Rejected by nearby towns, tiny home built by at-risk youth in Brockville, Ont. sits empty
A tiny home in Brockville, Ont. that was built by at-risk youth sits empty in front of the building it was constructed in, waiting to find a permanent location.
The home was built over 10 weeks in late 2020 by the Employment & Education Centre’s ‘We are the Change' program and finished in January.
It was meant to go to a widow in Athens, Ont. in need of affordable housing.
But organizers were told they wouldn’t be allowed to put the home in Athens because they didn’t have inspections from the local building code officer.
“We have had engineers do the drawing, stamped the drawing, they've come and done the inspections. That was the process, because what we're doing here is something new by pre-fabricating this tiny home," program coordinator Heather Brisebois said.
The problem: the home did not have a final destination when the build began.
"Each municipality can have their own bylaws and have their own officer, but for something like this, because it's not in the building code, we were able to follow other rules which was the national building code and that engineers are absolutely authorized to give us the drawings and come and do the inspections," Brisebois said.
Engineer Andrew Melchers says his team created the plans for the build and oversaw construction, conducting site reviews along the way to the requirements of the provincial building code.
"Now when we hit the building permit process, the municipalities are putting up a bit of a fight because they weren't able to do their own reviews," he said. “We went to Professional Engineers Ontario and they pointed us in the direction of a practice guideline that actually tells engineers how to go about a project like this and so we followed all the regulations and rules there.
“It really comes up to the municipalities willingness to rely on an engineering judgement in this case.”
The tiny home sits vacant on North Augusta Boulevard in Brockville. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
In its current state, the building is considered an uninstalled pre-fabricated component of a home, since it's not sitting on a foundation, Melchers said.
Once it's on a foundation, that's when it becomes a building and requires a permit.
"The pre-fabrication stage is a little bit interesting in the building code because it's kind of new ground that they haven't caught up to yet," said Melchers. "It's still a great building, it's been completely engineered and inspected to Ontario building code standards, it just unfortunately can't be put in an Ontario municipality right now."
The team is looking at other possibilities to find this tiny house a permanent location, like taking the case to the building code commission.
"Potentially we could be setting the precedent for how we go about this type of project," said Melchers. But he said the process could take years.
Another option would be to send the building to a First Nation, which isn’t bound by the same policies as the Ontario building code.
"Most First Nations follow the national building code which doens't have this building code inspection process, so it's a big possibility that this building could go on first nations land," Melchers said.
Melchers says that the home construction industry is headed in the way of more pre-fabricated and modular buildings to meet the demand of the housing crisis.
"The more we can pre-fabricate in a shop over the wintertime, the more we can build in the summer," he said. "As an engineer, we're trying to enable that a little too soon and now these processes and policies have to catch up to the changing construction methodology."
The widow in Athens the home was meant for has since found affordable housing, but Brisebois says it's been a frustrating ordeal nonetheless.
"We are in a housing crisis and we don't have enough affordable housing for our community, so having a house that's sitting here vacant when someone could be housed is really heartbreaking," she said.
She also feels bad for the students who took part in the build, as what they've accomplished sit uninhabited.
"It's been difficult. It's had an impact on the youth that built this house, knowing it hasn't gone anywhere," she said.
"I don't think frustrating is the right word; it's mildly disappointing," Melchers said. "You know, there is someone out there that needs a house that can't get it."
"I think it will find a home," he added. "We have a couple avenues we can go down. It’s not dead in the water just yet.
Brisebois said a second tiny home is already under construction by another group of students, and while that program has faced some delays, the group has learned something from the first build.
That home will be in Brockville, and because they know the exact location, the group has obtained a partial building permit.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
TSB concludes investigation into cause of London, Ont. freight train fire
More than two weeks after a freight train with several railcars ablaze rolled through the heart of the Forest City, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has concluded its investigation.