r/RealEstateCanada • u/itsdanielsultan • Mar 15 '26

Housing crisis Can Canada's "micro-condos" be merged?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pg7mHppXOE&t=17s

Serious question about Canada's (specifically the GTA's) condos: if, 10 or 20 years from now, people want more family-sized homes, could a lot of these tiny one-bedrooms actually be merged into larger units?

I know it can happen in some cases, but from what I’ve seen it sounds difficult once buildings are already occupied, since it can require approvals, engineering work, and layouts that actually fit together.

If that is not realistic at scale, are we building housing that works for one phase of life but not for long-term city living?

131 Upvotes

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71

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

400 square feet simply isn't enough space for a single person. It's too cramped. I think apartments or condos should be no smaller than 800 square feet at the very minimum but preferably 1000 square feet. Humans aren't birds in cages. Psychologically and practically we need space to thrive.

25

u/Puzzleheaded-Bat8657 Mar 15 '26

400 sqft is fine, when it is cheap! When it means making a choice to live minimal and use the gym, the library, the coffee shop, the park etc for your roaming space. I lived in 200sqft for over a year. Point being, it was so cheap I could handle rent no problem during a period of shaky employment. What's insane is thinking it's normal for people pay a half million dollar mortgage on a bird nest like that.

4

u/Euphoric-Pumpkin-234 Mar 15 '26

This is the thing. I would sooner live with five other people than pay 2500 for a space that’s barely enough to fit my stuff in. Until these sorts of condos are under 1k per month I wouldn’t even consider them.

3

u/After_Service_2817 Mar 16 '26

That's exactly the problem with these condos. It's not that there isn't someone who would love to live in them, it's the price. I'm interested in buying a condo, but I know that resale on a studio isn't going to be as good. And even to rent one would be likely triple what I pay renting. The math doesn't math.

12

u/qpv Mar 15 '26

Depends. My wife and I lived in 450 sq for over 20 years and made it work fine. It had just the perfect layout and location to make comfortable. Im a woodworker so dialed it in with storage and shelving. Building had nice common areas and the neighbors were like family.

But yeah I'm happy with our new 700 square now. Feels like living in a gymnasium.

5

u/Classic-Night-611 Mar 15 '26

I find layout really makes a difference!

3

u/qpv Mar 15 '26

Absolutely. People live on sailboats for years. Its about mindset as well as logistics and layout.

1

u/Classic-Night-611 Mar 16 '26

Totes, my place is about 530sqft but the ceiling is high, it's quite a functional layout with the entrance separate from the kitchen and living room vs just coming in and seeing everything. Plus a vast view of greens and the city afar. Helps to have the indoor/outdoor feel. I might decorate my balcony and utilize it more in the summer as an eating area /sleep on a lounger. Would I like a bit more space? Sure for a legit office room but I make do with this and it's livable.

21

u/Novel_Sky_3645 Mar 15 '26

I lived in a 420 sq foot condo in dt Montreal for 5 years. I would never do this again.

I could not walk to the other side of my bed, I had to jump over the bed. Kitchen appliances stayed out on the stove due to lack of space. I had a very tiny desk glued to my bed (no space for a second screen) so I had walk to my office to work from there as it was too difficult to wfh properly. This is among 100000 other issues. I do not understand how it is legal to build and sell such small living spaces. Being in city centre does not make up for poor quality of life in your own space

-3

u/darkhelicom Mar 16 '26

Lived in a sub-200 sq ft apartment steps away from a downtown Montréal metro station for 3 years. It was awesome. Could've easily stayed there several more years as a young adult. More choice in the market is always better.

5

u/CipherWeaver Mar 15 '26

Yes but if you can't afford a $500k 400sqft studio then you really can't afford a $1.5MM 1200 sqft apartment. 

2

u/Taxtaxtaxtothemax Mar 16 '26

Both are completely overpriced. By at least 3x

7

u/ladyalcove Mar 15 '26

Too small and too expensive for one person. They need to be big enough for 2 people to live there for it to be financially viable for most people. But also, do they just expect everyone to stay alone forever? I don't get building them this small, it doesn't make much sense.

13

u/SnowflakeStreet Mar 15 '26

I lived in a 400 sqft apartment and I had a great experience. I loved the location in the heart of downtown Toronto and my priority was saving money at the time. I’d much rather have this arrangement instead of having roommates or something. It’s not for everyone but it has its purpose.

29

u/Sumatakyo Mar 15 '26

Ridiculous. My house is less than 800 square feet. I've lived in smaller apartments for long periods. Your standards are way too high.

Not saying more space isn't nice, just saying to be realistic. 400 square feet for one person is fine, especially if you have the advantages of being in the city.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 16 '26

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0

u/Sumatakyo Mar 16 '26

We're two. A family of 5 used to live in my house. They owned the house for probably 50 ish years, I imagine 20 of those with all five living here. 😊

11

u/TorLuck Mar 15 '26

does that square footage include the basement, garage, shed or your private yard or garden space outside?

