“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.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced McCallion's death in a news release early Sunday morning.
After years of reports and allegations detailing a 'toxic' workplace, Canada's RCMP says it is trying to evolve, focusing on diversity in its organization and repairing relationships with communities as it marks its 150th anniversary.
Canadian police chiefs condemned on Friday the death of a Black man who was savagely beaten by police during a traffic stop in the United States, saying the officers involved must be held accountable.
When the cold and snow have people hunkering down, these outdoor enthusiasts find motivation in braving the Canadian winter through community and sport.
When 1990s suede fringe jackets started making a comeback last year, a U.K.-based vintage clothing company decided to order four tonnes of suede from a supplier in the United States. Along with that shipment came a once-in-a lifetime discovery.
The Memphis police chief on Saturday disbanded the unit whose officers beat to death Tyre Nichols as the nation and the city struggled to come to grips with video showing police pummelling the Black motorist.
According to a new study, showing university students the health risks of vaping through experts and personal testimonies can help deter them from using e-cigarettes.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos insists the federal government is going to 'work flexibly' with the provinces on the terms of a possible health-care funding deal and avoid 'micromanaging' how they deliver health care to Canadians.
Health Canada says it will continue to recommend COVID-19 prevention drug, Evulsheld, despite U.S. FDA pulling back its emergency use authorization due to concerns around its efficacy against Omicron subvariant 'Kraken.'
The Region of Waterloo has lost a court bid for an injunction to evict residents of an encampment on municipally owned land at Victoria Street North and Weber Street West in Kitchener.
A drag queen show in Elora will continue Saturday night as planned, despite organizers saying concerns were raised after online comments targeted the event.
With art displays and activities to bring out the best of winter for a one-day festival of fun, Winterloo has returned after three years of pandemic alterations.
The supporters outnumbered the protesters more than 20-to-one. As drag queen Amanda Villa prepared to sing and read to children in Sarnia, a small group of protesters marched outside, while more than 100 supporters of the rally “All You Need is Love” spent time chasing them around the parking lot, and having peaceful discussions about acceptance and hate.
Only a few days after a large winter weather system rolled through southern Ontario, Environment Canada has once again issued a special weather statement for the London region, warning of a snow-rain mix expected to begin Saturday night.
Upwards of 300 athletes are in London, Ont. this weekend for a major tournament. But the visitors are not here for any sport you might be expecting, including hockey or figure skating — they are taking part in the Forest City Invitational Dodgeball Tournament.
Northern supporters of the ‘Freedom Convoy’ mark the anniversary of last winter's demonstrations across Canada by holding a gathering of their own this weekend in North Bay.
W5 goes deep into the narco heartland to interview a commander with one of Mexico's most brutal cartels. W5's documentary 'Narco Avocados' airs Saturday at 7 pm on CTV.
More than 50 people came out on Saturday for a walk, organized by the Coalition for a Liveable Sudbury through the Laurentian University 'green space.' The 200 hectare piece of land has been a concern for many, given the questions around the university's financial stability and debts.
Ottawa police and Bylaw Services officers issued 81 parking tickets and 20 Provincial Offences Notices on Saturday, as hundreds of people marked the one-year anniversary of the 'Freedom Convoy'.
Ottawa police are warning the public of the dangers of texting explicit images to people on social media platforms, after seeing a spike in sextortion cases this winter.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced McCallion's death in a news release early Sunday morning.
The transformation of a house in downtown Toronto – from a multi-unit with below market rent to a luxury single-family home – is not an anomaly. But rather, housing and legal experts say it is emblematic of why a housing crisis continues to grip the city.
Some Indigenous communities in Quebec that are patrolled by provincial police say the established system does not fully meet security needs and needs improvement.
Anti-poverty activists are praising the Quebec basic income program as a good step toward helping people meet their basic needs — but say strict eligibility criteria exclude many of the province’s lowest-income residents.
A ceremony will be held this evening to mark the sixth anniversary of Quebec City's deadly mosque shooting. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, several senior federal cabinet ministers and Quebec Premier Francois Legault are among those expected to attend.
Some faculty members at Cape Breton University have walked off the job. Their strike started Friday, with the faculty's union saying the administration has disrespected it at every turn, leading to a large number of labour grievances.
As extreme cold weather brings wind chill values nearing -40°C, it's impacting everything from winter recreation to the city's most vulnerable population.
An organization helping Ukrainian newcomers settle into their new lives in Edmonton is hosting a furniture donation blitz to help restock their warehouse.
Canadian police chiefs condemned on Friday the death of a Black man who was savagely beaten by police during a traffic stop in the United States, saying the officers involved must be held accountable.
BC Emergency Health Services saw a slight decline in 911 calls for overdose and drug toxicity last year, but some areas saw a dramatic increase, and the death rate doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
Advocates are predicting this year's Metro Vancouver Homeless Count will be higher than previous years' due to lingering impacts from the pandemic, job losses and inflation.
