Thanks for the link...that looks neat.

I wonder if land near downtown would be too expensive to make small houses work (more probably than the cost of the house?), unless perhaps there are odd lots that could be used.

On the edge of town, certainly land is cheap enough, if small lots are allowed.

Maybe a question of finding just the right location(s), with the balance of cost and proximity.

Perhaps a local person could be interested in building the houses (or perhaps the homeless unemployed, through the Mustard Seed or such, or a religious or charity group).

Could a bank be found to offer mortgages for these (with low downpayment), or even possibly a rent to own scheme through a real estate investment trust?

When working in Oslo, I noticed a small housing development, clearly for those with low income, quite small but nice, near where I worked. The houses were probably no more than 400 square feet, and on small lots, but tastefully done, big enough for small young families apparently, with a short walk to transit. There didn't appear to be any provision for cars or parking, other than deliveries.

I wonder if something similar could work near Calgary. Land might be too expensive in Calgary proper, but maybe on the periphery (but near transit), or in nearby smaller cities or towns like Strathmore, Airdrie, or Okotoks. Probably, in Canada, there would need to be somewhere for a car (or car sharing?), for practical reasons.

Could a 400 square foot house be built and sold for $85,000, including land, with a mortgage about $500 a month? That's small, but I've sketched out a layout with a kitchen, eating area, two bedrooms, and one and a half baths, which looks plausible if frugal (not that I'm an architect). (Maybe one could find out what the Norwegians did.)

Edited by Jim Baker on Tuesday, November 21, 2006, 2:18 AM.