Small backyard homes gaining in popularity
“Additional dwelling units,” or ADUs, are fast becoming an option to cut down on the high cost of living.
“We're sitting on a lot of existing residential land that people can transform into housing,” said Sarah Cipkar, a housing researcher with Family Services Windsor-Essex.
She said there are over 25,000 residential properties in the City Of Windsor eligible for an ADU.
“That means they can essentially house a minimum size additional dwelling unit which in Windsor is 40 metres squared or 431 square feet,” she explained.
Todd Moore sold his house in downtown Windsor, Ont. to build and live in an ADU in the backyard of his parents’ south Windsor home.
“My parents are getting a little bit older in age so I moved to try and take care of them,” said Moore, whose ADU looks like a detached garage. “I decided to sell my house and build a little ADU in the backyard.”
Based on a zoning by-law formula, Moore's ADU is able to be about 700 square feet or ten per cent of the size of the property -- that's 250 square feet smaller than the downtown home he was living in but it has everything he needs, including a bedroom, bath, kitchen and living room.
“What I made from my house when I sold it more than paid for this,” he said.
Companies like Laneway Housing that specialize in ADU and additions are noticing an increase in demand.
“We're getting a lot of interest in rental properties,” said Anthony Keirouz, Laneway Homes manager. “People who want to put these up in their backyards and potentially make some extra income on them.”
Some companies, like BK Cornerstone, are building ADUs inside the homes using grade entrances to separate the basement from the rest of the house. That is allowing for multi-generational housing or renting.
“I think they're just trying to keep the door open for future planning in a lot of cases,” said BK Cornerstone Vice President Brent Klundert, who said the ADU trend has been growing for the past year-and-a-half.
“Went from probably one out of every 10 houses to now probably one out of every three. So considerably more,” he said.
With an aggressive push by the Ford government to build 1.5 million homes in the next ten years, including 13,000 in the City Of Windsor, Cipkar feels ADUs are an important part of the equation.
“If even one per cent, two per cent, 10 per cent, how many people can build a unit that contributes a lot to our housing supply? It really helps meet those provincial targets,” said Cipkar, who is working on an online tool through Family Services, called adusearch.ca, to help educate and inform people interested in ADUs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
'Do I ghost her again?': Quebec minister's office ignores questions on housing as a human right
The office of Quebec Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau prefers to openly ignore journalists' requests.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.