New 'modest' housing plans bring back old ideas to ease Canada's housing crisis

You have to go back in time to possibly understand why the country's federal housing agency believes simple, standardized and modest model homes could help get houses in Canada built cheaper and faster.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation turned back the clock to the late 1940s and dusted off its first housing design catalogue, which the agency says spurred construction of a million new homes across the country and had a major influence on urban planning and development. 

The federal Crown corporation, which is mandated to deliver the government's housing programs along with financing and insurance options for buyers and builders, released new 50 low-rise designs this month that include laneway homes, rowhouses, stacked townhomes, fourplexes and sixplexes. The designs are tailor-made for different regions of the country, with Alberta getting seven of its own unique plans. 

The goal is for the model homes to add "gentle density" in existing neighbourhoods. 

The architect who led the design team for Alberta says while there are some common "strands" among the seven designs, affordability was the driving force behind the project.

"All of the different building types share a certain DNA, which is based on practicality and efficiency and affordability," said Michael Dub, principal architect at Edmonton-based Dub Architects.

The first CMHC catalogues were introduced after the Second World War, and then again in the 1970s.

The agency says the post-war edition inspired the creation of a million of the so-called victory homes and strawberry box homes across the country, in part for returning veterans and war workers. If you're curious, the monthly costs for those homes ranged from $54 to $84, which included the mortgage payment, insurance, property taxes, heat and water. 

While CMHC didn't provide a spokesperson for an interview, it did answer questions via email. The agency says the new design catalogue will be available for homeowners, builders and other small developers "to deliver housing quickly and cost effectively."

It says the homes will improve affordability by reducing "construction costs and timelines by simplifying approvals and reducing barriers to entry in the home building sector."

It adds "standardized designs reduce the upfront time required for planning, design and approvals."

While the agency says final architectural design packages and more details will be released later, within the sector, there is still a mix of restrained enthusiasm and doubt as to whether these models will get built. 

A Victoria-based builder says it depends on whether the homes will be sold or rented. 

"I think they work fine in terms of the rental market," said Dale Degagne, who is the CEO of Missing Middle Solutions.