(When you Don't Know What You're Doing)
Hi! My name is Lauren, and I started this site after building my own off-grid cabin, and realizing that there was a need to share information about the process. I'd like to kick this off by saying that I am absolutely not an expert in this, and any advice that I share is not intended to be a replacement for an actual professional, such as your realtor, real estate lawyer, or local township officials. This is simply a way for me to pass on what I have learned, in hopes that it will help you get started in making your dreams a reality.
In later posts, I'll explain more about my journey and how I unintentionally built an off-grid cabin. For now, I'll detail what made building the cabin a reality...sharing insight about what townships (in Ontario) actually allow you to build tiny homes, which is what made the cost of ownership affordable for us. I'll update this post as I discover additional townships. Please feel free to reach out to accidentallyoffgrid@gmail.com if you know of others! You might be surprised to know that while they typically do not require a building permit, in most locations in Ontario, Tiny Homes are only permitted to be constructed as accessory buildings. What this means is that you would need to have a primary residential structure (usually subject to some minimum size, often 800-1000 sq. feet) in addition to your tiny home. So, if you were thinking to buy that affordable plot of land on Realtor.com and stick a tiny home on it...you could do it, but you might get into hot water should the township ever come knocking. That's discouraging news for anyone looking to use a tiny home as their primary or recreational dwelling, but take heart, there are some townships in Ontario that allow tiny homes. How can you find this information for yourself? Usually it's under the Township's "Zoning By-law", under the "Minimum Gross Floor" or "Gross Zoning" area. I'll share more on this in a future post: Tiny Homes Permitted Tay Valley - no minimum dwelling area, applies to anywhere where residential applications are allowed (with sewage system approval), no accessory buildings over 10 square metres permitted (except a detached garage): https://www.tayvalleytwp.ca/en/doing-business/resources/2002-121---Zoning-By-law-Consolidation---18-10-26.pdf Edwardsburg-Cardinal - no minimum dwelling area, applies to anywhere where residential applications are allowed, sewage system approval required: https://www.twpec.ca/Planning/Zoning-Bylaw-Review/Zoning-Bylaw-2022-37_Text-Only.pdf North Frontenac - minimum of 200 sq. feet, residential & seasonal applications allowed: https://www.northfrontenac.com/en/township-services/resources/Documents/By-Laws/Zoning-By-Law.pdf Gravenhurst - no minimum dwelling area, but no mobile homes: https://gravenhurst.civicweb.net/document/35009/ Smaller Homes Allowed And while it's not exactly your typical tiny home area, listing these two Townships who have smaller than typical minimum dwelling area requirements. Addington Highlands - minimum of 538 sq. feet in RLS zones: addingtonhighlands.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/35734/?preview=36781 Central Frontenac - 592 square feet minimum: www.centralfrontenac.com/en/resources/Zoning_By-Law_October_25_2011-FINAL_VERSION-3.pdf Bonnechere Valley - 592 square feet minimum: https://www.bonnecherevalleytwp.com/download.php?dl=YToyOntzOjI6ImlkIjtzOjI6IjY5IjtzOjM6ImtleSI7aToyO30= Madawaska Valley Township - 592 square feet minimum: https://www.madawaskavalley.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ZB-2006-26-Consolidated.pdf Remember that this list is not comprehensive and I am not an expert in this, so please do your own due-diligence in bylaw research, and forward any additional townships you know of that support tiny homes! I will continue to update this list as I discover more.
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AuthorHi! I'm Lauren, owner of Accidentally Off-Grid. I built an off-grid cabin in Ontario's Tay Valley, without ever meaning to do so. I love my tiny home, and want to help others build theirs too! ArchivesCategories |
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