Toronto company wants to build tiny homes in backyards

Amidst Toronto's condo boom, many groups are working on alternatives to building taller and taller building by finding creative solutions to the city's housing crunch, including one called Tiny Toronto.

Founded by Sa'ad Ahmed, the company has been based out of Ryerson's Design Fabrication Zone for the past year, and its team - which includes a group of students from the University of California at Berkley - is building a prototype of a 104 square foot unit that homeowners can use as a work or studio space.

Just like the U.K.'s Wondershed, Tiny Toronto's digital strategist Frederico Neumann says the company hopes to help folks maximize space and reduce commute times with these small, pre-fabricated units.

A prototype of Tiny Toronto's studio shed. Photo via Tiny Toronto.

Eventually, Tiny Toronto has plans to create garden suites, coach houses and even laneway houses in backyards across the city, but especially in more suburban areas.

Like groups such as Lanescape, Tiny Toronto wants to take advantage of oft-overlooked spaces (backyards and laneways) to help boost the housing supply in the city.

A report about the feasibility of introducing a local laneway housing initiative could materialize by early 2018, if city council approves a motion on it at this week's meeting.