Author Archives: Laura

I have been at THO pretty much constantly for the last few months because I am working here in Kingston right now.  It has been interesting in a good way because I had only stayed there rarely in the winter before and so I got to experience the place in a different way.

A couple of mornings ago I woke up to rain falling on the snow.  There were big slow drops which on closer investigation were actually snow melt coming down and making holes in the small layer of snow that had fallen during the night.  The effect on the snow was really beautiful.  This photo won’t do it justice since it was just dawn on a dark day but I knew I would not get a photo if I waited for more light.  So here it is.

I think this was not just beautiful, but it signalled the change in season. It is likely the last snow that will fall this season… or at least if we do get a little more… it will be short lived like this speckled batch.

It was a grey and wet day but I took a couple of photos before morning coffee and heading to town to teach.  It is so pretty and peaceful here and I like it very much here in the winter now too, thanks to the new stove.

The pileated woodpecker still does not show himself to me… he teases me by hammering just close enough for me to hear him but never in full view.  Still hoping!

Tiny house, big woods

I was surprised when my new Dickinson stove arrived.  I am not sure why, but I simply did not have a handle on what size they are.

I chose the smaller of the two but I think I should have chosen the larger one… the stone work that I have on my house is not exactly easy to heat…

Still, if the temperature is not below minus ten it works well.  For colder weather I need more blankets or to vacate to a warmer home.  But it is nice to have heat that feels safe and comfortable.

I decided to put in an additional CO2 and smoke detector when I put this in.  Just to have back up.  It is a nice cheap safety step which I think one might as well do… just incase of battery failure.  So far, either of them have made even the slightest peep.

The heat itself is super comfortable.  Which surprised me.  There is no dampness and the fan keeps the air moving enough that the temperature in the house is consistent up and downstairs.

I feel like this was money well spent.

Here it is before hookup.

See the water jugs near to the heater… They are about a foot and a half away since the stonework is deep.  This is handy to keep the water a little warm so that one does not have to use so much fuel to make tea or coffee.

I wish I would have gone with one of these first time!  Somehow the propane scared me… but I could have saved a lot of money and avoided the whole stone addition if I would just have followed what most do.  Oh well… life is filled with regrets and at least this is now right.

Have you ever priced one of these things???  UGH!  If you ever thought about buying a rack for this purpose, you will know they cost between $250 and $700 largely variable for size and quality.  On a scale of 1-10 on how hard this was to make, this one is a ONE.  All you need is a saw (or someone to cut four 6 inch long pieces), and a drill.

This drying rack has 8 three foot long bars so I can dry anywhere between 8 and 24 paintings at a time, depending on the size of them.  Cost for this was $0 and the time it took me to make it was 20 minutes.

I got the side rails for the crib from someone who turned the rest of theirs into a bed when their child outgrew the crib.  One man’s garbage is this girl’s happiness!  These two sides, and the  four pieces of 2×2 cut to SIX inches in length were all it took.  I drilled holes through the sides into the 2×2 (to keep the 2×2 from splitting, screwed them together, and that was it.

The only drawback to my free one is that it can’t be folded up and tucked away… but you could hang a blanket on it and leave it in your bedroom or use it for a magazine rack.  it is only 7 inches wide so, it does not take a lot of space and so it could even go in the hallway.

Mine will always be in use!  I am glad to have one and happier still because it was FREE!

FREE, FREE, FREE, FREE, FREE!

Tiny House Ontario is made up of one tiny house, one blogger and a Facebook page which now has two admins.  Me and Lulu.

The plan here is not to make money (We don’t) but to promote tiny living as a viable option for Ontarian’s.

When I first started blogging it was just about my house, but as more of you started reading and asking questions I started talking more about movement itself and of course the following grew when I expanded my horizons.  I am just about to hit 600K who have put their eyes on my blog, which feels big.  It would be nice to have a dime for every one though, right?  HA!

Tiny House Ontario’s Facebook page has about 6000 followers now but Lulu and I have about 8000 people who we reach a week, so you are a pretty loyal following!   Thank you – it is numbers like this that make me think that we are doing something right here.

But going back a bit… as more eyes started looking at what I was writing about, I decided that I would not advertise and I would try to have all those fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants wannabes at bay.  This was largely to do with three very negative experiences in the very early days.  One from a guy who can only be described as a stalker that went on to ask a lot of people for personal information to build a community, another from a “business” that was threatening me because I would not promote after I had some bad feedback and another from a known accused pedophile (who got off on a technicality because his trial was not expedient enough) that wanted to start a tiny house community… Clearly, with these three cases, I believe that I would not be acting in good faith if I were promoting them, I stood firm and shut them down.   Though one of them is still out there exploiting the hopes of tiny house wannabes by pretending to be a viable option for those who wish to live tiny in Ontario… and the complaints about him are still coming in to me.

So, what do I do with negative comments about these folks?

