Laneway Housing in Vancouver

[twitchyzero]

A Vancouver laneway home, dubbed the first of its kind built in the city, is being toured in an open house this weekend.

Built by Lanefab, a laneway home design and construction firm, the 710-square-foot unit opens on to the alley behind McGill and Slocan Streets in East Vancouver.

The two-storey home features a single bedroom, bathroom, laundry area and an upstairs kitchen.

Agnes Mendoza, who owns the property, said the decision to build laneway housing was a "no-brainer" because of low development cost and convenience.

"We weren't using this space. It wasn't even a garage, it was just a shed," she said. "We didn't lose much, we gained a lot."

Laneway homes were approved by city council last July, but must be at least 33 feet wide and occupy a maximum of 750 square feet.

They also must be either occupied by family or rented, not strata titled.

Lanefab says the homes cost between $160,000 and $220,000 to build, and can be rented out for between $1,100 and $2,200 depending on the size of the unit.

Bryn Davidson, who designed the McGill laneway home, says there are between 60,000 and 70,000 properties in Vancouver with space for a similar project.

"The last eight months we've been out to look at 100 different properties," he said.

The city will be monitoring the success of laneway housing, and will produce a report after 100 projects or three years, whichever comes first.

The open house ran from noon to 4 p.m. at 2703 McGill Street.

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/l...ritishColumbia

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What do you guys think? I have seen this in Australia before around 15 years back. Pretty interesting...I can definately see a lot of houses in east vancouver applying for one of these. Those that rent small apt/condo's in the suburbs and work in the city will probably consider this to save the commute time. From what i gathered the utilities is shared with the main house.

[fishing666]

do not like.. crowded like hell

*too crowded
*meant to be a house not an apartment so the sense of space is gone
*where are you going to park now?

[tonyvu]

would be nice for just you and a roommate

[maxxxboost]

I think it's a good idea.
Gives homeowners the option of expanding and renting.

I would love to check out the open house.

[LiquidTurbo]

Not bad for people moving out for the first time! Pretty cozy place.

[RollingStone]

This is an awesome idea. If I had a house I'd totally invest in one of these. I would rent one if the price was right as well.

I've always thought that North Americans are overly spoiled in thinking a a 3-car garage is a must-have. And even though I like working on my car in our garage, a stand alone house would be a much better use of valuable (and expensive) Vancouver real estate.

[Marioo1991]

Its pretty cool. It it only costs 190k to build, the rent itself should pay it off in about 10 years.. I'm curious to see how much value this would add to the price of the property.

[hotjoint]

looks pretty cool

[twitchyzero]

Originally Posted by fishing666

it's meant to be a house not an apartment
where are you going to park now?

well to be fair, it's not connected to the main house so in a way it acts like a single unit

if only a few people on the block is building lane way homes i assume there will still be plenty streetparking

[Death2Theft]

Thats the main problem with rents and east van, no street parking and more like 15 years.

[jpark]

looks pretty cramped but it looks really nice and cozy at the same time, i would definatly think about it, looks cool

[Ch28]

Would be perfect as a bachelor pad or married couple. Definitely looks way too small to have a family though.

I'd rather move into one of those and save the extra $100-$200k that I would have spent on a condo.

[Teriyaki]

I'd be worried about the lack of parking created once a whole block converts to one of these.

[misteranswer]

Originally Posted by Teriyaki

I'd be worried about the lack of parking created once a whole block converts to one of these.

http://www.lanefab.com/

That car seems to fit pretty well next to the house.

[Gh0stRider]

its a pretty neat idea. It doesn't look that bad either.

[GLOW]

Originally Posted by Death2Theft

Thats the main problem with rents and east van, no street parking and more like 15 years.

i agree. in the area i moved in people are very possessive of the public parking spots in front of their houses.

[Greenstoner]

i like this idea

[quasi]

Not really that much different then coach houses above the garage which are all over the place where I live. That place does look a bit larger though but with the coach house you still get a 2 car garage.

[Manic!]

190K is way to much for a rental property. We build a 3 car garage with a washroom and heat for 60K.

[achiam]

Same as in London -- most large homes in pricey areas have backlanes (called mews), and smaller homes which used to house servants/help. Today they are largely converted to mews homes (and still ridiculously expensive!).

Or people can use it as a city crash pad (pied a terre).

[twitchyzero]

Originally Posted by quasi

Not really that much different then coach houses above the garage which are all over the place where I live.

aren't those used traditionally for maids/butler?

[Marioo1991]

I know a number of people who have converted their garages as suites, its probably a hell of a lot cheaper too. I'm sure it would cos a fraction of the 190k to get the essentials in such as a kitchen, bathroom, etc...

[tiger_handheld]

this is like the pool house idea in Fresh Prince of Bel Air...

[icemiko]

There's actually different designs which offers a 1 car garage with the laneway house.

http://www.lanefab.com/lf1g-one-bed-studio-and-gara/

[twitchyzero]

^ that looks awesome! is that supposed to be a bike storage underneath the bedroom?