All aboard! Retiree buys 'cheapest home in the GTA' -- a caboose
It’s being called the 'cheapest home in the GTA -- a caboose that sits on a commercial parking lot in Campbellville.
And now it’s off the market.
Laurel Wynne, a 64-year-old retiree, bought the caboose after selling her previous property, a 1921 school house near Bancroft, last year.
"(My one son) said 'Oh Mom, you’re so random. What did you do that for?'" Wynne said, chuckling.
The hope was to move closer to her family in Oakville and to save money.
But the high costs of rent, paired with concerns she wouldn’t be eligible for a mortgage, made her house hunt tricky. That’s until she came across a listing for a 110-year-old red train caboose just outside of Milton.
"I’ve definitely never sold anything like this," said Jennifer Krane, a real estate agent with Zoocasa, who sold the caboose to Wynne for $45,000.
Wynne also has to pay the owner of the lot $500 a month.
"We weren’t sure how to list it because it is very unique," said Krane. "But single-family detached is what we came up with."
A old caboose in Campbellville was sold for $45,000. (May 2022)
The converted caboose was previously used as an office by a limousine business. Inside, there were three large benches, as well as mirrors and a sound system. With only about 220-square-feet of space, it is still missing some features of a regular home.
"There’s no bedrooms, there’s no bathrooms, there’s no kitchen. So, I mean, it was a very fine line," said Krane.
But that didn’t scare Wynne away. Instead, she looked at it as a chance to punch her ticket to a less-is-more lifestyle.
"I don’t have a mortgage, I don’t have a water bill. The hydro is not hooked up, although it has hydro, I don’t have a hydro bill," Wynne said.
The structure isn’t attached to any plumbing so she has had to get creative when it comes to emptying her tank.
"I spent an inordinate amount of time researching compost toilets on YouTube, and I thought: 'What has my life come to?'" Wynne said, jokingly.
43 Main Street East, Campbellville. (Jennifer Krane/Realtor.ca)
Wynne is currently renovating the 1912 caboose so there will be a living area, a bedroom and a bathroom. She said even with the renovations, she anticipates paying less than most other properties on the market. In the meantime, friends and family that live close by have also opened up their homes until hers becomes more livable.
Once the renovations are complete, Wynne hopes to relocate the caboose as long as she can find land that’s within her budget. Until then, she’s willing to roll with whatever unique challenges come her way.
"A tiny home doesn’t necessarily have to mean deprivation," said Wynne. "It can mean freedom. And for me, it’s freedom."
It’s an unexpected freedom that’s led her to not only owning a home, but a piece of history.
With files from CTV Toronto
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.