Tiny House Advocacy

Although the news of not being able to move to the Hollow was very difficult, two good things have come out of this delay.

First of all, it has forced me out of my comfort zone and into a role of advocacy. An email I sent to Saanich councillor Fred Haynes led to a meeting with me and about ten other tiny house enthusiasts. Fred is a strong supporter of tiny houses and other affordable housing alternatives. The meeting led to the forming of an advocacy group that will start working on public education and awareness through events and media coverage as well as trying to work with municipal councils to get zoning bylaws changed to allow tiny homes.

In terms of advocating for myself, Cyndy and I met with the city planner for Central Saanich. Although it only reinforced what we already knew for the most part, it was still a good meeting and the first step to working together. I have drafted a pilot project proposal to request an opportunity for Cyndy and I to test out living tiny before Council decides on any blanket changes. It would have to be approved by Council as well as the Agricultural Land Reserve Commission so I think it is a long shot. Nonetheless, we have nothing to lose by trying!

The second good thing is friends. Between meetings and conversations with the advocacy group and getting together with Cyndy to talk about our predicament, I feel that I am developing friendships that will extend beyond just working on tiny house stuff.

A visit to the house

As I hadn't seen the house since it moved up to Jamie's new home in Nanaimo, I figured it was time for a visit. Between moving and settling into his new home, Jamie had just restarted work on the trailer. I was thrilled to see that the windows had arrived and been installed. I'm glad I went with the black trim as I think the cedar and black are a great combination. The white door will be painted in a rich "Peacock's Plume" (a deep teal). Inside feels very spacious and bright and the pine ceiling and cedar lofts look lovely. The white walls just have primer on right now but will be a semi-gloss white that will brighten the place even further. The kitchen, bathroom, stairs, window trim and finishing touches still need to be completed so it will be a few more weeks until everything is done. I can't wait to get settled and live in this space!

Update

It has been a while since my last post so it's time for an update. Although it is a definite long shot, I still haven't given up on living at the Hollow. I am postponing looking for a new spot until all avenues have led to dead ends. I have an appointment with Central Saanich city planner next week to ask some questions and get some information. If that does not even yield a glimmer of hope (even for a temporary solution), I will have to give up and start the search for a new place to park.

Fortunately, my landlords have been great - they would rather wait to have the extra space downstairs than have me live in a tent. I have already postponed my move-out date twice and am now staying on a week-by-week basis.

On a positive note, I am now involved with a small advocacy group. We met Saanich councillor Fred Haynes last week. He is a tiny house and small living supporter and has been working on a report for the council on affordable housing alternatives. It was a very positive meeting and was wonderful to have someone talking about all the possibilities instead of just the obstacles. And this weekend, Alexis and Christian from Tiny House Expedition will be in town and meeting with some tiny house people as well as Fred and Mayor Lisa Helps. Nothing will change in time to benefit my current housing problem but it feels like the tiny house movement is gathering support and momentum.

I'm not quite sure what is happening with my house build. Jamie took a couple of weeks off to move to Nanaimo and I don't know if he is back at it yet. He usually sends pictures every few days and I haven't had any now since the house got towed up there. However, I think windows is the next project so it will be nice to see pictures of the completed exterior. Even if I can't find a place for Happinest just yet, I am anxious to see it finished.