Tiny House Courses

04/03/2026

Great article by Doug Horner in Be Giant Magazine "Just how many supersized problems can tiny houses fix? ✨ New kinds of mini homes are multiplying across the country to take on the housing crisis: https://www.begiant.ca/stories/ideas/tiny-modular-homes-canada-housing-crisis Fabulous to see how different communities are using tiny homes and modular housing to solve their housing crises! Brings us back to why we started this program exactly 10 years ago. In 2016, a couple of us on Gabriola were brainstorming what the best kind of housing was appropriate for the islands, ecologically responsible to respect the spectacular supernatural beauty we live in... and we hought, why not tiny homes? Who knows about building these? 🏡 We held the first Tiny House Course on Gabriola Island over a weekend in January 2016, led by Kenton Zerbin. We went on to bring education on tiny home living and design to Nanaimo, Comox, Cowichan Valley, Victoria, Vernon, Sunshine Coast and the House Expo BC in Abbotsford!
>>>> 10 years later, the first regulations recognizing tiny homes as legal dwellings in their bylaws have been adopted in a Gulf Island community - Mayne Island in the Islands Trust Area. Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to see this day come about! 🌟

New kinds of mini homes are multiplying across the country to take on the housing crisis

04/30/2023

Advocacy for regulating/legalizing tiny houses continues... Don't give up! Contact your local government and ask what they are doing about making tiny homes a reality in your community...

Local gov­ern­ments want the province to help make build­ing tiny homes easier. Tobi Elli­ott, who advoc­ates for tiny homes as an altern­at­ive and more afford­able form of hous­ing in rural and coastal com­munit­ies, said they exist in a...

01/25/2022

Many of you know I've long been advocating for alternative housing structures that suit the unique, fragile ecosystem we are lucky to call home in the Gulf Islands. With the real estate boom in most of rural BC, which has created huge stresses for renters and people who can't afford the soaring property prices now in their communities, we need innovative, small home solutions more than ever! So I’m encouraged there is a glimmer of hope for BC toward creating tiny house-specific building code/safety standards. A resolution that the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) should call for the Union of BC Municipalities to advocate to the province for "the creation of a specific tiny house building code or descriptive building standard that is distinct from the current BC Building Code or CSA/CMHC standard” is going before the Regional District of Nanaimo Board tomorrow, sponsored by Area B (Gabriola, Mudge, Decourcy) director Vanessa Craig. Woohooo! Find the agenda or watch online here, Board meeting at 1 pm: https://www.rdn.bc.ca/events/2022-01-25

There are many perceived barriers to building legal tiny homes , whether on wheels or meant for a foundation. One of those is that the current BCBC makes it really really difficult - not impossible - but technically virtually impossible to build a house small enough to be considered a "tiny home" and follow the code. So this building code barrier, combined with zoning, servicing, financing, insurance barriers, makes it practically impossible for the average homeowner. BUT, if there was distinct tiny house building standard in the code.... then financing, zoning, insurance etc would all be MUCH MORE POSSIBLE! 💪
So yeah, this would make me very happy: "AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM advocate to the province to incorporate the changes into Part 9 of the BC Building Code, thereby establishing separate standards for tiny houses as allowable permanent dwellings, and thus permitting them to be constructed where local government official community plans and zoning bylaws deem them appropriate."

Yes, I will be bugging you to write letters from now until April 2022, when the AVICC holds its AGM and will decide on this important resolution (if the RDN Board votes in favour that is... fingers crossed!) Thank you Vanessa Craig for advancing this important work! 🏘 Housing is a human right. We need innovation and courage to make it happen, not just for those who can afford property. For everyone.

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05/11/2020

Flashback to May 11, 2019: the final day of our epic Tiny House Build course that resulted in the the Bird's Nest, a 28 ft tiny house on Gabriola Island! Incredible times with an amazing crew and students. Ben Garratt, Cayley Rae, David O. Reid, Marly Wietz, Nikolas Kühnis, Kate Neweduk, Dolores Bender-Graves, Jade Evoy, David Ayre, Peter Moffat, Nate & Jo, Michelle Roseblade, Serrah Scarlett Hayden, Chris Bryant, Trish Shaun St-Amour Margo Anfossie Eyan Myers ... it's such an honour to have done this build with you. I miss my crew! Reunion in June????

12/19/2019

VÍDEO Update from the Bird’s Nest, sneak preview of videos to come, and announcement about some NEW COURSES!!! (Please excuse the hair. Tobi always looks like she’s had birds nesting on her head...)

12/11/2019

How many have the luxury of living in your tiny house WHILE YOU ARE BUILDING IT? Sound like a nightmare? It’s actually tons of fun! This week we’re playing with a rough-in kitchen counter to see where we will ultimately want the sink & stove. Doing a rough-in already served to show that while the sink depth is perfect for someone of my height, the counter top is too high.

Finishing the interior would have been much quicker and easier if we had fully designed this 28’ tiny outside AND inside before starting construction, but for those who can hack living and working (spot the computer monitor on the giant bed?) in a construction zone in December, it works! Details to follow... sign up for our newsletter to get listing of courses in 2020!

11/27/2019

This is going to be awesome! We are excited to be helping organize this “Reality Check” VR workshop this spring with Tiny Nest so sign up at either of our sites to get the downlow!

UPCOMING TINY WORKSHOP
--- Reality Check Your Tiny House Design ---
Get the tools and support you need to start your own tiny house design in 3D, then workshop it in Virtual Reality with SketchUp experts Jake & Kiva PLUS have a real world builder tell you the truth about whether or not your design is going to fly!
Full Experience:
-Tiny Nest's SketchUp video tutorial
-1 hour remote screensharing session with Jake before the workshop
-at the workshop, use Virtual Reality to explore and modify your design
-receive a consultation from an experienced builder
-spectate other full-experience designs & consultations
Audit Experience:
-Tiny Nest's SketchUp video tutorial
-spectate full-experience designs & consultations
-try out the VR tech
This workshop will be held in Victoria BC around Feb/March (dates and venue TBD)
We are currently planning and looking for feedback & gauging interest, so please leave a comment below and sign up for our newsletter for updates: https://www.tinynestproject.com/newsletter/

11/19/2019

As we prepare for a slate of new courses in 2020, what do you all want to learn? Design principles? How-to Sketch-Up your design? Regulations? How to rip up an old RV to build a frame on the chassis? Another build-a-shell course? Finishing carpentry? Systems like electrical and plumbing? What kind of tiny house course would help you fulfill your dream next year?

11/14/2019

Big news!!! We successfully moved the Bird’s Nest to its new location and look at what she has become! Exterior is done, thanks to David’s expert shingling/everything abilities, and the inside is a canvas to dream on! Stay tuned for video of the move...