VANCOUVER Laneway Housing Guide: The 10 Biggest Mistakes To Avoid For Homeowners In Vancouver
Introduction: A laneway house is a small house at the rear of a lot near the lane and includes both a dwelling unit and parking/accessory uses. Laneway housing was introduced as part of an initiative by former Mayor Sam Sullivan as part of his EcoDensity initiative to increase urban density in existing neighbourhoods while retaining the single family feel of the neighbourhood. Well Balanced Designs is a Vancouver renovation and design firm with over 25 years of experience in residential construction, renovation and interior design. Lane houses are becoming increasingly popular in Vancouver in recent years as a more affordable alternative to the ever-increasing house prices in the city. There s a lot to consider before embarking on a laneway housing project. Such a project will go more smoothly if you have done sufficient preparation. Well Balanced Designs is a Vancouver renovation and design firm with over 25 years of experience in residential construction, renovation and interior design. We have put together this e-book to help you make the right decisions before starting your laneway housing project, so you can avoid the pitfalls that so many homeowners make. We encourage you to refer back to this guide when planning your project. We also encourage you to book a free consultation with us any time if you are seeking expert advice for guaranteed success. Mistake #1: Not Confirming Eligibility For Laneway Housing In the City of Vancouver, the property must: be zoned for single family residential: RS-1. RS-2, RS-3, RS-4, RS-5, RS-6, or RS-7 be at least 32-15 (9.8m) wide have access to an open lane or flanking side street feature a fire access path from the street along one of the side yards to the entrance of the laneway house. The path must be at least 3 ft wide and must be clear of any projections. be deep enough to allow for both a backyard and a laneway house, which may extend up to 9.75m (32ft) inward from the rear property line for a 1 storey laneway house, or 7.9m (26ft) for a 1½ storey laneway house. A minimum separation of 4.9m (16ft) between the laneway house and the main house is required. The Enquiry Centre (604.873.7611) can help you determine whether your lot is zoned for laneway housing. 2
Mistake #2: Not Factoring In Time For The Application Process Many homeowners are not aware of how long it takes to get permission to build a lane house. From the first day of design to getting a permit, you can typically expect the process to take four to six months (usually closer to six months). The majority of that time is waiting for the City to review and approve your application. Each lane house application has different circumstances, so Well Balanced Designs meets with the city to get the actual criteria for the layout on the property of the lane house. We make sure we get it all right at the beginning, to keep the application process as short as possible. Well Balanced Designs meets with the city to get the actual criteria for the layout on that property of the lane house. Steps involved: 1. Site servicing research (investigating costs and requirements for water and sewer connections, electrical service and gas installation) 2. Pre-application review (submitting a site survey and plans for engineering, design and landscaping) 3. Application process (submitting your permit application and meeting related requirements, such as homeowner protection office approval) 4. New home warranty - Laneway housing requires a new home warranty. 3
Mistake #3: Not Being Familiar With Exterior Construction Codes As with any construction work in Vancouver, there are construction codes that you must comply with. The thing to keep in mind with lane houses is that they are a recent phenomenon that is becoming more and more popular every year. As a result of this, the building codes governing lane houses are rapidly changing, so it is important to remain up to date with current codes Considerations include: location on the lot size and height parking landscaping tree protection One example that applies to laneway housing is that the lane house must have a window facing the lane. This was not the case until more recently. Previously, all laneways housing was required to be 1 1/2 stories tall, meaning that the 2nd storey is inside the roof. In July 2013, an updated set of rules governing laneway house design in Vancouver went into effect. The July 2013 rule update was aimed at making it easier to build single storey laneway houses, making it possible to have a single storey lane house. This is an advantage for homeowners who want to build a lane house without stairs for elderly or disabled residents. Mistake #4: Not Knowing Location & Size Limitations You can build a laneway house on any lot 32 feet or wider in any RS single family zone. If you have a 32 ft. wide lot, the maximum square footage you can have for a lane house is approximately 650 square feet. If your lot is 50 ft wide, the maximum square footage for the lane house is around 900 square feet. This is currently the biggest size you re permitted to build. 4
Below are the current limitations regarding size and location for laneway houses: backyard open space A laneway house is limited to the rear 7.9m (26ft) of the lot to minimize impacts on neighbouring yards. minimum separation There must be a minimum separation of 4.9m (16ft) between the laneway house and principal house for both 1 and 1½ storey laneway houses. sideyard setbacks The laneway house is subject to the same sideyard setbacks as the main house or a minimum of 10% of the lot width if the laneway house is 1 storey. For a 1 storey laneway house, the sideyard setback on one side may be reduced to a minimum of 0.6m (2ft) on one side to help achieve the permitted floor area at grade. maximum width The width of a laneway house must not exceed 50% of the lot width for sites in the RS- 3/3A Districts and 67% of the lot width for sites in the RS-6 District. The permitted width is determined by the formula 40% site width + 4.2m (14ft) for sites 16.8m (55ft) or wider in the RS-5 District. setback from lane The laneway house must be set back from the lane a minimum of 0.9m (3ft), and more where possible. Entries facing the lane should be set back a minimum of 1.5m (5ft) to allow safe access. unit size The maximum floor area of a laneway house is determined by multiplying the lot area by 0.16. This results in maximum unit sizes of approximately 56m2 (644ft2) on standard 33 x 122 lots, and 84m2 (900ft2) on 50 x 122 lots. The maximum size of a laneway house is 900ft2, regardless of lot size. These floor area limits include upper and ground floor living space as well as enclosed parking (where it is provided). A 40ft2 exclusion for storage is available for all laneway houses. height - 1 storey A 1 storey laneway house is limited to the same maximum height as a garage, which ranges from 3.7m (12ft) if a fl at roof or to 4.6m (15ft) for a sloped roof. height - 1½ storey A laneway house with a partial upper storey can have a maximum height of 5.5m (18ft) to 6.1m (20ft) depending on roof type and pitch. upper storey The partial upper storey (measured to the extreme outer limits) is restricted to 60% of the footprint of the laneway house. 5 You can build a laneway house on any lot 32 feet or wider in any RS single family zone.
