Tiny Houses

Thousand Crow tiny house sidesteps the Vancouver housing market

Thousand Crow tiny house sidesteps the Vancouver housing market
The Thousand Crow tiny house, by Camera Buildings (Photo: Marty McLennan)
The Thousand Crow tiny house, by Camera Buildings (Photo: Marty McLennan)
View 39 Images
The Thousand Crow tiny house (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The Thousand Crow tiny house (Photo: Isabella Mori)
Inside the Thousand Crow tiny house (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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Inside the Thousand Crow tiny house (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The kitchen runs along the left side of the home (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The kitchen runs along the left side of the home (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The countertop is solid maple (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The countertop is solid maple (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The home was constructed by local firm Camera Buildings (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The home was constructed by local firm Camera Buildings (Photo: Isabella Mori)
An on-demand propane heater provides hot water (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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An on-demand propane heater provides hot water (Photo: Isabella Mori)
Camera Buildings is currently looking to work with would-be tiny house owners and landowners to create new tiny house pocket neighborhoods (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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Camera Buildings is currently looking to work with would-be tiny house owners and landowners to create new tiny house pocket neighborhoods (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The Thousand Crow tiny house requires an electricity hookup to function (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The Thousand Crow tiny house requires an electricity hookup to function (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The microwave and grill (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The microwave and grill (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The home boasts a surprising amount of storage space (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The home boasts a surprising amount of storage space (Photo: Isabella Mori)
Camera Buildings installed operable windows (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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Camera Buildings installed operable windows (Photo: Isabella Mori)
Storage space under the raised floor (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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Storage space under the raised floor (Photo: Isabella Mori)
Storage space is probably one of the most important concerns in a tiny house (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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Storage space is probably one of the most important concerns in a tiny house (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The operable windows are covered in places (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The operable windows are covered in places (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The home is called Thousand Crow (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The home is called Thousand Crow (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The main living area is separated into two levels with a couple of steps (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The main living area is separated into two levels with a couple of steps (Photo: Isabella Mori)
Storage space under the raised floor (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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Storage space under the raised floor (Photo: Isabella Mori)
Storage space under the raised floor (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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Storage space under the raised floor (Photo: Isabella Mori)
Shot of the bed made up (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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Shot of the bed made up (Photo: Isabella Mori)
Shot of the bed made up (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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Shot of the bed made up (Photo: Isabella Mori)
Cupboards offer more storage space (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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Cupboards offer more storage space (Photo: Isabella Mori)
Cupboards offer more storage space (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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Cupboards offer more storage space (Photo: Isabella Mori)
Yet more storage space (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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Yet more storage space (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The bathroom, with shower and toilet (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The bathroom, with shower and toilet (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The bathroom, with shower and toilet (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The bathroom, with shower and toilet (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The bathroom, with shower and toilet (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The bathroom, with shower and toilet (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The composting toilet (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The composting toilet (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The kitchen counter (Photo: Isabella Mori)
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The kitchen counter (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The tiny house is located in Vancouver (Photo: Marty McLennan)
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The tiny house is located in Vancouver (Photo: Marty McLennan)
The home can be moved by trailer without additional permits (Photo: Marty McLennan)
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The home can be moved by trailer without additional permits (Photo: Marty McLennan)
The side of the home (Photo: Marty McLennan)
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The side of the home (Photo: Marty McLennan)
The Thousand Crow tiny house, by Camera Buildings (Photo: Marty McLennan)
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The Thousand Crow tiny house, by Camera Buildings (Photo: Marty McLennan)
Inside the tiny house (Photo: Marty McLennan)
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Inside the tiny house (Photo: Marty McLennan)
Inside the tiny house (Photo: Marty McLennan)
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Inside the tiny house (Photo: Marty McLennan)
There's more floorspace than you might expect to find (Photo: Marty McLennan)
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There's more floorspace than you might expect to find (Photo: Marty McLennan)
The kitchen runs down one side of the home (Photo: Marty McLennan)
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The kitchen runs down one side of the home (Photo: Marty McLennan)
Inside the bathroom with composting toilet (Photo: Marty McLennan)
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Inside the bathroom with composting toilet (Photo: Marty McLennan)
The bed made up (Photo: Marty McLennan)
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The bed made up (Photo: Marty McLennan)
(Photo: Marty McLennan)
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View gallery - 39 images

Vancouver's housing market is relatively expensive, and this naturally prevents a lot of people from being able to afford to own their own homes. Following some sub-par rental experiences, Vancouver resident Isabella Mori contacted local firm Camera Buildings to construct her a 18.5 sq m (189 sq ft) tiny home that she could afford to own outright.

The recently-completed Thousand Crow tiny house sits on a trailer and wheels, and can be towed to suitable locations without any additional permit. It comprises one large primary space, plus a door leads to a small bathroom with composting toilet and shower. The main living area is separated into two levels with a couple of steps, and the raised section hides a neat pull-out bed and some additional storage space designed by Camera Buildings.

The kitchen area runs along the left side of the home, and toward the far end lie work and lounge areas (plus the aforementioned bathroom). It's a simple layout, but judging from the photos at least, there seems to be a surprising amount of room left over for a home of its size. Indeed, Thousand Crow looks much less cramped than we've come to expect with many similar tiny houses.

The main living area is separated into two levels with a couple of steps (Photo: Isabella Mori)
The main living area is separated into two levels with a couple of steps (Photo: Isabella Mori)

Thousand Crow features untreated custom-milled cedar for the siding and window screens, while the hardwood floor was salvaged. Operable windows aid ventilation, and insulation comes in the form of rigid foam insulation and mineral wool. Though it requires an electricity hookup to function, the home does also sport a graywater system. An on-demand propane heater provides hot water, and the home sports several additional areas for storage space.

Camera Buildings prefers to remain tight-lipped about the total cost of the build, but told Gizmag that it's currently looking to work with would-be tiny house owners and landowners to create new tiny house pocket neighborhoods and seeks interested parties to get in touch.

Sources: Camera Buildings, Tiny House Vancouver

View gallery - 39 images
6 comments
6 comments
Peter Cowen
I'm definitely going to start building one of these this year in the uk
Bill Bennett
Vancouver BC or Vantucky WA?
John Driggers
And where, aside from an RV park, can you legally park one of these. That's where she is--from her blog:
Thousand Crow Has Landed!
So...life is good. Thousand Crow is finished, and I moved in on November 10th. I am in an rv park with limited wifi, so between that and unpacking, have not had the energy to post. Check out some photos!
Markus Tiberius
John is right. They always title these articles like you can somehow sidestep the ridiculous cost of housing by building a tiny house. That might be true if you live more than far outside city limits and can somehow buy a patch of land where the local council allows you to set up one of these. Otherwise living in a trailer park hardly seems like a winning scenario.
David Bell
Or "couch surfing" in friends' driveways...
Buzzclick
Isn't it wonderful how a wide-angle lens can make an indoor space seem roomier?
Real estate agents use this technique all the time.