These 350-square feet tiny homes in downtown Montreal are $2,300 a month

Six tiny homes in downtown Montreal are hitting the real estate market.

An architecture firm and a promoter have converted the emergency exits of a historical building near Concordia University to create the three-storey, 350 square feet units.

“It’s about thinking outside the box, pushing boundaries and looking into innovative and creative approaches to bring in housing in spaces where there wasn’t any before,” said Alexandra Serafini, the residential development director of Groupe Forum.

“When we came up with the design of these small spaces, we definitely wanted to add in all of the essentials without crowding the spaces too much, so we put in some of the smaller appliances.”

The mini homes have the kitchen and bathroom with a shower on the first floor; the living room is on the second floor; and the bedroom is on the top floor.

Alexandra Serafini of Groupe Forum inside a tiny home in downtown Montreal, July 25, 2023. (Gareth Madoc-Jones/CityNews)

When designing the units, the brick enclosures were originally too narrow to conform to city bylaws.

“We gave these townhouses where you see a little metal extension on this, towards the side,” said Amani Rizk, the principal architect with Le Borgne Rizk.

“So we did it in a very discreet way because it was very important for us to keep the patrimonial aspect of the building. And by extending the square footage a little bit, we were able to comply with the city bylaws.”

The design within units is also meant to make efficient use of the limited space. Drawers are located under the bed and within the staircase going up to the second floor.

“That’s definitely something that we brought to the table with this project,” said Serafini. “And we’re hoping that it could inspire other developers and it can inspire the city as well to be a little bit more creative with downtown housing.”

Alexandra Serafini of Groupe Forum inside a tiny home in downtown Montreal, July 25, 2023. (Gareth Madoc-Jones/CityNews)

Located next to the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University, each of the six units rent at $2,300 a month.

“I think there is a lot of value,” said Serafini. “So you have a house on three stories. That’s your own private house right downtown, right next to Concordia, right next to all the office spaces downtown, and they’re fully furnished. You have the internet included. You have all the utilities included.”

Architect Rizk acknowledges this project was not meant to specifically address the housing crisis in Montreal, but rather to offer homes by reusing an existing structure.

“We were really able to use the what we already have and as in an ecological point of view, it is the way to go,” said Rizk. “You have to reuse before you even think of recycling or building new.”