Building a Lane Way House in Vancouver

One Tiny Hurdle to Final Inspection

2012-02-21T12:27:00.001-08:00

Exciting News About Landscaping to come – Stay Tuned

The final inspection is all but passed and that is wonderful news for all of us! Once the alarm system is inspected this week, we will crack the bottle of bubbly that has been waiting patiently in the fridge for months and astoundingly, no one has cracked it.

This morning the lanehouse passed drain tile, sump and gas with flying colours, so we are about to enter the next stage of the house and of blogging. We will be looking for a tenant; somebody interested in a short term (three to six months) rental in a fully furnished, wired for sound, five star, stand alone home. We've found an agency to represent us, and I will be blogging more about that later on and sending interested parties to their website where professional photos will be posted.

Whoever gets to live in the lanehouse will be a lucky soul!

Anyway, I've been busy and a terrible blogger of late, so I thought you might appreciate an update. I also have exciting news about the landscaping to come, so stay tuned!

Questions About Getting Started From a Reader (Permits and Inspections)

2012-02-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

Melisa sent these questions about Laneway Housing in Vancouver:

Hi Julie!

I’ve been following your blog on LWH recently, since my parents, fiance and I are considering doing the same. We plan to build one on my parents’ lot. I have a few important questions to ask you.

I was wondering if your house is done being built yet! You haven’t updated since January 9th of the new year! From the most recent pictures, it looks fabulous and well on its way! I was wondering what should I expect the City to do after the LWH is done being built. I know that there will be on-site inspections after it’s completion.

Julie Sorry about my lack of posting. For one thing, I just spent four amazing days in Banff and didn't touch my computer :) The house is really a beautiful little gem, but because the inside is not quite completed, I have not posted any new pics. I can't wait to show it to world all cleaned up and furnished. I think we have found someone to live in the house for March 1st, so the final inspection should occur within the next five or so days. We have passed all other inspections, so after the final, there will be no more.
We can't finish the landscaping until spring, because, obviously any plants we put in the ground now will die, and we are hoping the inspector will understand this. That will be the final hurdle. Here is a photo of the nearly finished and most amazing bathroom (part of it)

However, how often should we expect to see these inspections afterwards? And are they just inspecting the LWH on its own? Or does the City expect to inspect the Main House and the Basement Suite as well? Do they inspect the front yard/back yards and everything when they come to inspect the LWH?

Julie The inspector will inspect the LWH including the landscaping and that's it!

Also, before you build the LWH, does the DoP/City inspectors come to inspect my parents’ lot beforehand? And do they also expect to see and walk into and inspect their Main House and basement suite as well (i.e., the entire living unit of my parents’ home?).

Julie Your parents will have to have a survey of their lot done, not the main house or, if there is a suite, not that either. Inspections and permits are all done by whichever contractor you choose to hire.

I’d really appreciate your response, and I really do enjoy reading your blog on the LWH!

Sincerely,

Melisa

Hardscape for Lanehouse Finished

2012-01-09T12:55:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've blogged and Happy New Year to all. It's January 12/2012 and I am still unable to report that we have a complete project, but happy to say that we are very, very close.

North side of Laneway House Before Retaining Wall

Finding hardscapers for the laneway house proved to be very difficult and I found the whole process to be quite stressful. We had at least four or five quotes and they varied in both price and expertise, the former by thousands of dollars.

Hardscaping was not something we took into account when we finalized our budget so it was an unexpected and unwelcome cost. My advise to those of you who are considering buiding, be it a lanehouse, a cottage or a regular house, is to explore this before you begin. It's substantial and depending on your lanehouse could cost anything from $5000 to $2500!!

Our cost came in somewhere in the middle, but we have not landscaped yet, and will be doing this on our own when it's planting time. Happily, we discovered some super discounted perennials at The Restore and saved hundreds of dollars :)

Trilogy Landscaping

Actually, we were at our wit's end when we were approached by Kevin Smith of Trilogy Landscaping. He and his crew were working on another Laneway house down the alley – they've actually hardscaped and designed quite a few Lanehouses in our area, so we had the opportunity to take a look at their work and we liked what we saw.

If there were an award for Best Trades, I'd give it to Kevin and Trilogy. They were on time and on budget, hard working, polite, knowledgeable and fast. Since they finished the job, many people have approached us and asked for references, and that is what this is. They'd showed up early and worked hard all day. And the best thing of all? The finished product is really stunning. I've included some photos below.

Surprisingly, the area looked much bigger once the retaining walls were complete. We've got ample room on the side of the house for a sitting/eating area, as well as lots of space left for plants and bushes. Our once messy and unkempt back garden is starting to look quite lovely.

And my wish for a smaller and more manageable outdoor space is coming true!