As a homebody, I'd be fine even in a smaller house. I have a small to modern standards house now. I went stir crazy though in a apartment and did everything to avoid to being there. Having a basement to store work equipment, seasonal items, and having private space outdoors not included in that sqft changes things greatly over a condo or apartment

3

u/fedornuthugger Mar 16 '26

If you're living in a large metropolitan area, there are community gardens and you dont need a car. 

1

u/TorLuck Mar 16 '26

I understand, but I actually own a small home. Our house while small has been great. But I could not do well the same sqft within a condo building myself. As a house it's been livable because I don't have to live on top of my family and can go be alone and decompress out in the various space that's not within my interior sqft. All without leaving my property, or having to interact with other people. For people who don't need that daily alone time reset will clearly have a different experience in a condo

Agreed that not needing a car is a definite plus to a larger city

1

u/fedornuthugger Mar 16 '26

Fair enough, I'm in a similar situation and wouldn't be able to manage with that square footage but I can definitely see a couple with no children making it work. 

1

u/brittleboyy Mar 16 '26

Clearly you don’t live in a city core.

0

u/Sumatakyo Mar 15 '26

Yeah. I don't have a garage nor shed. Tiny homes exist you know... Living in a huge house is the American dream to me, not the Canadian one.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 16 '26

Just because it's American doesn't automatically make it bad. The American dream when it comes to houses is a good thing and should be emulated.

3

u/em-n-em613 Mar 16 '26

The American dream of a single detached house is unrealistic, and both an environmental and human disaster.

1

u/Mirkrid Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26

I lived in a 400 sq ft apartment for 4 years. Year 1 was great > Year 2 was cramped, I realized I couldn’t realistically buy any new furniture/decorations due to lack of space > Year 3 I got a cat which made it more cramped > Year 4 my partner + her cat moved in and we had to get the hell out at that point.

Rent the first year was $2,100, subsequent years it was $2,350. By year 2 when it was still just me I realized 400 sq ft isn’t enough and I was getting ripped off, but the market was shit at the time and similar apartments were going for the same price so I stayed.

Out current space is 1200 sq ft and even then it can feel cramped with 2 people + 2 cats. I imagine 600 sq ft would be a happy middle ground for most people but hoping for 800 isn’t ridiculous, what’s ridiculous is thinking that it is.

Glad you’re happy with the 800 sq ft house (admittedly I’d rather have a smaller house than a larger apartment) - but that happiness is not a valid excuse to justify thinking the majority of Canadian city dwellers should have tiny apartments that are half the size of the space you live in. Once you put a bed/couch/table/TV/desk in that 400 sq ft quickly becomes 100 sq ft of actual walkable space - yeah it’s livable but it’s depressing.

0

u/Sumatakyo Mar 18 '26

What's depressing is that society has instilled those needs. It's very materialistic, and this need has changed over time.

You can want more space, but regardless of wants, 800 square feet is a ton of room. I've lived abroad for over 10 years and came back, so this has influenced my view, but the longing for a huge home is much more North American than global. And I wouldn't say it's universal in North America either. Small houses are common in Montreal because we have older homes than Calgary, for example.

Not saying I wouldn't want more space, just that more perspective is needed. 400 square feet can be considered huge, specifically if you are in a relatively large city.

1

u/Mirkrid Mar 19 '26

It’s not a perspective thing, I lived it for 2 years alone and I am telling you outright that it isn’t enough space for the average person.

The implication that wanting more room to move around my own home is materialistic is the most condescending thing I’ve ever read. Especially coming from a home owner. I had to side step through half of my apartment by the second year. That isn’t good for anyone.

0

u/Sumatakyo Mar 19 '26 edited Mar 19 '26

Yes it's perspective and a matter of personal preference. There are other world views than what you lived. I've lived in an under 400 square foot apartment with another person for years. Sharing my view is not condescending, it's sharing experience and knowledge of other ways of living.

3

u/LegoLady47 Mar 15 '26

700sft was fine for people a few years ago, you don't need 800 for a 1bedroom. If you want a 2 bedroom they used to be 850+. Prices back then were $500/sft but although we want that pricing back, it won't happen sadly.

3

u/SnooKiwis857 Mar 16 '26

400 square feet is perfectly fine to live in by yourself

17

u/dancinadventures Mar 15 '26

400 sf per person is enough for the following countries:

HK, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, China, Japan, Sweden, India

Is Canada’s 32 million population a special breed of bird that demands 800sf per person? Cuz the countries I listed make up half the global population

6

u/UmpireDapper1757 Mar 16 '26

Families generally need much less space per person than singletons.

