Do you love your home but feel that you are running out of space? A laneway home or coach house could be the perfect solution for you. Silvercrest Custom Homes & Renovations will help you maximize the potential of your laneway house Vancouver to give you the additional space that you need.

If you are interested in finding out if your property is applicable for a laneway home or coach house, contact us for a complementary consultation today! We’d be happy to give you all the information you need to fully understand the process and financing needed to build a laneway home in Vancouver.

People are choosing Silvercrest Custom Homes and Renovations because we provide transparency and control for our clients.

Our clients can view construction progress, approve sub-trade quotes, make interior finish selections and much more anywhere and anytime by accessing our cloud based Customer Project Portal on their desktop or smart phone. Not tech savvy, no worries, we still have you covered. Get daily progress reports emailed to you directly, telephone meetings, onsite reviews, or schedule weekly in person meetings. Click on the video to find out more about our process and how it protects you.

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Building it right

Greg Birch CPA,CGA

Greg is known for his building sensibility and construction of affordable, high performance homes with the latest technology.

Greg graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University and holds a Chartered Professional Accountant designation. He is responsible for overseeing project management for every one of our builds and renovations. Greg’s philosophy is about staying true and authentic to style and creating a comfortable, functional and affordable living environment.

FULL TRANSPARENCY WITH SILVERCREST CUSTOMER PROJECT PORTAL

People are choosing Silvercrest Custom Homes and Renovations because we provide transparency and control for our clients. Our clients can view construction progress, approve sub-trade quotes, make interior finish selections and much more anywhere and anytime by accessing our cloud based Customer Project Portal on their desktop or smart phone. Not tech savvy, no worries, we still have you covered. Get daily progress reports emailed to you directly, telephone meetings, onsite reviews, or schedule weekly in person meetings. Click on the video to find out more about our process and how it protects you.

WHY CHOOSE LANEWAY HOUSES?

There are many reasons for wanting to add laneway housing to your property:

provide housing for a variety of users, such as aging family members, adult children, caregivers, and homeowners wishing to downsize.
Laneway housing provides more choice of housing type in single-family residential neighbourhoods.
contribute to the rental housing stock and offer an affordable solution to the growing population and housing market.
Laneway houses enhance to the overall sustainability of the city providing opportunities that may have otherwise not existed.
to make the city’s urban lanes more green, livable, and safe.

IS YOUR LOT ELIGIBLE FOR A LANEWAY HOUSE?

Some of the key regulations for laneway houses are as follows:

Located on a lot at least 33 feet wide
Property must have open lane on a double fronting street or on a corner with lane dedication
Fire access must be provided from the street along one of the side yards to the entrance of the laneway housing.
Minimum of one on-site parking space must be provided
A minimum of 16 feet separation is required between the main house and laneway house

WHAT ARE THE LANEWAY HOUSE PRINCIPLES?

The following principles underlie laneway housing regulations and guidelines:

Laneway houses provide new housing choices for family members or renters in single family residential areas.

Homeowners are able to add laneway houses while keeping their existing home, or build a laneway housing along with a new main house.

Regulations and design guidelines ensure that laneway housing:
- maintain backyard open space.
- encourage one story laneway houses to limit impact on neighbors.
- provide for a variety of unit types.

Laneway homes make lanes greener, more livable, and safer by providing living space, parking, and planting in the lane.

Laneway houses comply with the Green Home Laneway housing Program, as adapted for its small size.

WHAT SIZE OF LANEWAY HOUSE CAN I BUILD?

We determine the most effective size and shape for your new laneway homes during the first step of our process:

Maximum allowable unit size is based on lot size, to a maximum of 900 sq. ft. For example, a maximum unit size of approximately 650 square foot of laneway homes are allowed on a 33 ft. x 122 ft. lot.
1 and 1½ story configuration is possible, with guidelines to address upper storey massing, privacy and shadowing

If you are interested in finding out if your property is applicable for laneway homes or coach houses, contact us for a complementary consultation today! We’d be happy to give you all the information you need to fully understand the process and financing needed to build laneway homes for you.

Check Out Our Laneway House Guide

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO BUILD MY LANEWAY?

Step 1

Survey and Plan Design

The Survey and Plan Design Phase involves:

an on-site consultation to determine opportunities and identify any site specific issues
we then proceed with a site survey
we then review floor plan design, your design is what drives our objectives

This stage usually lasts approximately 4-5 weeks

Step 2

Permit Application & Interior Design

The Permit Application & Interior Design Phase Involves:

the initial application for your city permits
interior design coordination
detailed plan
building specification listing is generated for the project

This process usually takes 3-4 months

Step 3

Budget and Allowance Preparation

The Budget and Allowance Preparation Phase Involves

Project is tendered for pricing from various suppliers and approved sub-trades.
Specialty products are sourced and priced at this time.

This process takes approx 4 weeks and runs concurrently with the permit application and interior design phase.

Step 4

Budget and Allowance Review

The Budget and Allowance Review Phase Involves

presenting and reviewing a detailed, allowance budget
We begin construction of the laneway upon client acceptance.

The process usually takes 2 weeks and runs concretely with the permit application and interior design phase.

Step 5

Laneway Home Construction

Laneway Home Construction Phase Involves

everything from demolition of any old garages
framing and lock up
exterior details
all the way to the paint & interior trim works
the final stage of this step is issuance of the final occupancy permit from the city

This process takes 5-6 months and will depend upon the complexity of the design.