This project has taken a lot longer than was originally proposed and this had been frustrating, both emotionally and financially, but in the end we do have a beautiful, custom designed abode that is admired, not just by us but by everyone who sees it. And as I keep telling myself, some things are worth waiting for.

Neighbours: Hey, I'm Just Sayin'

2011-12-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

Treat me Nice!

Currently there are three laneway houses in various stages of construction in our laneway. One is complete, the other has just started and ours is in the final stages. This translates to some inconvenience for neighbours; some are gracious about this while others are not.

And what a difference gracious neighbours make. There is another laneway house going up down the street and construction has not yet started, yet all of the neighbours are excited and on board.

The newest laneway house had the foundations laid today, following a few days of diggers blocking the lane. Nobody complained, after all is more than one way in and out of our alley – three in fact – something lost on the people at our end, but I won't go there, instead I tip my hat to the nice guys.

And to the rest of you, we live in the city, an urban environment where there are cars, dust, noise and yes lights. Nothing can be done about that, except for moving to the country. Laneway houses bring light and life to the lanes. In fact, the city does not want motion lights installed – they prefer the lanes become brigher and safer places for people to walk. Dark lanes are unfriendly and threatening. People who don't like light and don't want to move to the country can get black out blinds.

Or, they can just make everybody else's life miserable. I wish I could say this has been an easy process, but it hasn't and a lot of that is due to the lack of graciousness from our surrounding neighbours. That's all I am going to say, although there's a lot I could add. I do thank Stealers Wheel for putting it so well in this classic tune. Brings a smile to my face. Which is more than I can say for the cranks out there and you know who you are.

Hardscape for LWH Progressing

2011-12-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased with the hardscape prep. The photo shows the laneway house south side – debris removed, levelled and gravel in place. This is day two and the team from Trilogy are living up to their promise of quick and tidy. At this rate, I fully anticipate a wall before Christmas. We've got sun on our side again today, making the work a lot easier for everyone.

Wow! There is a Santa – Hardscaping Starts Today!

2011-12-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

Kudos to Trilogy Landscapes. They have restored our faith in trades. We spoke with Kevin on Monday, received a quote and a reasonable one at that on Tuesday, and today, at 7:30 they showed up with earth movers, wheelbarrows and enthusiasm. Wow! Three day turnaround! The hardscape will be finished before Christmas.

I immediately called Thomas to tell him a miracle has happened and not of the religious kind, but of the trades kind. He was equally excited and even as I type is on his way to Dunbar to go over the specs with Kevin. As the photo shows, it is a drizzly, grey day here on the coast, but the mood around our house is bright!

Retaining Wall for Lanehouse Update

2011-12-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

I am so happy to report that at long last we have found a company to build our lanehouse retaining wall. Readers know how I've stressed over this small but important detail. Remember this blog post: Thoughts on Retaining Walls...

Work on the retaining wall begins this week. Yes, after months of searching for the right company, we were approached by Trilogy Landscapes. Trilogy has done the hardscape for many of the lanehouses here in Dunbar, so they understand the concept of clean, quick and affordable.

Of course, I will be giving a full report on how this turns out! But the signs are good. Unlike many other companies, they provided us with a broken down next day quote and were willing to get to work right away with a whole crew. Their quote includes site prep and clean up and by Christmas, we should have a pretty sweet retaining wall :)

In other news, I remain optimistic that we are close to the end. We are in the final stages of furnishing our little laneway house. We've got a bed with storage underneath, a small table and a couch. It's starting to look like a home. Can't wait for the party. I can taste the champagne!!

Excellent BC Business Article on Lanehouses

2011-12-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to point you all to an excellent article in BC Business that explores the viability and success of Laneway Houses in Vancouver. Titled Living Small in Laneway Houses, this article talks about many things that I've also discussed on this blog: cost, return, the advantages of living small, the popularity of Lanehouses and much more.

If you are considering building a lanehouse, I'd encourage you to read this article and pay attention to the interesting facts in the sidebar. It looks like, whether you are for or against laneway houses for our city, they are hear to stay.

CMHC Executives and Major Bank Lenders to Visit Our Laneway House

2011-11-30T17:03:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that this is the last day of November! As evidenced from the photo to the left, I am up at Whistler enjoying the snow and sunshine. It's going to be a great snow year.

In the meantime, Thomas and his crew are working hard in Vancouver getting prepped for tomorrow, December 1st, when the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and a national committee of Sr. Vice Presidents from all the major banks and mortgage businesses in Canada will be touring our laneway house as a part of their meeting in Vancouver where they are hoping to get a better understanding of our slightly wonky local market.

According to Lance Jakubec, Sr. Consultant, Research and Information Transfer BC - "these lenders, with the exception of the representatives from VanCity and Alberta Treasury Branch, are based in either Toronto or Montreal, so a brief tour is planned to provide some context on the unique aspects of housing in Greater Vancouver."

