The tiny-house movement has been percolating in North America for two decades, as people have looked for ways to reduce the cost of housing and live a simpler life.
It’s getting a big push in Metro Vancouver this year, as two local women have ramped up a campaign to promote the idea of living in small, portable houses of less than 500 square feet, as well as to get buy-in from local municipalities.
“It’s a model for affordable home ownership. And the ecological sustainability is one of the principles behind it,” said Samantha Gambling, a 28-year-old housing and food-systems consultant who is having a 220-square-foot tiny house – 10 by 22 feet, with a loft – built for her in a construction yard in North Vancouver. She plans to move it eventually to land near Main and 41st in the City of Vancouver, on land owned by a developer willing to let her stay there while he waits for permits.
