Welcome to my blog on housing, culture and design in Toronto, Ontario, Canada! My name is Steve Fudge. I’m a realtor and housing consultant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
At the beginning of March, the Federal government released the Housing Design Catalogue – a collection of 50 standardized housing designs for rowhouses, accessory dwelling units, fourplexes, and sixplexes – specific to each region to align with building codes, climate zones and planning rules.
CMHC is delivering the catalogue – along with finance and insurance options for homebuyers and builders – as part of Canada’s Housing Plan.
Good Intentions
The focus and objective is to offer ready-made, higher-density housing plans to builders in an effort to streamline the creation of affordable housing in Canada. The legwork has already been done by the research and design teams, which is composed of regional architects and engineers, so builders can fast-track housing development from site acquisition to occupancy.
The designs themselves have been thoughtfully simplified and have been created in compliance with regional building codes and other considerations that may have presented challenges to quicker building in the past. This helps with speed of development and also cuts costs for builders because it’s as uncomplicated as it can be while being intelligently designed to work in the real world. The hope is that these cost savings are also passed on to consumers because – no matter how significant the Toronto and Vancouver condo markets may continue to correct – our existing housing supply is not going to accommodate the needs for affordable family family-friendly or seniors shelter.
I also appreciate that all regions in Canada are represented, from west to east and south to north, taking into consideration the local conditions such as land availability, topography and the demographics that drive local demand. More specifically, the plans were generated under the following criteria: adaptability and accessibility, energy efficiency, financial feasibility, use of regional construction methods and materials, and compliance with local regulations and building codes.
“These standardized designs will help smaller homebuilders cut through the complexity, speeding up the time between concept and construction and lowering costs of building,” said Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities when the catalogue was released (the current Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities at the time of publishing is Gregor Robertson).
A Design Catalogue With Space Plans & Renderings Is A Fantastic Visual Learning Tool
What I really like about this initiative is that it provides Canadians with a design catalogue of space plans and renderings they can explore in detail and at their own pace to better understand what different shelter options are available according to the size of different households and where they are located.
This is gold for anyone with a learning disability, because they are often visual learners who understand and recall information better when drawings, renderings, or other visual vignettes are included with text. As a kid who loved everything housing (and still does), seeing a space plan and an exterior rendering allowed me to match where the different rooms were located, which not only helped me understand residential design but served as the foundation to eventually visualize space 3-dimensionally.
Criticism
This design catalogue does not offer options for sites that are unconventional or even slightly different. Factors such as lot size, soil conditions, and topography may make this catalogue a non-starter. The absence of a lower-level income supplement or ‘nanny suite’ is also disappointing, but it’s likely because many local authorities across the country restrict them. Also, in those locations that do allow them, the cost to construct a legal self-contained lower-level unit meeting fire and building codes is really, really costly (consider reading my post Can I Have An Income Suite In My Residence?). In fact, I estimate 90% of the rented basement apartments in Toronto right now are not legal and, if this were to come to light a substantial number of property owners would evict their tenants and leave their basements empty or incorporate them with the floor above because the cost to retrofit to legal status would be cost-prohibitive. Because we’re in a housing crisis, the City of Toronto stays quiet on this issue because this type of non–conforming shelter is the least expensive available in the city and accommodates a significant percentage of essential workers who have no other housing options.
There have been criticisms that these designs may not meet the requirements of every local zoning regulation or permitting process across the country, including areas where multi-unit buildings are not permitted as-of-right. Still others say the catalogue’s one-size-fits-all approach means it may not be suitable for all communities. This is true, but I personally subscribe to the belief that it’s better to serve some of the country instead of none of the country.
However, as a realtor and housing consultant operating in the original City of Toronto, now that All Residential Properties In Toronto Can Now Become Four Units As-Of-Right I eagerly opened the Design Catalogue to see what duplex, triplex or fourplex designs could be constructed on a typical detached city lot of around 25 feet wide. Sadly, there were no duplex or triplex options, and of the 2 fourplex designs available, one dwelling is 24’8″ wide and the other is 31’2″ wide. So, unfortunately, as a realtor operating in Canada’s largest metropolis of around 7,000,000 residents – where our housing crisis is acute – I was genuinely shocked to see this ignored when it’s very much on the radar of the principals involved.
What has also not been done but would be a game-changer, is for these plans to be deemed ‘as-of-right’ by all the local planning and building department authorities across the country to fast track building permits. This, however, wouldn’t be easy because the federal government doesn’t have the authority to make this mandatory. In fact, one reason we have a housing crisis is because all three levels of government exert their influence and control over housing. For more insights, consider reading my post How Canada’s 3 Levels Of Government Shape Housing Policy & Programs.
What’s Old Is New Again
This isn’t the first time the Federal government has stepped up to offer a catalogue of simple, streamlined designs to help boost supply in the face of a housing crisis. In post-World War II Canada, there was a significant shortage of affordable housing when veterans returned home after the war.