They are interested in our laneway house because, besides the fact that it is one of the most beautiful in the city, it "reflects a more typical lot size (versus a very deep site where the challenge to build is not quite so great), is closer to an "urban" street versus a quiet residential neighbourhood."

This group will also be touring a basement suite on Main, a condo downtown and an infill house.

Today's news named Dunbar as one of the Lower Mainlands "Hottest Housing Markets," with a substantial number of small bungalows selling for well over a million dollars. I discussed one of these homes recently in this blog: Housing Prices in Vancouver, and since that time, another small bungalow has sold on our street for over 1.5 million. It was bought by a developer who is planning a large family home, which will sell for well over 2 million.

Based on these figures alone, we need affordable housing our city and tastefully built, low impact, green laneway houses are part of the solution to our housing problem. I hope the CMHC crowd will like what they see and feel comfortable funding such projects.

Vote in the Civic Election: Have your say in laneway housing!

2011-11-10T13:39:00.000-08:00

Fall Election! If you have a strong opinion on laneway housing and live in Vancouver, now is the chance to have your say, either way. You can do this easily. Just get out and vote. According to an online article in The Georgia Straight this morning, architect and NPA council candidate Bill McCreery is seeking a moratorium on future lanehouses in Vancouver. You can find the whole article here. One wonders how NPA, mayoral candidate, Susan Anton feels about McCreery's statement, as she had been an early advocate of lanehouseing and as far as I know, continues support the idea of increased density in Vancouver. Of course, she may have changed her mind. Flip-flopping, indecisive politicians are not a new story and in fact, it's what many of us have come to expect. Perhaps it is the fear of this moratorium that is behind the reason why so many lanehouses are currently in the process of being built in the Dunbar area. There are at least six within blocks of where we live, and I've seen lots of orange tape popping up around trees on many other properties. And why not? Many of these people are building laneway houses because their adult offspring just can't come up with the price of a 'starter home,' like the tiny bungalow on our block that just listed for 1.598 million... Anyway, we are lucky in Canada to be able to vote, and it only takes a few minutes to exercise your democratic right. Around the world, people are fighting to do just this, so get out and vote. If your not part of the solution, you are part of the problem!

On Toilets and BC Hydro (no association meant) and Money Down the Drain

2011-10-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

I've returned from my 'self-imposed' writer's retreat at Whistler; two glorious weeks living the five-star life :)

Thomas from Lanecraft came over this afternoon for a private tour of the laneway house and a summary of what's to come in the next few weeks. It's a dark and stormy day here on the west coast, and we have no lights in the lanehouse, but the natural light, due to all of the windows cast a warm glow and showed off the newly grouted tile in the bathroom, where the toilet actually flushes! I love this toilet. It's got a spaceship look about it and the soft-closing lid and comfy seat are added bonuses. Did you know that it is super important to have a comfortable toilet, if you consider that, according to The Fact Site, on average, people spend 20 minutes a day on the toilet, it may not seem much, but over the course of 80 years it sums up to roughly 13 months and 1 week.

If I am to spend 13 months and one week sitting, I want to be in a first class seat, with a really good book, great sound system and a heated floor.

Our Kohler San Raphael

We are down to the last minute details, but we need electricity in order to finish the painting, or else it won't dry properly. How hard can it be to hook up electricity? All hydro has to do is to send a crew over for a short time, and yet, they can't do this until November 25th. I don't get it. They can expect a phone call from me next week...

BC Hydro is in everyone's bad books today, after the Vancouver Sun's Doug Ward and Scott Simpson wrote a front page story about Hydro's 'Creative Financing.' "Hydro's bookkeeping methods...create the appearance of profitability where none actually exists...the government is essentially inventing its own bookkeeping standards for Hydro's use."

So, as a taxpayer, I am now on the hook for a $5 billion burden by 2015! It seems to me, if I'm paying that kind of money for a service, I'm not asking too much for Hydro to show up at our little laneway house when we need electricity, rather than when they feel like it.

What if we actually get a real winter and all the pipes freeze before November 25th?

Five Billion – hey, I'm just saying.

Musing on Lanehouse, Snow, Writing and More

2011-10-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

I've been quiet of late and apologise. I am up at Whistler Mountain , (where there is a bit of fresh snow on the peaks), but the hill is not slated to open until late November. I am not here to ski, however, but working on my next novel. I return home on Thursday of this week, and am looking forward to seeing the progress on the laneway house. I keep in touch with Lanecraft via email and texting and do know the tiling is nearly completed in the bathrooms, the glass is on the staircase, Thomas is working hard on the fire surround and outside deck tiles, and with any luck, Hydro had hooked up the electricity.

