Urban Refugees
By Laurie Jones Top photo: Richard James Milne With the continuing trend of rapidly rising home prices in Canada’s major centres, particularly Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto, many hard-pressed urbanites are looking to smaller towns for affordable properties. To their delight, Vancouver Island has turned out to be a prime place to buy. “Vancouver Island will […]
Living Small, Thinking Big
By Jessie Zhang In 1999, Jay Shafer, an American house designer, and owner of a 96 sq. foot home, published his first article on the merits of simple, compact living. Since then, the tiny home movement has spread throughout North America. Kate Beddows and Nico Rhodes are two of its Vancouver Island proponents. Video produced […]
My cob is my castle
By Meagan Dyer Out with the old, in with the alternative. That’s the sentiment of many Vancouver Islanders who have opted to build out-of-the-ordinary homes that suit their lifestyles and values. Alternative housing projects are growing in popularity across the West Coast. In an era of soaring real estate costs, exorbitant energy prices, and environmentally-conscious home […]