While most lots across the province now allow up to six units without rezoning, it’s still not entirely clear what steps to follow, what permits need approval or where to begin at all. Plus, there’s the matter of gathering materials and building the actual structure once you get through all that. That’s where Rohe Homes comes in.
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We want to make it easier for people to take action, whether they’re building for family, rental income or just making better use of their space.
Salik Khan
Co-Founder and Chief Experience Officer of Rohe Homes
AI tools to help you build.
Rohe Homes creates modular homes that can be unpacked and unfolded on-site, which helps cut down construction timelines dramatically. Recently, they’ve also launched an AI tool called What Can I Build? that helps explain the entire development process, from what you can afford to the permits you have to apply for and the anticipated costs along the way.
“Trying to understand what you’re allowed to build on your own property can be a real headache,” says Salik Khan, Co-Founder and Chief Experience Officer of Rohe Homes. “Most homeowners hit a wall pretty quickly – between zoning bylaws, setback rules, height limits, parking requirements and complicated municipal websites, it’s not easy to make sense of it all.”
Traditionally, attempting to construct anything on your own property was a complicated process. Even if you knew you had the right to perform renovations or construction, you had to sift through lengthy PDFs, dive deep into municipal websites and consult city staff to find out exactly what was allowed. This has so far discouraged many homeowners from taking advantage of that previously-mentioned legislation allowing up to six units on former single-family lots, because the process remains opaque.
Furthermore, once you were clear on what you could build, there was the matter of how to build it. This added another layer of confusion, with the need to consult contractors, architects and tradespeople. The headaches involved with applying for and building accessory units or multi-unit housing kept many homeowners on the sidelines. “The system isn’t really built for everyday homeowners. It’s made for industry pros, and it shows based on where the market is at,” says Salik.
To address this maze of regulations and requirements, Rohe Homes developed What Can I Build?. You give it your address, and the tool tells you the estimated cost to build the types of housing allowed on your lot. The goal is to let anyone become a “citizen developer” and create housing on land they already own. “We see them as a huge part of the housing solution,” says Salik. “Cities alone can’t build fast enough. But if homeowners and small investors had the right tools and support, we could unlock thousands of new homes across neighbourhoods, one lot at a time.”
If you want more information, you can ask the tool for clarifications, budgeting guidelines, the documents you need to file and more. You can even ask for site layout plans to see how everything might fit together. “For Homeowners interested in development, this means you can go from ‘just curious’ to ‘let’s start the process!’ without needing to hire a consultant first. It’s a great starting point to explore what’s possible,” explains Salik.
Modular construction adds more savings.
After you have a clear idea of what you can build on your lot and how much it may cost, you can also turn to Rohe Homes to supply you with the home itself.
That’s thanks to modular construction. To understand modular construction, first let’s explain traditional construction techniques. If you’re building a house, you’d lay the foundation, then begin construction of the walls. The walls would be made of two-by-fours joined together and raised, then those pieces of wall would be connected together. Next everything inside the walls would be installed, such as wires, pipes, insulation and anything else you’d find behind drywall. The exterior would be covered in wood sheeting, while the interior would be covered in drywall. This process requires a team of dedicated professionals and time, all of which increase cost.
In contrast, a modular building is made in a factory, so mass production is possible, lowering costs. Because designs are standardized, it’s also faster. The building is shipped to your site on a truck, and then the walls are “unfolded” to their final positions. The only thing you have to supply is the foundation – plus the eventual electric and water hookups. As you can see, this is much simpler overall and requires less people as a result. Assembly takes about four days, according to Rohe Homes. And unlike a mobile or manufactured home, a modular home is permanently affixed to its foundation, just like standard construction. Finishing work then takes only a few weeks, not months as in standard construction.
Rohe Homes can supply a modular housing unit that meets the requirements of what you’re allowed to build on your site. Everything will arrive flat-packed and requires only a small team to assemble.
This is just the beginning.
Overall, by using the AI tool combined with modular construction techniques, Rohe Homes claims that it’s possible to go from bare land to fully-constructed home in about 13 to 18 months, compared to the 24 to 39 required for conventional home building techniques.
While the AI tool is still in its early days, “we think this is just the beginning,” says Salik. “In the near future, our AI will be able to handle most of the early development process – making it way easier for regular people to design and build on their own land.”
Eventually, plans are for the tool to not only help you determine what you can build, but also to incorporate updates as bylaws and geographic information system (GIS) data changes. And as communities grow, Rohe Homes aims to update its offerings based on existing community designs and values.
On the construction side, Rohe Homes plans to integrate smart design tools on their website, like configurators, proforma (forms and approvals) and return on investment (ROI) calculators, plus an integrated customer portal. That’s in addition to plans to assist with finding financing, permitting help and contractors to streamline the process further.
According to Salik, “We want to make it easier for people to take action, whether they’re building for family, rental income or just making better use of their space.”