Up here, in the mountains, the trees are decked out in fall colours – striking gold, yellow and orange hues, and every morning when I wake up, there are more leaves on the ground as the branches shed their tired leaves and winter approaches. It really is a beautiful time of year to be in the mountains . I make sure to take a walk every day, and go for a swim, even if it is wet and cold outside, but most of the time I am working away on the second draft of my next book.

I know when I get back to Vancouver, I will have to begin to think about the future of our laneway house, which means we will need to advertise to find the first set of lucky tenants. We have decided to pay back the loan we took out to build the house, by initially renting it out, probably on a short term basis, so I've got some research to do re: rental pricing. I do know that we want to continue to have the lowest possible impact on our neighbourhood, so we will be looking for tenants who prefer public transit or a Zip car over owning their own vehicle. Parking has always been a problem in Dunbar. We don't have residential parking permits; something I would like to see that in the future, so it is not uncommon to have to park half a block away from our house and I know many of our neighbours have the same issues.

And winter is coming. A winter with above average snowfall predictions. This is always comical in Vancouver, where most of the population (myself included) have little snow driving experience and snow tires are a concept not all of us have embraced. This means chaos on the roads when snow falls, and the Dunbar hill, one of the highest points in Vancouver, is a headache for both buses and cars. The last time we experienced a snowy winter, people abandoned their cars for cross country skis, sleds and toboggans. It was very quiet on the streets, the silence broken only by the occasional sound of spinning tires on ice and cursing!

The merchants didn't do a great job of clearing the sidewalks, so it was difficult for elderly residents to get out and shop. Hopefully, if we do get snow this year, people will actually get outside and shovel the sidewalks and use sand for traction. It's much easier to clear snow with a real snow shovel, rather than a garden spade, so get your shovel now, before there is a run on them.

We have a snow removal bylaw, often ignored, which I've copied below for those interested:

Vancouver property owners: snow removal reminder

The City of Vancouver reminds all property owners that they are responsible for clearing snow and ice from the sidewalks that surround their property by 10 a.m. the day after a snowfall.
The City's Street and Traffic bylaw applies to all property owners in the city EXCEPT one- and two-family residences outside the downtown peninsula.

Property owners or occupants who fail to remove snow and ice as required by the bylaw may be fined, or the City can have the snow removed and bill the owner or occupants for the cost.
The City encourages everyone to clear their sidewalks, help others who can't, and try to follow these basic helpful points:

· Clear sidewalks adjacent to your property as soon as the storm is over.
· If the storm is over, the City has plowed, and snow begins to melt, please clear around the catch basin in the gutter fronting your property. This will help the melted snow run off into the storm sewer system, and reduce flooding problems.
· If your car is on a major street, move it (if possible) to a side street. This will help City staff to plow major arterial streets more effectively.
· If a street is blocked off with barricades, leave them in place. Do not try to drive on that street.

City crews focus their efforts first on clearing and controlling snow and ice on main arterial streets, transit routes, major collector streets and bridges. These are treated immediately after a snowfall. Residential hills and designated bicycle routes are also treated as soon as possible after a heavy snowfall.

The Final Push – Laneway House Nears Completion

2011-10-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it is already the second week of October – how the time has flown by this year. The laneway house is nearing completion and all of us are growing impatient to see it finished and ready for occupancy in November.

Thomas at Lanecraft sends us email updates of what we can expect on a weekly basis (very helpful) and this week's update includes:

Counters

Yesterday, the counter installers finished the kitchen counters and installed the sink and faucets. He also drilled holes for the soap dispenser. As you can see from the photo, it looks amazing! Now that this is done, the plumber will be able to attach the water and drainage lines, allowing the finishers to put the final touches on the kitchen cabinets.

Tiling

The tiling in the bathroom is still not complete and this is holding up the plumbing. I don't know why it has taken such a long time to do two small rooms, but Thomas assures us it will be finished by mid next week, so they will be able to install the toilet, sinks and vanities.

Deck Pavers

These are just gorgeous and almost completed :)

Exterior Trim

Some of the exterior trim is still not up, but this will be looked after within the next week, so that the painting can be finished up around the outside of the house.

Electrical

Come on BC Hydro, hook us up!
Hydro is responsible for final installation of trim and cover plates and any necessary adjustments or missing items will be handled then.

Grade Stuccoing

The stuccoing at grade level has yet to be completed before we can begin to build the retaining walls and start on the landscaping. We are hoping to do this next week when Pete is off work and has the time to tackle the retaining walls. Once the bad weather starts, this will become an even more onerous task.

Fireplace Surround

The gas is hooked up and the fireplace just needs a surround and we can use it for heat! Thomas has offered to design the surround, but if we run out of time, we may just have to buy one, get it in place and wait for a better time to install the custom build.

