Acquiring a tiny house: not as easy as you might think

The rise in real estate and the housing crisis are accentuating the demand for tiny houses in Quebec, despite the path paved with pitfalls.

• Read also: Do you dream of having a tiny house? Here are six types that are gaining popularity in Quebec

“There are so, so, so many requests,” says Joanie Forest, co-owner of Mini maison Forest, which builds and rents these small homes.

General contractor Jason Therrien has built with his former partner some forty tiny houses in villages in Centre-du-Québec since 2016. His main clientele: single women, retirees and young couples.

“There is sure to be a strong demand and people love it!” confirms the owner of Baraka, who believes that access to property is threatened as never before.

Marie Genest, administrator of the Mouvement québécois des mini-maisons, also notes that these dwellings with an area of ​​300 to 600 square feet are popular.

“It’s a lot of economic reasons. That’s what I hear most often,” she says.

This is not to mention the savings generated by these homes in terms of maintenance costs, energy, etc.

Despite their popularity, tiny houses have too little land with the authorizations to accommodate them, which is the sinews of war. “It’s even more complicated for tiny houses on wheels,” laments Mr. Forest.

With the current socioeconomic context, Ms. Genest believes that municipalities will have no choice but to adapt.

Mr. Therrien made it a cause. Its goal? Make municipalities aware of the importance of including, in the future, sectors of small houses in real estate domains.

“These will soon be the only option for a first buyer to become an owner,” he is convinced.

In 2020, Edith Comeau paid $35,000 for her land of approximately 24,000 square feet in Dixville; today it is worth $50,000. His tiny house, which cost him $115,000, with his choice of ecological materials, suffered a similar increase. “I did it in good time!” she rejoices.

Welcome to the family grounds

To compensate for the scarcity of land, municipalities allow, under certain conditions, that an accessory dwelling be installed on the land of a permanent residence. This is particularly the case for Granby, Dixville and Victoriaville.

The latter two have allowed only one to two collateral residency applications, but the industry expects a change imminent. The co-owner of Minimaliste, Jean-Philippe Marquis, sells several backyard tiny houses in Ontario and the United States.

These pavilions make it possible to accommodate an aging relative on the land of a member of his family, instead of placing him in residence.

The model proposed by the owner of Modules Tech Pic-Bois, Richard Picard, is mini, but bigger than a room in a CHSLD, as he says. “It’s the future!” he exclaims.

The green light from the municipality

The main obstacle to installing or building your tiny house is to find land with municipal permits. To guide enthusiasts, the Mouvement québécois des minimaisons conducted a survey and listed the minimum construction standards of municipalities that accept tiny houses on an interactive map: minimaison.org/ou-sinstaller/

An unknown inventory

The number of tiny houses in Quebec remains unknown, because neither the CMHC nor the APCHQ do not precisely identify their construction starts or the permits granted to these residences, which are confused with the “single-family” category.

The right “match”

The industry counts craftsmen as well-known players in the manufacturing of pre-fabricated houses. There are no bad questions when the time comes to choose the company that will build its tiny house: the number of years of activity, references from former clients, building permits held, guarantees offered, production times, etc.

Shy investors

Banking institutions are much more reluctant to finance the purchase or construction of a tiny house, the value of which is lower than a traditional house. Desjardins is a pioneer, accepting for several years to grant mortgage loans for a tiny house, including tiny houses on wheels. Otherwise, many owners have to save money or even apply for a personal loan, a line of credit or a loan for a recreational vehicle.

Self-construction… A solution?

The choice to build your tiny house yourself, in part or in whole, allows savings ranging from 20% to 50%, depending on the degree of participation. Those who opt for self-construction must comply with the requirements of their municipality, according to what it applies to the Building and Construction Code. Vigilance is required, because dreams can turn into nightmares.

Rental first

It is better to rent a tiny house for a short or long stay, before owning one. Sites offer accommodation for short or long stays, such as Nature Nature, which has 15 microrefuges in Saint-Jean-des-Piles, in Mauricie.