The mayor of Essex has officially opened the door to her tiny home in her backyard.
Sherry Bondy's tiny home has been completed, and was unveiled Friday to the public to showcase a milestone in affordable housing solutions.
This tiny home which is another form of an Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU) was built by Laneway Homes and is approximately 435 square feet at a price tag of $180,000.
Bondy was hoping this project would showcase how ADUs can be integrated into urban areas and provide affordable housing alternatives.
Bondy says this opens future doors for her family.
"We're going to be looking at my older children living here so they have their own space, also looking at potential rental income into my future. And right now having a little bit of space for myself, I plan on doing some council work here so it'll be nice and quiet, and it's just an extension of my house."
She says prior to the build there were some concerns from neighbours.
"And their privacy concerns really aren't there once you see the build because you're looking at fences, it's not two-storey. The Town of Essex doesn't allow two-storey's, so I can't look into neighbours yards, it actually creates more privacy because now from my top windows in my main house I can't see into other peoples backyards."
Bondy says this is the way of the future.
"We have to learn, and we have to evolve. These huge single-family homes are not affordable for everybody, but something like this is where you can extend your family, you can get a rental property. When I get older, I want to live here. So I think it's we have to start looking at this is what our future neighbourhoods are going to look like - and it's not a bad thing."
The home took approximately three months to build and features a living room, a kitchen with an island, a bathroom and a bedroom with a walk in closet that includes a washer and dryer.
Laneway Homes offers a range of models for the tiny homes that range in size, price, and design. The least expensive model starts at $159,000, with the most expensive starting at $278,000.