When I get negative feedback from any sources about anyone who has involved themselves with the tiny house community in any way, shape or form then I am not going to share or promote them.  I also delete comments about them from our Facebook page.  This is not just because I think it is unethical to promote those who I understand to be maleficent.  Frankly this is a new movement – we don’t even have the ability to live in most municipalities yet, but there are a lot of people who think that they can grow cash quick by building and selling houses or by starting a community.  We owe it to ourselves and the community to make this way of life as safe as possible, do we not?  We owe it to those who come after us, to keep this community credible.

Am I right?

I hope so!  I would like to think that this vetting makes the sources that I give as being trustworthy.  I guess, what I see my role as, is that of a dispensary of the people’s information, and because I can only depend on the sources that give me information, I might not always get this right.  But rest assured, that at the very least I try!

Why am I sharing this information now?

Recently the audience here has grown and new people may not have read previous comments and posts where I give warnings.

I am just reminding you all not to spend your money or give out your information to anyone who claims to be a tiny house builder, community or voice of the community before you have fully researched what and who they are!  I was reminded just today that not all tiny house sites take their roll as a mentor as seriously as I do, so use your heads and do your research please!

Stay safe! ❤ L

In my last article I pointed out correctly that sustainable housing is NOT illegal but simply non-compliant to outdated building codes.

Lets get even more real here today.

The Strong Communities through Affordable Housing Act, 2011 requires “municipalities to establish official plan policies and zoning by-law provisions allowing second units in detached, semi–detached and row houses, as well as in ancillary structures” and those municipalities that have not made these allowances are in fact acting illegally and contrary to the law.

Furthermore, from the tiny houser perspective, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is not doing anything about this.

Lets get this straight… this law does not help those who want to live on wheels, but it does not hinder in any way those who simply want to live in a tiny house in the city or community of their choice.

I personally lived in a house like this when I was in Germany.  It had a separate yard and parking from the main house, we had a lovely little fence between us as well as shrubs to give privacy.  We did not own the house but we rented it and when we did it was explained to us, by the owners of the house that ours had a transferable 99 year lease with the owners and a clause that if the owners did not renew the lease that the house had to be purchased at market value by them.  A very good contract for both parties.

What can we do to force municipalities to follow this act?

We rally together!

Please take some time to WRITE A LETTER and CC  it to a lot of people!!!  (all the addresses are provided below)

The issues are:

Strong Communities through affordable housing act is not being followed by any communities except for Ottawa and we the citizens of Ontario demand that tiny houses be allowed not just as secondary dwellings but as communities for those who wish to live sustainably.

Tiny houses are a viable option because they are inexpensive to build and more importantly they are exceptionally inexpensive to maintain, and live in.  They have a very small carbon footprint, they do not require citizens to live to work but rather just to live.  They are perfectly safe and can easily be built to the same codes as long as these codes are not mindlessly obsessed with size… because this alone is the only restrictive feature.

Demand that communities allow for 1000 square foot lots for tiny houses with an equitable rate for taxes based on value.

Demand that all housing being built be forced to comply with environmental standards beyond insulation, such as layout and structure that will allow for passive solar heat ,south west facing windows for breeze and solar panels to take care of the needs of each home.

Demand that tiny house communities be planned and developed in every community based on need.  I expect, based on my numbers here that there are thousands who wish to live in tiny houses if the government were actually following their own laws and making it possible for us to move forward.

Demand that those who wish to live in tiny houses on wheels be included in the code books and be allowed to be lived in, after all these are HOUSES, they are not RVs and they are perfectly safe as well.  In the USA there is a code already in place and this code allows citizens to live safely and comfortably, and this is what the codes are for, is it not?

If you are reading this, and you are a municipal leader and you also understand that what we ask for is our right, then I suggest that you get in gear and get it right.

Your letter should be addressed to:

1.YOUR OWN MUNICIPAL LEADER

2. YOUR OWN MUNICIPAL BUILDING DEPARTMENT HEAD

3. YOUR OWN MPP

________________

4. Hon Chris Ballard
Ministry of Housing / Ministry Responsible for the Poverty Reduction Strategy
17th Floor
777 Bay Street
Toronto, Ontario M5G 2E5
Tel  416-585-6500
Fax  416-585-4035

E-mail: minister.mma@ontario.ca

_____

5. Hon Kathleen O. Wynne
kwynne.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Room 281, Main Legislative Building, Queen’s Park
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1A1
Tel
416-325-1941
Fax
416-325-9895

____

Because this is not just a housing issue but an environmental one!

6. Hon. Glen R. Murray

Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change
Public Information Centre
2nd Floor, Macdonald Block
M2-22 – 900 Bay Street
Toronto ON M7A 1N3

____

Because this is a municipal issue (even though, in my opinion it should not be)

7. Hon Bill Mauro
Ministry of Municipal Affairs
17th Floor
777 Bay Street
Toronto, Ontario M5G 2E5
Tel
416-585-7000
Fax
416-585-6470

AND because this should be a country wide mandate!!!

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau

Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2

Fax: 613-941-6900

You might also wish to copy this to other agencies that are to do with the environment, justice, landowners, poverty ect.

Do you have suggestions?  Have I missed anything?