R-Hauz supports new provincial housing legislation which would increase opportunities for mass timber building construction

TORONTO, April 1, 2022 /CNW/ - The provincial government released new housing legislation entitled the More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022. This is a very encouraging announcement for accelerating the construction of critically needed new housing supply in Ontario. R-Hauz, a real estate company developing mid-rise mass timber and laneway housing products is especially encouraged with the aspects of the bill that focus on changes to the building code.

The More Homes for Everyone Act will be supportive of the R-Hauz program for sustainable mass timber housing. "This announcement reinforces the use of a renewable resource - Ontario wood - in building new housing that reinforces our decarbonization strategy and moves us towards a net zero outcome", says Leith Moore, Co-Founder at R-Hauz. "We also applaud the move to adopt an approach to single stair solutions for mid-rise buildings. This is a valuable step in making smaller projects more cost effective".

The proposed changes to the Building Code would allow for 12-storey mass timber buildings, streamline modular multi-unit residential building approvals, and facilitate more infill multi-unit housing by exploring opportunities to allow for single means of egress in 4-6 storey residential buildings. These changes offer enormous possibilities for mid-sized buildings in our cities. R-Hauz specializes in building mass timber buildings, having completed Toronto's first residential 6 storey project in 2021. Small infill is a crucial part of providing more housing, and these changes will allow R-Hauz to fulfill demand on these lots faster and with taller and more streamlined projects, creating more housing where it is needed most.

"Small is the new big and in an industry often criticized for not innovating, R-Hauz is perfectly aligned with this new and innovative approach to solving our housing crisis!" Says Paul Golini, Chair of the R-Hauz Board. Paul is an industry veteran, bringing decades of successful real estate experience to R-Hauz as the New Chair to the Board. Using mass timber from factory built panelized assembly solutions R-Hauz can deliver products that are faster, more affordable and healthier than traditional buildings, creating new housing options for homeowners and renters by offering sustainable products with accelerated construction timelines.

About R-Hauz

R-Hauz is a real estate startup tackling the housing supply crisis by creating sustainable prefabricated mid-rise and laneway building products. Their mass timber avenue townhome and laneway suite pilots are located on Queen Street East and Riverside respectively, with additional social housing underway in York Region.

SOURCE R-Hauz Solutions Inc.

Francesca MacKinnon, Director of Sales and Marketing, [email protected]