The solution was for CMHC to implement a program to create what was called Victory Housing. It consisted of releasing a catalogue of easy-to-build housing designs in the 1940s that was used well into the 1960s, which ended up spurring the construction of about a million new homes.
The catalogue also had an impact on architecture, streetscapes and urban planning in general, particularly in the City of Toronto where thousands of iconic ”Strawberry Box’ dwellings in the catalogue were built. Pragmatic, efficient, and having a steeply pitched roof where the attic could be finished into 2 additional bedrooms, these brick or clapboard houses were economical to build, making them accessible and affordable. It was just what was needed for the baby boom.
Here is an interesting Global News backstory on the ‘strawberry box house’, its influence on Toronto housing and suburban development, and how the current government hopes to have similar success: “Strawberry Box Homes? How Ottawa Plans To Make An Old Strategy New“.
As to what design you might see popping up in your neighbourhood over the next few years, check out this Toronto Star article: “Canada’s Housing Catalogue Is Here: These Are The 7 Ontario Designs That Could Be Coming To Your Neighbourhood“.
In case you’ve been waiting for it, here is the link to the CMHC Housing Design Catalogue.
I genuinely hope this becomes a real-life tool to expedite the growth of our housing supply. It could streamline the process and improve the quality of life for many end users.
Perhaps this is wishful thinking, but I would love to see CMHC develop parcels of crown land in each of the regions and build one of every housing design offered in the catalogue using Canadian materials and labour, and then open this unique Canadian solution to the public as a means to inject some Canadian pride into the population at large. Better yet, how amazing would it be if they made the units available for long-term leases or ownership under an organization like Habitat for Humanity? It would be a great way for the powers that be to showcase their concerns for the welfare of their citizens while creating homes for Canadians in need.
There is a lot on the horizon in the world of Toronto real estate, for both Buyers and Sellers, as housing policy and a shifting economy influence our market dynamics. In my opinion, it’s essential to keep one’s finger on the pulse of our changing property landscape – not only from the real estate trenches where real-time dynamics are informing my role as a realtor play by play – but from the more loftier heights of current shelter ideologies and practices in Canada where my role as a shelter consultant and critic has a voice. As a Canadian who believes housing is a right and not a privilege, I endeavor to understand all the influences, factors, opportunities and constraints that shape our housing market.
May I be of assistance to you, and yours?
Further reading for you:
How CMHC & The Federal Government Are Trying To Manage Canada’s Housing Crisis
Dear Urbaneer: Does Canada Have A History Of Building Affordable Economical Housing?
How Canada’s 3 Levels Of Government Shape Housing Policy & Programs
Gentrification, Densification, And The History Of Toronto Real Estate
How Lessons Learned From COVID-19 Will Change Urban Planning & High-Density Living
Dear Urbaneer: What Do I Do With My Dated Bungalow? (Plus A Brief History On This Housing Type)
Making Housing Affordable… Around the World!
Want to have someone on your side?
Since 1989, I’ve steered my career through a real estate market crash and burn; survived a slow painful cross-country recession; completed an M.E.S. graduate degree from York University called ‘Planning Housing Environments’; executed the concept, sales & marketing of multiple new condo and vintage loft conversions; and guided hundreds of clients through the purchase and sale of hundreds of freehold and condominium dwellings across the original City of Toronto. From a gritty port industrial city into a glittering post-industrial global centre, I’ve navigated the ebbs and flows of a property market as a consistent Top Producer. And I remain as passionate about it today as when I started.
We’d love to introduce our services to you.
Serving first and second-time Buyers, relocations, renovators, and those building their long-term property portfolios, our mandate is to help clients choose the property that will realize the highest future return on their investment while ensuring the property best serves their practical needs and their dream of “Home” during their ownership.
Are you considering selling? We welcome providing you with a comprehensive assessment free of charge, including determining your Buyer profile, ways to optimize your return on investment, and tailoring the listing process to suit your circumstances. Check out How Urbaneer Sold An East York Bungalow ‘Estate Sale’ For Redevelopment to learn more about what we do!
Consider letting the Urbaneer Team guide you through your Buying or Selling process, without pressure, or hassle.
The pleasure would be ours.
Thanks for reading!
-The Urbaneer Team
Steven Fudge, Sales Representative
& The Innovative Urbaneer Team
Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage – (416) 322-800
– we’re here to earn your trust, then your business –
Celebrating Thirty-Five Years As A Top-Producing Toronto Realtor
*Did you know we were recently listed as one of The Top 25 Toronto Real Estate Agents To Follow On Twitter! – The Top 50 Blogs On Toronto – and The Top 100 Real Estate Blogs In Canada? Consider signing up in the box below to receive our FREE monthly e-newsletter on housing, culture, and design including our love for unique urban homes and other Toronto real estate!
*Love Canadian Housing? Check out Steve’s University Student Mentorship site called Canadian Real Estate, Housing & Home which focuses on architecture, landscape, design, products, and real estate in Canada!