Appliances

These will be delivered and installed on Friday, October 14 (tomorrow)

Alarm System

Up and running!

Millwork and Painting

These final touch-ups will be the last jobs done after all of the above are complete.

The weather is cooperating, it's a warm, sunny day and we have a dry weekend ahead. I'll keep you posted!
Julie

Thoughts on Retaining Walls, Walls and Date Nights

2011-10-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

Last night we decided to go to Rona , a home centre that is similar to Home Depot, but Canadian. This may not sound very exciting, but when you are in the middle of building or renovating, there's nothing like a date night at the local lumber store. Forget movies or candlelit dinners and think instead of concrete pavers, outdoor lighting, plastic Christmas trees and other such romantic items.

On a regular basis, I say to my husband, "We should go out tonight and do something together," a plea that often falls on deaf ears, so I was excited when, in the early evening of last night, he approached me and asked if I had any plans! "No," I replied, shutting down my computer. I'd made good progress on my book and was ready for a break.

"Let's go to Rona," he said.

"Is that a new restaurant?"

"No, but we can get there easily if we follow 33rd all the way to Canada Way. It's a nice drive and there won't be much traffic. It's a big, well-lit place with lots to look at."

I'm always up for shopping, so, fool that I am, I threw on my coat and followed him out the door into the rainy, black night.

On a dreary weeknight, like last night, the Rona was surprisingly empty; only a handful of lovebirds in the kitchen and bathroom areas, while the wide and less appealing electrical and lumber aisles were almost deserted, save for a few lonely guys looking at hardware.

While he studied outdoor lighting, I amused myself by sitting in elderly walk-in bathtubs, you know the kind that you walk into and sit down, complete with safety bars and a comfy chair? I pondered how long it would take for the water to drain out, and if you would get cold while waiting and how many people had flooded their bathroom as a result of opening the door too early.

After a while, I got bored and he found his light fixture, so we asked an uninterested clerk if he could give us some advice on how to build a retaining wall. He sent us outside into the rain to the retaining wall display, where we picked up a soggy pamphlet that reassured us that: "Stately and sophisticated, retaining walls create outdoor spaces that are beautiful to behold and inviting to walk through. They add visual and textural interest as well as a sense of permanence."

I want more than just a 'sense' of permanence in the my retaining wall. Who had chosen this wording? Was this simply a legal disqualifier should the wall we build fall down after a week?

Our laneway house is nearing completion and we've experienced little stress during the process, so I am surprised at the level of anxiety the necessity of a retaining wall around our property is causing us. It' s not something we budgeted for and the three quotes we've had have all come in at $10,000 and above – right out of our budget, so we've decided to make this a DIY project. I know a few people who have built their own retaining walls, and although they claim it is, in the words of one of my friends, "a piece of cake,' it seems a daunting project to me.

Rona outlined the process in ten intimidating steps, each one more difficult than the one before it. It all seemed overwhelming, so we left the store none the wiser, and actually even more confused. Do we want RomanStack or Pisa2? Pisa? That leans precariously, right? No good. And yes there is an Italian theme to all of this and yes, I'd rather be in Italy at the moment.

What colour? Latte, Rustic Blend? Oh and "due to colour variations, be sure to purchase all of the block for your project at one time." This means we need to overbuy because there will be mistakes. I suggested we measure our property, figure out how much Roman material we need for one wall and then buy for a minimum of three.

In the end it was a stressful date night. Next time, I'll pick the venue. Sure, we can look at walls. I hear there's a pretty solid one in Verona!

And we could look at it over a glass of red wine!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-10-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

It's Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, so that means a long weekend for everybody. There's a holiday feeling in the air and the streets are relatively quiet, as is our building site. I have been tasked with bringing brussel sprouts to our Thanksgiving dinner, so that means I will have to venture into the grocery store, which is probably a crazy place today. This will be a tough recipe to make ahead of time and I wish I had been given potatoes or something more simple.

How nice though that this is my only problem – something to be very thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you following this blog, wherever you are in the world.

I can't wait for the turkey and stuffing! Julie

Laneway Housing in Vancouver – Construction Phase and Neighbourhood Impact

2011-10-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

It is with great interest that I continue to follow the many news articles, blog posts, forums and discussions on laneway housing in Vancouver. Yesterday, I wrote a blog piece on Who Can Afford to Live in Vancouver? Today I want to talk about the 'negative' impact of laneway house construction on surrounding properties – the neighbours, in other words.

Let me begin by saying that I believe this 'negative' impact is negligible.

One of the ongoing arguments put forth by opponents of laneway/garage conversion housing in Vancouver is that the construction phase is a huge inconvenience to neighbours. It can't be denied: construction is a noisy business and who needs the sound of a nail gun after a long day at work?

