Lots of people are shocked at the price of a tiny house for sale in Toronto. It’s about 190 square feet on a lot that’s 20 feet by 14.5 feet, for sale at C$ 229,000 (US$ 217,879). Huffpo says ” It’s about the size of a toolshed in a typical suburban back yard.”But in fact it is just a few blocks from a subway stop, has a walkscore of 83 and is quite cute. It could also be a model for affordable, environmentally sensible housing that is desperately needed in the city.
© Paul Vallis

It’s actually not that expensive

It is selling for about half the price of the average condo and a third the price of the average detached house in Toronto. The taxes are $168 per year right now. (with market value assessment they will go up).

© Paul Vallis

There’s a real market for this.

Furthermore, there are thousands of possible lots for houses like this in back lanes across Toronto and many other cities. They are building lots of these in Vancouver and they are selling like hotcakes.

© Paul Vallis

The tiny house movement is the next big thing

There is a whole small house movement that is built around the concept that you don’t need much more than this. The Financial Times notes that “these days these pint-sized dwellings are inspiring people to change the way they live, mainly because they want to reduce their impact on our fragile environment and simplify their life… they can provide the budget conscious with an affordable entry point into the real estate market.” The biggest problem with the small house movement is where you put the things; this comes with land in a decent part of town. It’s part of a community.

New York Post/Screen capture

It’s cheaper than a New York storage locker

It’s also not even that expensive; in New York City, people pay $300,000 for 200 square feet of storage locker in some buildings. It even made the cover of the Post.

© Paul Vallis

It’s a steal.

The fact of the matter is we need a lot more 200 square foot houses like this. It’s a steal.