let you know if anything opens up that looks like potential for a tiny home community down the road.
Thanks,
Joan
Hi Laura,
In case you or anyone else may be interested in exploring a rural tiny house community I am adding some thoughts to what you wrote above. Kitchener/Waterloo is one of the of the areas I have considered moving to.
My situation is that I have three adopted x-race horses. I have been boarding them for the last two years and am now looking to purchase a property in the country. Last year I took a training at Equinisity in Kamloops BC (www.equinisity.com). After the training I decided I would like to set up a facility where people could come as guests to receive the therapeutic benefits of spending time in nature with horses. I have since sold my triplex in Kingston and have been exploring properties and possibilities.
Laura, in answer to your questions above, I am in a financial position to purchase a parcel of land zoned agricultural large enough to accommodate a barn, my horses and possibly a tiny house community. I would prefer to live in a community then to be in the country with the horses by myself. I resonate with your idea about each person being a part owner. If the city of Kitchener would allow some severances it would be great to sever some of the land specifically for a community of tiny houses set up as you describe above. I would be interested in exploring some of the scenarios below if there is a group of like minded people interested in living rural in Ktichener/Waterloo. My thought is that it would be easier to start small and to leave room for growth.
My interests for the larger portion of agricultural land and would be to have a business as indicated above where people could come and spend time in nature and with the horses. It would be great to have some tiny houses on the either the land owned by me or as part of the community land for bed and breakfast accommodation and/or to accommodate guests of the tiny house community. I would also be interested in having a portion of the agricultural land become a food forest (permaculture style). Over time this could potentially support the fruit, nut and vegetable needs for the tiny entire tiny house community. On a personal note, I didn’t mention farm animals for food here because I would have a hard time parting with animals for the purpose of food. For dairy and eggs perhaps there would be someone interested in owning animals for life and caring for them as if part of the community family? Another possibly would be for someone in the community to own or lease a larger portion of agricultural land for a compatible business such as a owning or running the food forest, a market garden or running farm related workshops held in the barn such as build a bat or bird house, build and use a solar dehydrator, build and use a solar oven, create a hiking trail, feed a family on purely wild food, drying herbs and making herbal teas, plant identification…
If some people are interested in living in a tiny house community rural to Kitchener and who answer yes to your 1-3 questions above I would be very interested in approaching the city of Kitchener with a proposal. Even if it is a small group of people initially as it actually might be easier to get the ball rolling with a small group of committed people.
Thanks,
Joan
I am relived that you would not want to house animals to kill. I am vegan and of course because of this, I think animals are friends, not food. Which is an important distinction.
So the question is, where do we go from here?
❤ L
Hi Joan:
I’m not an urban planner but the City of Kitchener proper is a pretty urban area and land of that size might be prohibitively expensive. However…you may be able to find something within 30 minutes of downtown Kitchener. There is tons of rural land here just in case you are not familiar with the area. It is a progressive part of the world so definitely worth a look. I might suggest the realtor website REALTOR.COM to see what is currently listed.
I have just had a look there myself Dan. I am not from there so I am not sure. Would this map be accurate as to the municipal control of the area (in yellow)? http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/837340/153186143/stock-vector-kitchener-ontario-area-map-153186143.jpg
This is very exciting! My question would be define “tiny” are we talking houses with foundations? or on wheels? Just curious what the municipality considered as a tiny house. So any restrictions?
I would think that this would be up to the developer. I think a mix would be nice myself. What are your thoughts on this?
I too am planning to build my Tiny Travelling home in the near future and would love a place in Ontario to still call home. Please keep me updated on further developments of this idea.
Do you have the information [letter and/or document] that indicates this possible plan? to share with other small housing groups across the country to push for change in other municipalities?
I have this yes, but I cannot share it. There was nothing official just a citizen’s note asking for them to be open to it and a letter back from them stating that they were open. Jill wrote to the municipality on her own. I suggest all citizens who are interested in a communities like this and having the building code opened up to allow tiny houses to be part of their municipality to put it in writing, copy Ted McMeekin (minister of housing) and the PM. It is the squeaky wheel that gets oiled and we have not been squeaky enough!
Fees for up keep will ruin your plan. Condo style fees allow abusive cost to ruin your investment.
Having lived in a condo myself as well as having been on the board, I understand your concerns.
BUT… I don’t agree that this is a realistic concern for a tiny house development. The cost of condo fees are ALWAYS to do with upkeep of quickly slapped together buildings.
In the case of a tiny house development, each individual would own their own house and therefore saving money for house repairs would not apply. This would be fully up to the individual home owners.
Fees would only apply to cover the costs of upkeep on the common building and fences, plus insurance, snow removal, sewage, water, hydro, taxes and so on. There is absolutely no need for exorbitant fees.
I would assume that the community would set taxes on such a development of about $700-1000/a year for every tiny house unit in such a development. Coverage of the tax would be the primary cost. I would think that fees of $200-$300 + utilities /month would easily cover the taxes as well those things I have mentioned above.
One of the things that would be important is that every month the board should provide a full bank statement to each of the members of the community and the board should not be able to remove any funds without having three signatures on each cheque. This is good practice for any not for profit board because it helps to prevent fraud.
❤ L
Just to add a point of view as I live in the neighboring City of Cambridge…
Kitchener is a fabulous progressive city to live in and with the new light rail transit things are happening fast. It is becoming a great place.
Just sayin’…
Though I don’t live there, I also really like Kitchener. It was one of the cities that we seriously considered settling into. It was only that we found a great house here in Hamilton first that cinched us in. But I regret this for one reason – specifically air quality.
Thank you for adding your voice!
❤ L
I’m from Kitchener and I would love to see this community come to KW and would give some serious thought about becoming a resident in the future!!
Thanks Tammy!
I agree with Tammy! Would love to see this happen! We certainly don’t need a lot to live! Less is more!