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-   -   Laneway Housing in Vancouver (https://www.revscene.net/forums/614316-laneway-housing-vancouver.html)

twitchyzero 05-09-2010 11:30 PM

Laneway Housing in Vancouver
 
Quote:

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


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 05-09-2010 11:48 PM

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 05-10-2010 12:15 AM

would be nice for just you and a roommate

maxxxboost 05-10-2010 12:51 AM

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 05-10-2010 01:07 AM

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

RollingStone 05-10-2010 01:08 AM

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 05-10-2010 08:25 AM

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 05-10-2010 09:35 AM

looks pretty cool

twitchyzero 05-10-2010 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishing666 (Post 6945735)
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 05-10-2010 10:18 AM

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

jpark 05-10-2010 10:18 AM

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

Ch28 05-10-2010 10:33 AM

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 05-10-2010 10:44 AM

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

misteranswer 05-10-2010 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teriyaki (Post 6946067)
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 05-10-2010 11:24 AM

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

GLOW 05-10-2010 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Death2Theft (Post 6946044)
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 05-10-2010 12:08 PM

i like this idea

quasi 05-10-2010 12:29 PM

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! 05-10-2010 12:31 PM

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

achiam 05-10-2010 12:42 PM

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 05-10-2010 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quasi (Post 6946168)
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 05-10-2010 01:50 PM

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 05-10-2010 01:59 PM

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

icemiko 05-10-2010 02:28 PM

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 05-10-2010 02:31 PM

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


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