Category Archives for "Tiny Homes"

I think we are living in good times in many ways so I don’t want to be that guy who spends his time fondly recalling the good ole days. You know like the time when the Black Death killed 50 million Europeans (60% of the population of the period) in just seven years (1346-1353) according […]

-Over the years, I’ve been involved in a lot of real estate financings. If you can do 80% to 95% loan to value financings (and occasionally even higher), it means less money down and more properties… but these days, you have to get creative. Here’re some of the things I’ve tried: (BTW, YOU MAKE MONEY WHEN […]

How to reduce costs, increase unit size and develop a triple bottom line (economically, environmentally and socially sustainable model) by Melbourne architect Jeremy McLeod: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFJj1v3jmYU?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=540&h=304] @ profbruce @ quantum_entity postscript: I like Jeremy’s ideas on cost reduction and completely understand how difficult it is to get unorthodox projects both approved and financed.  One thing […]

And Why I think Millennials will Rival the Greatest Generation Ever City planners will tell you that they oppose tiny house legalization because they already have rules on the books making it illegal to live in your RV year-round. It’s a circular argument–tiny houses are regarded (and plated) as home-built recreational vehicles, so they are […]

Part 1 (A version of this article first appeared in OBJ, https://www.obj.ca/Opinion/2016-07-06/article-4580282/Ottawas-ugly-planning-history/1) How many bad decisions can one city’s planners make? Lots, if you are talking about Ottawa.  Let’s review their record— -Ottawa got rid of streetcars many years ago, not to replace them with subway or metro, but dirty, smelly diesel buses that get stuck […]

By adding extra elements to what is a standard executive home, you can change its value by a lot–from a capitalization rate of 3% pa to more than 7%. That may not sound like a lot, but for a total home investment of  $704,900 it means big changes over time. Here’s what happens over a […]

But Shouldn’t Be Here’s how Ontario and many other jurisdictions make sure their citizens are in debt til they die– By way of the many restrictions in place, governments are actually a major contributor to the ongoing affordable housing crises!  It is illegal to live full time in an RV (or tiny house)  UNLESS  you […]