In recent years we have heard a lot about the tiny house movement. It sounds enticing to live in a small trendy dwelling with a small amount of debt or debt-free. But is it practical, and will your municipality or city allow it? Many cities are opening their eyes to the housing crisis, and Waterloo Region is one of them.
Just Working Construction is passionate about helping families connect, thrive, and grow through housing. Tiny houses and (ADUs more generally) are a major element of how we can help communities achieve this.
Additional Dwelling Units (ADUs) in Kitchener
According to the City of Kitchener, the following fall under additional dwelling units:
- Tiny House
- Laneway Suites
- Backyard Homes
The current zoning bylaw allows the above to be built on most properties with a zoning code R-1 through R-7.
Why Are ADUs Great For the Future?
There are many reasons why building an ADU is a great idea and good for the future.
Aging in Place and Generational Living
“A solution for middle-income families to grow generationally.”
– Jeff Van Gyssel, President at Just Working Construction
Building a tiny home, or an ADU of some kind on your property provides an opportunity for your greater family unit to be more connected.
A tiny home can provide a place for kids looking to move out but unable to afford the current housing market. It allows them to live close but yet have their privacy.
JWC understands that when thinking about the future, parents will eventually become empty-nesters, and kids will become parents themselves. An ADU allows parents to downsize and kids to upgrade by renting or buying the main property. A tiny house on your property can be a great retirement plan!
In many places worldwide (especially in Europe), families traditionally stay together, from grandparents to kids. An ADU can be used for grandparents to stay close by. Living in a close community with parents or grandparents can provide assistance with childcare or caring for elderly individuals. Older generations can help give wisdom to the younger generation, and the kids can help keep the grandparents youthful.
“(ADUs) help keep the family strong. The pandemic has separated people to their own homes but historically grandparents have been there to help out.”
– Jeff Van Gyssel, President at Just Working Construction
Truly, you don’t even need to keep your ADU in the family. You can have members of your community, extended family, or friends rent it out. Helping build a community where you treat your family like friends and your friends like family is important to us.
Downsizing
An ADU is perfect for those who want to downsize and live a more sustainable and minimalistic lifestyle.
The benefits of living in a smaller space are many. First off, it requires less energy to heat and cool a smaller home. Second, you’ll have less stuff and, therefore, less clutter. This makes for a more peaceful living experience and allows you to focus on what’s important in life.
Investing in an ADU while having a steady income is a great investment, both economically and socially. . Consideration can be given to renting the unit out, which will support both the unit’s cost of construction and potentially your mortgage, as well.
Micro Communities
ADUs help build tight-knit micro-communities for family and friends.
They do this in two ways:
- They provide affordable housing for young families, singles, or others looking for an alternative to the current housing market. We know the housing market can and is crazy. JWC believes ADUs provide a fantastic option for those looking for an alternative answer.
- They allow people to downsize, which provides more disposable income for travel or investing in family and community. . Community is so important to us, and helping others engage is wonderful to be a part of.
Communities allow for a sense of belonging and unity often lacking in today’s society. ADUs provide a practical way for people to interact and support one another while still maintaining some privacy and an ability to retreat.
Micro-communities can be as simple as a group of individuals living in closer quarters, naturally doing life with others.
More Density Means More Walkability
ADUs can revolutionize and reduce the need for cars and overall transit. If communities opted to build ADUs instead of more and more subdivisions, farther and farther away, everyday living requirements would be more accessible and walkable.
More communities would be closer to central locations, have easier work access, and allow smaller towns to focus on better transit systems.
They Can Be Built As Energy Efficient As Possible
JWC wants to be good stewards of this earth. ADUs are sustainable by nature, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be even more sustainable. By building an ADU, you have the opportunity to build as green as possible. From the materials you use to the appliances, there are endless ways to make your ADU as sustainable as you want. Even things like solar panels and rainwater harvesting can be used on a small scale to make your ADU much more sustainable.
ADUs are built for the long term. Tiny houses are built to last. At Just Working Construction, we build with high-quality materials that stand the test of time. Durability is important. We don’t want you to worry about constantly repairing or replacing things like you would in a traditional home.
We want to help you create a more green-friendly living environment for generations to come.
They Are Very Practical
ADUs are almost always built on people’s property that they already own. This means there is no need to go through the buying or selling of a home.
An RV park is the only location besides a residential home where you can have an ADU. Within the Kitchener-Waterloo Region, there is only one available that operates year-round.
Keep in mind that ADUs do need to be able to connect to sewer lines. Think creatively about where you want to build your ADU, and be sure to consult building codes when making plans.
Building Codes
Here are some of the technical elements you should know about tiny houses:
- Needs to align with Ontario building codes to be legal
- They are perfectly legal and require a minimum size of 188 square feet
- The room size will vary depending on how much open concept you want
You will need an approved site plan application as well as building permits to begin construction.
Visit Backyard homes and tiny houses – City of Kitchener or your city’s website for specific details related to your location. We’ve also learned a lot through building tiny houses, so feel free to reach out if you want to explore the possibility of building one yourself.
ADU Examples
Here are two ADUs that we have created for our clients in Ontario, Canada. This will help give you an idea of what is possible.
1) Charlton Laneway Home (Laneway House)
This beautiful laneway structure is an eight hundred square foot home with two bedrooms inside. Consider building a laneway home to help the housing crisis in your area.
2) Mackenzie Tiny Home (Tiny House)
The Mackenzie Tiny Home is the third of its kind in Kitchener! Built in a backyard, this tiny home comfortably fits two bedrooms as well as efficient heating and cooling into five hundred square feet. If you are looking for additional living space on your property, a tiny house might be a great solution.
Interested in an ADU For Yourself?
Just Working Construction provides full-service construction for those interested in building a tiny house. We believe ADUs are a wonderful solution for so many needs in our communities today. We are passionate about quality and sustainability. Tiny houses aren’t just a passing trend or a quick fix – we think they can be practical, comfortable homes for generations to come, not to mention the relational value they create through proximity.
If you want to explore how an ADU could shape you and your community, contact us today. We will walk with you from start to finish to ensure that your vision becomes a reality!