Vancouver Laneway Housing Solutions

Laneway housing is a new initiative in Vancouver to help the environment by offering affordable housing for those who work in the city, allowing them to avoid long commutes.  Current Mayor of Vancouver Gregor Robertson said "Hopefully, we do see some positive green impact from laneway in terms of the density and the use of our infrastructure here in the city, rather than being pushed out from jobs and family."

About 70,000 single-family lots across the Vancouver are eligible to add new laneway homes, which can only be built in the area usually reserved for a garage, and only used as rental units.
On a standard lot, the laneway houses can have up to 500 square feet of floor space and be up to one and a half stories high.  The city of Vancouver is accepting applications, and a permit will cost $899. Estimates for the cost of building the units range anywhere from $125,000 to $200,000.

Here is a summary of the key features of Vancouver laneway housing:   

• In RS-1 and RS-5 single family areas 
• On lots 33’ wide and wider, with an open lane, on a double fronting street, or on a corner with a lane dedication
• Generally located in the space where a garage would be permitted, i.e. in the rear 26’ of the lot (and a minimum of 16’ separation between the laneway house and the main house)
• Rental or family only / no strata-titling
• Minimum of one on-site parking space
• Unit size based on lot size to a maximum of 750 sq.ft. (approx. a 500 sq.ft. unit on a 33’ X 122’ lot)
• 1 and 1 ½ storey configurations, with guidelines to address upper storey massing, privacy, and shadowing
• Enabling homeowners to add a laneway house while retaining their existing main house; with or without a secondary suite in the main house (a laneway house could also be built with a new house) 

Laneway homes help provide eco-density and can help in sustainability with these economical sustainable solutions based on your square footage and usage requirements:

• Passive solar heating - heat your living space with solar!  Our product SolarSheat is a simple cost effective solution to heat your your area using the sun.  Choose your SolarSheat product based on your square footage - click HERE to find out more
• Solar thermal system - utilize the sun to heat your hot water and / or radiant heating system - read more HERE
• Solar Photovoltaics (PV) - generate electricity from the sun - read more HERE

Contact us today regarding your laneway home project!