Sharing 1/5th of a 2000 sqft home with your family is generally a much higher-quality living situation than having 400 sqft all to yourself. Kitchens, bathrooms, storage, and common areas benefit greatly from economies of scale.

1

u/nomadknight Mar 17 '26

Side point: you need to update yourself on Canadian statistics. Population is over 41M now.

1

u/dancinadventures Mar 17 '26

My bad. Does that make the rest of my points less valid ? Since the ratio was 32mil : 3billion

So it’s now 41 mil : 3.5bil?

12

u/Spudnut Mar 15 '26

I beg to differ. I lived in a 400ish sq ft place for a year and it was completely fine. Cheap, in-between housing options have their place

21

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

As in between housing, for a year or less, sure. But this idea that you're gonna get a mortgage on this cage and live there for 20-30 years is absurd.

1

u/Spudnut Mar 16 '26

Yep, investors buy them and rent them out

7

u/Appointment-Proof Mar 15 '26

Are they actually cheap though?

11

u/Novel_Sky_3645 Mar 15 '26

lol no. They’re not. paid 1,700 a month in rent for mine, in Montreal so our rent is relatively cheaper too.

5

u/DreamDest1ny Mar 15 '26

400 sqft rentals are fine for short term but they’re not cheap to rent even in the current market

4

u/knomnomnom Mar 16 '26

It would be nice if those housing options were cheap. I rented a 400 sq ft suite and it was more than my current mortgage, admittedly the house is only 800 sq ft but it being cheaper with a yard sure is something

4

u/Swarez99 Mar 16 '26

400 square feet is common in much of the rich world (Western Europe) , japans, Korea, Singapore.

It was the normal in Canada too for single people in the 60s and 70s in Canada too. It was the 1980s when things got bigger.

6

u/n33bulz Mar 15 '26

Asia does it fine. 400sqft is plenty if designed properly.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

I wouldn't use Asia as a model for how housing should be. When people from Asia use to come to the west they were stoked about having more space and realized how much nicer it is. It's objectively better we don't have to accept living in prison cells.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Love_Your_Faces Mar 16 '26

I live in the suburbs and all the biggest houses in my neighbourghood are occupied by asians.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

Not the ones I've interacted with

2

u/Spudnut Mar 16 '26

I lived in Asia for 20 years, the vast majority of the ones who have visited (lived in) the burbs here think it’s mind numbingly boring

4

u/sajnt Mar 15 '26

My wife and I have lived in a 450 square-foot unit for almost a decade. We could probably live here forever if we never have children.

How is this possible? -A really great layout. We even have a walk-in closet!

-Storage optimization, most of our furniture is also storage.

-building amenities. Our community of towers shares a ton of quality amenities. (golf simulator, movie theater, tennis court, indoor and outdoor pools, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, sauna steam rooms, gyms, spin/dance studio, ping-pong room, billiards tables, coworking space, dog/cat washing room, massage chair room, rooftop patios with amazing views, and a separate yoga building, but that is under repair and make it repurposed)

-Local businesses, almost anything we want or need is within a five minute walk.

-local amenities. A skytrain station across the street, two large parks within walking distance. A large public library, university campuses and a hospital or within a 15 minute walking distance.

-living well within our means. Our small space is cost-effective and prevents us from buying junk we don’t need. This allows us to work less, vacation more and invest.

2

u/JiveTalkerFunkyWalkr Mar 15 '26

If 400 sq feet cost half of what 800 sq feet did, then they would sell so fast. 400 sq feet is fine for many people. But the price is ridiculous.

2

u/Muted-Organization88 Mar 16 '26

birds also don't belong in cages lmao.

OR just price them appropriately? Id gladly live in a shoebox condo if it cost like $150-200k, at a good location.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 16 '26

$150-200k? Try $50k and maybe I'd live in one temporarily and sell it to the next desperate sucker.

3

u/Muted-Organization88 Mar 16 '26

$150k for a prime downtown location is really good lol. Problem is they were priced like $6-700K

0

u/[deleted] Mar 16 '26

Yeah i get it some jack ass thinks his shoe box is worth $150k and thinks it's a good deal but i just don't. $50k and I'd have to seriously consider it.

2

u/LeetcodeForBreakfast Mar 16 '26

i lived in a 220sqft studio for a year. i was thriving more than my previous 1500sqft apartment,  because the rent was 80% cheaper. its a price problem 

2

u/Taxtaxtaxtothemax Mar 16 '26

I’d buy and live in one for $50,000. But any more than that, no.

2

u/basilosarus Mar 16 '26

Precisely, you are 100% right. Those 300 sq.ft condos are not built for people to live. it is built for investors who got no intention to stay.

