LANEWAY HOUSE MAPLE RIDGE, BC.
Is your family getting bigger, and you are getting short of space? Worry not, we have got you all covered. The Detached Garden Suites or Laneway House in Maple Ridge (as they are called) are the solution to what you have been looking for . Having a laneway house will not only make your area spacious for a living, but it will also add beauty to your lane. It will make the streets greener and livelier. These homes can be used by yourself, or you can rent them out for a side income. So if you are interested in building one for you or your family in Maple Ridge or looking for Vancouver Laneway homes. Do Contact us for a free no obligation quote.
Garden suites offer privacy and independence. Though they must meet development permits and zoning by-law guidelines.
Application process
The application procedure for building garden suites in maple ridge is not difficult but like other procedures, the property owners with real estate must have some mandatory documents.
Documents required
In order to apply for a building permit to construct garden suites, the following documents should be provided:
- Single-family Detached garden suites checklist.
- Residential building permits application.
- Zoning checklist.
- Owner acknowledgment of responsibility (Written).
- Yards documents.
- General authorization letter.
- Certificate of water quantity and probability.
During the Foundation Form inspection, you must have a legal survey certificate with you, which is obtained from a BC land surveyor. The housing agreement covenant and parking covenant are registered with the Land Title Office. The housing agreement covenant is registered against the property, not against the owner. And it will remain registered against the property until the owner withdraws the covenant. A Housing Agreement covenant specifies the terms and conditions between the property owners and the City that are instructed to be met as part of being permitted to construct garden suites in Maple Ridge BC.
- Electrical, sprinkler, water, and gas permits must be taken from registered companies licensed to work in Maple Ridge.
- Inspections are done, all the inspections applied to a single-family dwelling also apply to the detached garden suite.
- All the covenants should be registered before receiving any occupancy authorization.
- After the fulfillment and finalization of all inspections and documents, an occupancy permit may issue.
Additional requirements:
Your property should meet the following requirements in order to build a detached garden suite:
- Garden suites cannot be constructed if the size of your lot is less than 557 meters square.
- It may not be permitted if your property is located within a designated floodplain unless the finished floor elevation of the garden suite is placed above the flood safety elevation of the lot.
- Garden suites are not authorized in the presence of other uses on the property such as; Secondary Suite Use, Temporary Residential Use, Boarding Use, Accessory Employee Residential Use, or Temporary Tourist Use.
- The property owners must reside in either the main house or in the garden suite and this should be mentioned in the “House agreement covenant.
- Properties with garden suites cannot be subdivided.
Fee plan
Fee information can be found on the City’s website. Usually, the permit charges are determined in the same way as a single-family dwelling.
- A Metro Vancouver sewerage charge is applicable for garden suites construction.
- The application fee of upgrading an existing supplement residence structure or supplement parking structure is $250. This fee is required for inspection of the integrity and feasibility of the existing structure to convert it into a garden suite. This inspection is conducted by the Building Department. The structure will be upgraded to all current codes and laws that regulate construction.
- Engineering Department also charges some fee for providing an estimate about upgrading or connecting Sanitary services.
- The fees needed for any essential works & services upgrades to the property are to be delivered to the City’s Engineering Department.
Besides these charges, annual assessment on the property is adjusted as:
- Double sewerage charges.
- Applicable recycling charges.
- Increased water charges (by 1.5 times).
Detached Garde Suite Design Guidelines
There are some standards which should be met by the detached garden suites property owners. These standards are built to make garden suites more suitable and convenient for living. High-quality material must be used while designing laneway homes to impart durability.
Kitchen
The kitchen should have proper counters and shelves. It must have enough space for a family to eat together.
Entrance
The entrance of the Laneway House must be well decorated and attractive. It should also allow access to pathways.
Parking
In addition to the two parking spaces required for the house, one parking space must be provided with the laneway house.
Location
The Laneway house must be located within the rear yard of a one-family residential use.
Pathway
At least one pathway with an unobstructed width of not less than 1.5 meters must be provided between the front street and the laneway home. This 1.5-meter unobstructed pathway must be leveled, graded, and finished with a suitable permeable surface and be clear of any cornices, sills, pilasters, hutches, eaves, nooks, bay windows, or any other architectural features that cantilever beyond the building face.
Area of Detached Garden suite
The garden suites must be between 37 meter squares and 90 meter squares in size and must not exceed 10% of the lot area. All buildings and structures cannot exceed the maximum site coverage authorized under the particular region.
Outdoor space
A minimum private outdoor space of at least 25% of the Gross Floor Area of the garden suite is required. This may include any covered or uncovered sundeck/patio and must be provided near the laneway homes for the sole use of that detached unit.
Sanitation
Provincial “Sewerage Regulation” compliance must be obtained for Garden suites or Laneway homes that are being constructed on a lot that is not on Municipal sanitary sewer. If the property owner is not provided with a City water connection a separate well for the sole use of the garden suites must be provided.
Water Management
All properties are required to install a storm water management system to reduce the amount of water that departs the property. This system is needed to be designed by an engineer that recognizes the principles of storm water administration as set out in the City of Maple Ridge watercourse protection bylaw.
Detached Garden suites increases the market value of your real estate and can pay back your initial investment instantly by selling your existing house. It can also be a secondary source of income. So, you should consider building a Laneway house Maple Ridge for your convenience.