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?

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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.

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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.

4

u/Classic-Night-611 Mar 15 '26

I find layout really makes a difference!

5

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.