Tiny Vancouver home listed for $20k, but you have to move it out of the city …

Sometimes small is just too small, even in a city grappling with out-of-control real estate prices and a shortage of affordable rentals.

A couple of years ago, Ches Lam created a tiny, 250-square-foot house in his east side backyard as a guest cottage for visitors, but the Vancouver carpenter didn’t consider city bylaws when he converted his former workshop/garage into a living space.

Now it has to go.

Lam says his neighbours love the little cottage and have even rented it for their own guests, but someone has made a complaint and city inspectors have given him notice to get rid of the place.

“It’s kind of heartbreaking, said Lam, 39, who has listed the cottage for sale on Craigslist.

“People love it, except for the one neighbour. I really don’t want to sell it, but the city wants me to take it out.”

According to Vancouver zoning bylaws, the minimum size of a “dwelling unit” is 398 sq. ft. There are exceptions for social housing (320 sq. ft.) and units that qualify under the Downtown Eastside Plan (250 sq. ft.), but Lam’s cottage doesn’t fit either category. Micro-suites and laneway houses must be at least 280 sq. ft.  But a city spokesman offered a small loophole: The planning department “may allow a reduction to not less than 205 sq. ft. if the Director of Planning first considers the design of the laneway house and all applicable Council policies and guidelines.”

For $20,000, plus the cost of moving, the 12-by-24-foot house is available to anyone who lives in a community that allows tiny homes.

Lam designed the interior with a focus on making the most of the tiny footprint. He turned the sleeping loft staircase into a set of drawers, and the space below the loft into a roll-out clothes closet plus storage area. The kitchen is outfitted with quality appliances and the bathroom includes a stacking washer/dryer.

 

 

Craigslist
Craigslist

“It’s a very solid structure — it should last another 100 years,” Lam says. “A lot of people are interested in it, but there are logistics that have to be dealt with, and municipal regulations.

“It’s kind of small, but the space is quite well used.  It’s just not totally legal in Vancouver.”

Craigslist