Let's take a look at Noise Control Bylaw NO. 6555, from the City of Vancouver website:

Construction on private property must be carried out between 7:30 am and 8 pm on any weekday that is not a holiday, and between 10 am to 8 pm on any Saturday that is not a holiday. Construction is not permitted on Sundays.

Street construction must be carried out between 7 am and 8 pm on any weekday or Saturday, and between 10 am and 8 pm on any Sunday or holiday.

The collection of refuse must only occur:

outside the downtown area from 7 am to 8 pm on any weekday, or from 10 am to 8 pm on any Saturday, Sunday, or holiday.

within the downtown area from 6 am to 12 midnight on any weekday, or from 10 am to 12 midnight on any Saturday, Sunday, or holiday.

Vehicle-mounted carpet cleaning equipment must not be operated before noon or after 5 pm on a Sunday or a holiday.

Leaf blowers must only be operated within 50 metres of any residential premises between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm on any weekday or between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm on any Saturday.

The use of leaf blowers in the West End has been prohibited.

Only "low noise" leaf blowers may be used in the city.

Noise from household animals must not cause an unreasonable disturbance.

Sounds from a radio, television, musical instrument or voice amplification equipment must not cause an unreasonable disturbance.

As you can see in the bolded print above, there are firm rules around when you are allowed carry out construction on your property. If workers are not taking these guidelines seriously, a simple phone call will ensure that they do.

If one were to drive around the West Side of Vancouver, Dunbar, Kits, Point Grey, Kerrisdale, Cambie, Spanish Banks or any of the areas that fall within that catchment, it would be impossible to do so without noticing the incredible amount of building going on. Here in Vancouver, unlike in Toronto, Montreal or other Canadian cities, when a house is sold, one can assume that it will be torn down and a new and much bigger one built in its place.

I know quite a few people who have been seriously impacted by these new home builds, some of which take a year or more to bring to completion. Crane in your neighbour's yard? Nothing you can do about that. The property stripped of trees? Too late, but the developers or owners will pay a fine. Basement foundations on your home caving in because the new house's foundation is too close to yours? Get a lawyer. Job stoppage midway through becasue of funding issues? Gotta wait it out. No safety fencing? Again, make the phone call. Large cement trucks blocking the road for weeks on end? Part of the job. I could go on, but I think I have made my point.

Now let's look at laneway home construction. First off these little houses must be built to strict green guidelines. If trees come down (and they won't unnecessarily) they must be replaced. One of my friends watched in horror recently as a backhoe ripped a beautiful old cherry tree out of the ground to make way for a mega home on the property beside her). We ensured the survival of our friendly, old fruit tree by tweaking the house design).

I could keep going, but my point is that, when compared to the demolition of an old house, followed by the construction of a new and much bigger house, the impact of building a laneway house or doing a garage conversion is minimal. Whether the laneway house is constructed on or off site, it is a quick and far less complicated build. Most of the houses don't have basements, so the excavation, foundation phase is quicker from the start.

So I think this whole "impact on neighbours" is a non-issue and one not worth bringing into the debate at all. We live in a moderate size city where construction is part of life. We need to learn to live with each other and to be gracious if we are inconvenienced from time to time.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm outta here! I'd like to write more but my neighbour's dog is howling and I can't think. I could make a phone call, but why bother. I chose an urban life.

The Construction Phase for a Laneway House is Short and Painless Compared to a Regular Sized New Home

Housing Prices Vancouver – Who Can Afford to Live Here?

2011-10-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

Vancouver; a great place to live if you can afford it! This 33 foot lot is worth over a million bucks!

Yesterday (October 5/2011) The Royal Lepage House Price Survey announced the latest average housing prices across Canada – an increase of 5.7 to 7.8. This despite turmoil in the global economy and high unemployment figures in the US. The stock markets continue to yo-yo, but interests rates remain relatively low.

I like to watch the real-estate reality shows on TV. As far as I know, there is no such show that focuses on Vancouver, but I think it would be really interesting if there was. In Toronto, buyers can still get into condos for less than 300 K and according to the recent survey, the average price of a detached bungalow in Canada's largest city hovers around 349 K – still a lot of money, but an amount that is attainable for young families entering the market for the first time.

Here in Vancouver, it's a different story. The average detached bungalow costs a million dollars and up. A million dollars! If you don't live here, you might think these little bungalows are pretty posh, but that would be wishful thinking. Most of them are in a pretty sad state of disrepair and even those that have been fixed up lack what most people in Canada might hope to find in a million dollar house: no pool, no tennis court, no brand new, shiny kitchen, ensuite bathroom or parking, for that matter. Thirty-three foot lots, low ceiling basements and exteriors badly in need of paint.