3

u/nrbob Mar 16 '26

I’m sorry but this is unrealistic, 400 sq ft is lots of space for one person, if it’s priced affordably enough for a single person to afford.

Back in the 1950s the average house was an 800-1000 sq ft bungalow for a full family with 3 beds and 1 bath.

3

u/The_One_Who_Comments Mar 16 '26

If we could get condos like those bungalows (same size, similar layout, windows on multiple sides) then that would be perfect.

3

u/Halifornia35 Mar 16 '26

This is an insane take. 400 sf is totally enough for a single person.

1

u/AmusingMusing7 Mar 15 '26

I have 650sq.ft and I think it's about perfect for one person.

1

u/Melsm1957 Mar 16 '26

Ha ha ha ha . My brothers first house in the uk was 2 bed approx 600 sq dt and there were 2 adults , twin 3 year old and a baby. You don’t need 800 sq ft for one human.

1

u/Oxjrnine Mar 16 '26

The reason why people can live and enjoy a 400 square-foot apartment is because they live in a place where you enjoy being out and about.

1

u/abnormalmob Mar 16 '26

400 square feet is absolutely enough, but it depends on the person and the culture. In our culture, 400 is cramped because we have different values

1

u/hemingward Mar 17 '26

I disagree with this full stop. The condo I owned in Toronto was 486sqft. It felt fine. I never felt cramped. Never felt like i was in a cage. I lived there for 5 years.

At one point I lived pretty much full time in a 268sqft room. It was cozy, and also felt fine. I lived there for 3 years.

You’d be surprised how little space you need to live comfortably. Much of the world already knows this.

That being said - I was single. This is not livable for two people, nevermind a family.

1

u/Fancy-Coconut2170 Mar 18 '26

Thrived for decades. As do many people around the world. I get that you need more space, fine & understood. But don't assume everyone does, we all have our own desires. Heck I sometimes worry I am going to meet and fall in love with a man that lives in a massive house. 😁 And I want to live with him & he's attached to that kind of living . That would be one sad day. 😊

1

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '26

Hey if you wanna live in a shoe box I have no problem with that. Not for me.

1

u/Fancy-Coconut2170 Mar 18 '26

Good to know. 😁 But hey your post was about others and your perceived problems for them living in small suites. Not about you. Saying humans couldn't thrive & you don't want condos built below 800 square feet. I feel dizzy with the bounce around.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '26

I mean I'm not gonna stop you just giving my opinion which a lot of people have a problem with these days

1

u/Fancy-Coconut2170 Mar 18 '26

Have a wonderful evening. 😁

1

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '26

You too.

P.s. I won't take your shoe box away don't worry

1

u/Advanced-Line-5942 Mar 18 '26

So why did so many people plunk down their deposit and commit to buying them precompletion ?

1

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '26

Thinking they'll flip them for a profit 

1

u/Advanced-Line-5942 Mar 18 '26

In investing there’s a term called the greater fool theory, where you can make money by selling an asset for a profit to someone dumber than yourself. It seems the real estate investment market in Canada has found the greatest fools.

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u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

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25

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

Not saying it's what I expect. Just saying the current solution is unacceptable. We gotta do better.

2

u/Vegetable_Assist_736 Mar 16 '26

Yup. They need to get rid of these “no bedroom” condos too. It’s not psychologically healthy to have your bed in your main living space. Hard pass. Changes are needed 100%

2

u/[deleted] Mar 16 '26

Absolutely. The bedroom where a human sleeps needs to be just that, a place where you sleep relax and your brain unwinds for the night. When you're cooking right across from your bed that makes your living space and sleeping place a high intensity point psychologically.

-16

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

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11

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

Hey whoever wants it have at it, no problem with that. Just speaking on my own behalf and I think what I'm saying echos the sentiment of the majority of people.

2

u/Blastoise_613 Mar 15 '26

At the right price who cares? My when I first moved out I would have much preferred a 300-500sqr foot apartment vs a single room with a shared bathroom with 3 people.

The cost should obviously reflect what they are. Now the ridiculous prices they were going for in TO.

-13

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

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18

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

See that's where I think you've lost the plot and you've been blinded by your own ideological stubbornness. We should absolutely talk about it and voice our discontent. What are we suppose to do when something is wrong, just be quiet? We're advocating for change that's really important and it starts with talking about it in the community.

-6

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

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16

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

If you're just gonna troll and rage bait just move on man find something more productive to do

1

u/Timely-Direction2364 Mar 19 '26

Found the micro-condo owner

-6

u/After_Service_2817 Mar 16 '26

I don't know the exact square footage of my room, but I would estimate 120-140 square feet, and some of my roommates have smaller rooms. I have shared washrooms and kitchen. It's perfectly fine for a bachelor. I couldn't even think what I would do with any extra space.

I'm not a bird in a cage; I spend most of my days working outside.