Mistake #5: Not Considering Parking Requirements If you have a single family home on a 33-foot lot you can now have one family in the main house, another family in the basement and another family in the lane house. If each family has two cars, you have six cars for each lot of land. This changes the dynamic of the neighbourhood completely. A minimum of one unenclosed and uncovered parking space MUST be provided on site adjacent the laneway house for both one and 1 and 1½ storey laneway houses. The parking space may be for the use of any of the dwelling units on site. For corner sites, the exterior surface parking space should be located at the interior side yard. An enclosed or covered parking space may be provided in the laneway house and is counted as part of the permitted floor area. Carports (roof covers with open sides) are considered covered parking spaces and therefore count as part of the permitted laneway house floor area. Mistake #6: Not Knowing Resale Laws If you re thinking of selling your lane house separately from your main property in the future, this is not possible. You can t sell a lane house separately from the main house. The lane house belongs to the lot and is part of the same property. As an alternative to lane housing, you may want to consider a coach house, which has different zoning laws. If this applies to you, please contact us for a free consultation today. Coach houses are only allowed in very specific zones. As an alternative to lane housing, you may want to consider a coach house, which has different zoning laws. If this applies to you, please contact us for a free consultation today. 6
Mistake #7: Not Doing The Preliminary Work Like any construction project, it is essential to do the preliminary work thoroughly before building begins. With numerous restrictions from the City, it is highly recommended that you do that preliminary design with an experienced design and build firm like Well Balanced Designs to ensure your project is successful. It is highly recommended that you do that preliminary design with an experienced design and build firm like Well Balanced Designs to ensure your project is successful. The typical budget to keep in mind for a complete design and build of a lane house is between $250,000 and $300,000 if you have a 33 ft wide lot. For the larger size, a typical budget is around $400,000. If you re looking for financing options, Vancity now offers financing packages specifically for laneway housing. https://www.vancity.com/mortgages/typesofmortgages/homerenovationoptions/lanewayhousing/ Mistake #8: Not Planning For Moving Furniture Upstairs Lane houses are small structures, which can make it difficult to move furniture upstairs. This has to be factored into the design of the lane house at the start. Lane houses are small structures, which can make it difficult to move furniture upstairs. 7
Mistake #9: Not Planning For Heating And Cooling Due to lane houses being relatively small structures, they tend to heat up very quickly on hot Summer days. We therefore recommend that air conditioning is installed for the Summer months. For Winter months, we typically install radiant floor heating, as it is a highly energy efficient way to heat a house. It is important that the appropriate air conditioning system is fitted for the size of your laneway house. For Winter months, we typically install radiant floor heating, as it is a highly energy efficient way to heat a house. Radiant floor heating is best heating system a laneway house can have for other reasons too: There are no radiators making noise in the night and taking up room in your laneway house s limited space. There are no vents whooshing like a jet preparing for takeoff. There is no unsightly ductwork gathering dust. Radiant floor heating provides warmth that rises evenly over the entire floor. Mistake #10: Not Designing The Exterior To Match The Main House Laneway housing regulations and guidelines allow for a full range of architectural approaches and building forms, from traditional to contemporary. However, special design considerations for upper storeys, windows, landscaping, and lane frontages are necessary to enhance neighbourliness and livability. The lane house should match the look and feel of the main house, rather than appearing as an oddity sitting at the back of the yard. Laneway housing regulations and guidelines allow for a full range of architectural approaches and building forms, from traditional to contemporary. It is important to consider what colours, building materials, finishes and roofing have been used in your main house and the surrounding neighbourhood when planning for the design of your laneway house. 8
Schedule Your Free Consultation With Our Experts Today If you are considering renovating your kitchen, bathroom or any other areas of your house, you will save yourself time and avoid pitfalls by consulting an expert. Our design, construction and project management experts outline the process so there are no surprises. From home renovations to complete construction on residential buildings, we do it all design-build projects to match any client or budget. Click the button below to schedule your FREE consultation with us today! SCHEDULE MY FREE CONSULTATION 9