One such house just sold for close to 1.4 million across the street from us. It's on a commercial lane, has no upstairs and the interior, though charming, dates back to the 1960s or earlier.

So, who can afford to live here? Surprisingly, a lot of people. Over the last few years, a number of young families have bought houses on our street here in sleepy Dunbar. Many of them never set foot in their new property, but promptly tear down the house and build new, posh digs. I can't figure out how they can afford to do this, but they do.

I also have lots of friends who are renters, and they are paying upwards of $2000 per month for these same tiny, old houses. I don't know how they can afford to do that either, but I do know it involves some pretty creative budgeting and no dinners out in our fine dining establishments, older model cars and rented out rooms and basement suites.

Dunbar, Point Grey, and even the more upscale Kerrisdale are dotted with basement suites, both legal and illegal. Density has happened here out of necessity. We are close to colleges and universities and last time I checked, most students can't afford anything but a shared basement suite. Some of these suites are cute, others not fit for human habitation.

Which brings me to the topic of laneway houses. Our house will be a rental unit. The garage will be a garage. The tenant will have a lovely space with a big deck. It's green all the way, so the utility bill won't break the bank. We will be careful about who we rent to, so that their impact on the neighbourhood is positive. The lanehouse is much nicer than our tiny, rather old, in need of paint, 1 million dollar plus bungalow, but it cost less than 300 K to build. It will be a lovely home for someone who otherwise might not have been able to afford to live in what has been described as one of Vancouver's more tony locals.

So, unless we want our neighbourhoods to become the denizens of the rich only, unless we want to continue to divide people along economic lines, unless we want our kids and grandkids living hours from our beautiful downtown core, increasing density is the only option. I know we live in what is often referred to as 'one of the most livable cities in the world, but if nobody can afford to buy or rent a house, that moniker rings false to me.

Michael Geller's Blog: Laneway Housing Tour Redux

2011-10-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

This post on Michael Geller's blog will be of interest to readers and also features a shot of our nearly finished house. He brings up some good points.

Michael Geller's Blog: Laneway Housing Tour Redux: On October 1, Heritage Vancouver organized another Laneway Housing Tour to allow participants to see a new flock of laneway housing around ...

My Thoughts on a Successful Heritage Van Laneway House Tour

2011-10-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

For the last 24 hours, with the help of good friends and family as well as Thomas and Nigel we worked around the clock to get our Laneway house ready for today's Vancouver Heritage second annual Laneway House Tour. While the electricians, sound people and cabinet installers worked their magic, we scrubbed, cleaned and tidied, eventually stopping in the wee hours of the night for Takeout. We christened the kitchen with its very first meal, yummy Chinese food and cold beer before falling into bed. In the morning we put the finishing touches on the house and by noon, when the tour started it looked perfect! The Vancouver Heritage Foundation volunteers arrived a half hour early and soon our house filled up with people, and the steady flow of people continued throughout the day. It was such a thrill to wander around and hear the many comments on our house, very positive and enthusiastic. I had the opportunity to speak with a man who is just in the beginning stages of building a laneway house with Lanecraft and he told me that he and his wife have been following this blog since its incarnation and finally made the decision last week to go ahead with their own project. What he saw today made him very excited about their future laneway house. Other people commented on how much they liked the fact that in our house the bedrooms are on the ground floor and the living area, including kitchen are upstairs in a space flooded by light with an amazing view of Pacific Spirit Park from the full size deck. And who couldn't be blown away by the kitchen? Of course, there is always a naysayer when it comes to new ideas and plans and unfortunately for us those are our neighbours! As you can see from the picture below, they are exercising their democratic right to speak out :) Their sign on their back porch was noticed with humour by everybody I spoke to and, BTW parking was not a problem at all today!

All in all a great weekend and even more so because hundreds of interested people informed themselves on what laneway houses, when built with love, care and attention can look like. So, a big thank you to Lanecraft and everyone who helped them and a really big thanks to the Vancouver Heritage Homes volunteers! Julie

Get Ready for the Laneway House Tour October 1

2011-09-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

Follow this link to get all the information you need about the upcoming lanehouse tour on Saturday October 1st! See you there because our house is on the tour.

They are working really hard to get the house prepared for the big day, currently laying tile in the front hall and it looks amazing. The landscaping won't be ready on time, but that's okay because the house will blow you away! I am going to have a piece of paper with a list if anybody is interested in either long term or short term tenancy. Yes - we are diving into the rental market again, but this time with eyes wide open.

