A Vancouver man is searching for a legal home for his so-called tiny house after the city issued an order to remove his modular home from a property in East Vancouver.
Cory Grandfield says his tiny house is small, but exactly what he wants.
"We designed and built it exactly to our specifications. We even had our dog in mind. We have storage for his dishes," he told CTV News. "Everything was thought about, and that's why we built it. We didn't want to move into a condo that was designed with everyone in mind."
Like many advocates for the pint-sized homes on wheels, he believes they're a solution not a problem—because they could help alleviate the city's housing crisis. Sky-high rentals in Vancouver are pricing many out of the market. Yet tiny houses—and all modular homes—remain illegal in Vancouver.
After 11 months of living in his tiny house, Grandfield was served a bylaw notification that he couldn't stay in a mobile dwelling in Vancouver.
The city cited issues with electrical and sewer hookups and a general lack of building regulations.
"Under our current by-laws, a request for a tiny home/ a home with wheels would not be permitted," the city wrote in a statement.
Right now, the zoning by-law says the minimum size of a dwelling unit is 398 square feet.
But advocates are urging Vancouver to follow cities like Frenso, Calif. and regulate the industry, allowing for a limited number of units to be parked on private property.
Anastasia Koutalianos is the co-founder of the BC Tiny House Collective, which advocates for people in Vancouver with tiny houses and nowhere to put them.
"I think it's really about having a conversation with the city planners and council and really showcasing there's a demand for this housing stock," she told CTV News.
But until that happens, Grandfield thinks he'll park his tiny home in Squamish.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Scott Roberts.
