26 — October & November 2014 | Tremblant Express
SPÉCIAL HABITATION
à lire / To read HOMES & LIVING SPECIAL pages 26 à/to 49
La mode est au mini Mini houses gaining ground......................26 & 27
TRIHAUS : une toute nouvelle dimension TRIHAUS: a whole new dimension ..................31
Guillaume Vincent — Homes and Living Special
Mini houses gaining ground
Crédit photos : Nomad Micro Homes
Tiny houses currently have the wind in their sails and are gradually moving into the housing market. This new generation of super-functional houses allows people to live in a healthy environment, with low ecological impact and, above all, at low cost. In other words: small but mighty. The micro housing movement arose from the desire to reduce the living area of American family homes. It was popularized by Sarah Susanka, co-author of The Not So Big House. The idea charmed ecologists and voluntary simplicity fans. Then the movement became a fad during the 2008 financial crisis. Houses of from 10 to 50 square metres in surface area, boasting a construction quality that set them apart, then appeared. A few models of interest In Vancouver, NOMAD Micro Homes offers an impressive 10m2 model that includes a kitchen, living room, bathroom
Habitations Microévolution. “For the time being, they provide a housing solution to meet intergenerational or office needs without having to undertake renovations.” The wind is shifting A few minutes from Sainte-Agathe-des-
Maisons usinées : du cousu main Factory built housing: top quality stuff .............32
L’écocentre connait un franc succès Success for the écocentre..................................33
Mettre un jardin en bouteille Garden in a bottle .............................................34
La maison de chanvre........................................37 The house of hemp ...........................................44
La mode du mini fait des petits Offspring of the mini boom..............................38
Immobiliers : les projets du moment Real estate: current projects ....................40 & 41
Pure Tremblant prend forme Pure Tremblant rising .......................................43
Les graminées ornementales Ornamental grasses...........................................47
Meilleurs offres Best offers .........................................................49
and mezzanine bedroom. The price: $28,000 plus tax. In Québec , Habitations Microévolution is on the point of completing its first model of an ecological micro house on wheels. This tiny 16m2 residence meets RBQ requirements under the Loi sur l’économie de l’énergie and will be available starting at $39,999. The company is also working on equipping its micro houses with photovoltaic solar panels and a system to capture and treat rainwater. Municipalities called upon to adapt Their low cost allows those who embrace this lifestyle easier access to property in a Québec where the price of houses has literally doubled between 2000 and 2010. Their small size also permits a considerable reduction of their ecological impact by minimizing, for example, the cost of heating. As you may know, this latter represents 60 per cent of the energy costs of a house. This type of dwelling does not, however, meet the requirements of most municipal by-laws and can only be used, at this point, as an annex to a principal residence. “They are considered trailers,” explains Gabriel Parent-Leblanc, founder of
Monts, in the municipality of Lantier, the housing project called Les Hameaux de la Source, from the organization HMG (Habitations Multi Générations), is on verge of installing small ecological houses 32 m2 and larger in a protected environment. The Lantier municipal by-law had to be changed to permit this daring project to see the light of day. The HMG pre-fab factory, located in Sainte-Agathe, also offers builders and do-it-yourself builders of single-family homes the opportunity to build, in their factory, their walls, floor and roof. Whether it’s about a high-quality mini-chalet to accommodate outdoor lovers in comfort, attractive four-season cabins perched in the trees, or modular studios that can be used as home offices or as apartments for family or friends, micro dwellings are gaining ground and winning over an increasing number of individuals, resort vacationers and resort owners.