September and the lanehouse

2011-09-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't been much of a blogger of late, but that doesn't mean that the lanehouse builders have been equally idle! Summer was busy and I was away in both Saskatchewan and Quebec as well as working, book writing, kayaking and enjoying some time at Whistler. I'm back now and wanted to report on the progress. Over the past month or so, the scaffolding is down, the floors have been installed - a beautiful dark wood and the the kitchen cabinets are almost complete. As in the early days of the build I still look forward to exploring the house in the afternoons and I have not been in it for three whole days! I usually do a walk through with Thomas or Nigel to see how things are shaping up. I have furnishing on my mind these days and found a wonderful store on Terminal at main called Anizco Furniture Liquidators, who, in their own words, "pecialize in a wide variety of hotel guest room furniture acquired from prominent Vancouver hotels." Here we found a really beautiful round glass table with a gun metal grey base that is perfect for the laneway house. We are going to go back to look for four perfect and very affordable chairs. It's really fun to prowl the second-hand stores for quality stuff, and we are also going to check out some of the stores in Vancouver that specialize in condo size couches, our next purchase. So, this is the fun part! Since we've decided we are going to initially rent out the laneway house, we want to furnish it in a comfortable and minimalist manner that will suit most tastes. We did check out the Brick on Granville that specializes in small furniture, but didn't see anything we liked at all, but I have a few other ideas up my sleeve. Of course a super-comfortable bed is also really important and a bed needs to be new. The push is on for the October 1 Laneway house tour and everyone is working around the clock. I am looking forward to this day because when it is all over, I plan to have dinner in the laneway house!

I wanted to include a picture of this sweet little laneway house on Belvue because this was my Nana's home when I was a kid! Yesterday the builder let me tour the house and I was thrilled because they saved the old pear tree and it had pears on it! They've done a great job on this house, but did not put an oven in the kitchen, which I could not live without.

Stuff to Do for Morons

2011-09-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

Further to "Do You Know Where You're Boys Where Saturday Night?" In Dunbar it's not Cow Tipping but Port-a-Potty Tipping that provides weekend night amusement. Once again, our boulevard outhouse has been upended! Wow! I bet that was a ton of fun!!! There's lots to do in this amazing city besides petty acts of vandalism... and that's the end of this mini rant :)

Laneway House: Future Plans

2011-09-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

A while back I wrote a post called "The Truth About Renting and Renters." This has proved to be one of the more popular posts on this blog, perhaps because parts of it are so unbelievable. Since writing that post, we have a new and great tenant in our basement suite and the trauma of the boy who peed in bottles and skipped out on his rent is nothing more than a bad and somewhat humorous memory. Good thing to because as our laneway house nears completion and after much thought and discussion we have decided to rent it out for the foreseeable future. Our family is just too big to consider living in a one bedroom cottage, no matter how beautiful and how great the sound system. It's going to be hard to not move in though and this was a difficult decision to make. All of this means that we will have to put the worst of our rental experiences behind us – an extraordinary leap of faith considering some of the strange people we've shared our home with! I am thinking it might be a good idea to enter the market of short-term, self-catered BnBs. This is a fancy way of saying we could rent our house out to people who are in Vancouver for education, conferences or travel and are looking for a place that is less expensive than a hotel, more comfortable and private. We would stock the shelves with the basics -- oils, vinegars, spices, plates, cutlery, sheets, towels etc... and for a specific amount of time turn over the keys to visitors. Anyway, this is what we are thinking about this weekend while the painter works around the clock to get the interior finished for October 1, lanehouse tour. The advantage with short-term is that we can use the house for our own friends and family when we need it or do a house exchange program and spend some time in France :)

The scaffolding is coming down this week! Onto landscaping

Laneway Homes Tour 2011

2011-09-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

If you are thinking about building a laneway house in Vancouver or are just interested in laneway houses mark Saturday October 1/2011 on your calenders because that is the day that Heritage Vancouver is holding its second annual Laneway House tour. This year, our little gem of a house will be included so this is your chance to see it inside and out. You can find information about the tour at the Vancouver Heritage Foundation. There are ten houses on the tour and it takes some time to get through them all. I went last year before we began building our house and found it to be a really valuable experience. Those on the tour have an opportunity to talk to builders, designers, architects and owners. Lanehome owners who are interested in renting our their properties are on the lookout for prospective tenants. Just call 604-264-9642 to register. Cost is $63.60. We will be in situ in our little house and happy to answer any questions you might have. See you there! Julie

Our Laneway House in The News: Shanghai Daily

2011-09-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

This news story ran in the Shanghai Daily (August 25/2011) and also on TV: Latest News: Vancouver takes backdoor approach to rental housing Thomas is quoted in the article saying: "By their very nature, these buildings are environmentally friendly because they are using existing infrastructure, being built on land that has already been developed. And so you are developing it further, just intensifying the land use and densifying it," said the 30-something trained architect." The video appears here: Dailymotion.com – Look for our house and Thomas around minute 4. Enjoy!