Tiny houses, laws, permits, safety etc.. British Columbia

I think this is a very cool idea.

http://www.simplesolarhomesteading.com/

We would like to live in a place like this when we come back to Canada. It would only be for a few years while we plan the build for the dream house. We've got some acreage lined up in the Kootenays that belongs to a family member so it would be done on owned land.

Unfortunately I'm aware there are quite a few restrictive laws that can make it difficult. One I know of states any structure more than 10metres X 10metres needs a permit and is subject to strict building codes but a possible loophole is using a trailerbed as a foundation. One idea I had was building several tiny structures like outhouse, kitchen, toolshed, livingroom/bedroom a few meters apart.

These tiny houses don't look hard to build and it's something I would like to do myself but am concerned about the legal minefield I could be entering as well as safety issues.

What says NBR?

why can't you build something small that meets code requirements?

why can't you build something small that meets code requirements?

cuz i heard the permits are like super expensive and endless… not trying to build a piece of shit here just don't want interference..

we want to build something small that meets code requirements a few years later. First my wife gets to try Canada life without us investing too much in living there.

Something like this would be also be fun, cheaper than rent and afford a sense of freedom.

Another idea is a yurt, or converting 2 shipping containers to a house. We use containers world wide for offices and they are popular in the interior for housing 'tomato' cultivation too. I would look to portable ideas or the cabin, On family land, no permit.

In the woods I gotta live in a house made of wood. Containers are cool but they're not quite as nice to look at.

Another advantage to tiny is if it's insulated and you're sleeping in a loft near the roof you can keep it warm enough to sleep just from body heat and breathing.

hot box it

container ftw.

[HTML_REMOVED]$5g a piece in Cranbrook.. bit more than 1/2 that in Van from BigSteelBox. (I'm sure there are cheaper places)

wood is good

I like the way you think FO

Google bamboo house, and that's the way I'm heading.

but for Canada there is no reason why someone with some land would not let you plant a little cabana somewhere.

Buck the norm and F the man…..and ride a Fixie?

I draw the line there….but that's just me :-)

West kooteneys

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Lookit that car. I'll bet a hipster lives in that thing. The container I mean.

I hear you can get photovoltaic roofing tiles. That would help on days when the sun don't shine and the wind ain't blowin'.

10m x 10m is a pretty big footprint. You could have 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, laundry room, and extra room left over in a footprint that size.

If it's out of view on land that's owned by someone else, how would the gubmint know what you're doing if you're going solar, don't need a hookup, and don't tell them? Have your mail go to a PO box, or a family member's house.