I didn't think I would ever find myself writing this particular post, but alas, I am. A long time ago, we put down a $2000 deposit to the City of Vancouver for any damages incurred on city property, mainly sidewalks and this week we were looking forward to getting that money back.
On Friday, the City Inspector came by for a final look-see and discovered that the asphalt apron on the northwest side of the laneway house has not been installed. This apron is in place to keep water from draining from the lane onto our property (which is an impossibility because of the slope direction), but it makes sense and would look much better, so I am in full agreement. Also, there is a big hole around the power pole that needs to be filled and paved.
The inspector was very helpful on the phone and has offered to drop by at our convenience to explain exactly what he wants done. This is a small and final hurdle, but one I did not expect to be facing. I am hoping we can remedy this quickly, get our cash and go out for dinner! I'm always hoping stuff like this.
As far as renting the laneway house, we have not, so far been successful. Our agent at Sunset Realty says this is a very slow year, and I have many other friends with empty basement suites and apartments, so I have no reason to doubt her word. April is usually a slow time of year for rentals in Vancouver – all the full time students head home for the summer, and the rental market usually picks up again in the fall. Still, our target rental market is not students, so I am a little concerned. I think that part of the problem is that we, unlike so many others have decided to use our garage as a garage and so our house is one bedroom, but what a spectacular one bedroom home it is!
I know one happy university student, who is thankful for the lack of paying tenants – our son, home from third year is happily ensconced in the laneway house, and I don't think he's keen to move out anytime soon. According to him, "it's a great place to live." I'm sure. I know what his last year's digs looked like at school – he's gone from one star to five!
In the meantime, Dunbar continues to be in a constant state of flux. Power hammers, pavers, tar, workers, line painters, while across the road from us two houses are going up. It's really noisy around here and sometimes I feel like I live in a gravel pit. Everything is covered in a fine layer of dust and half the time the streets are closed, making parking impossible.
Come to think of it, forget dinner out. Maybe we should take our deposit and head for woods or the islands or anywhere where there are no bulldozers, jack hammers or whatever it is that is making the main house vibrate at the moment...
Ah, sudden silence – must be lunchtime.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Lanehouse for Rent
On Monday, June 14th, 2010, I wrote my first post for this blog: Building a Laneway House in Vancouver. It was called "Laneway Houses: this is what I know and here it is:
Not a lot. I grew up in Vancouver and back in the day, lane houses did exist, although we called them coach houses and they were in the back gardens of Shaughnessy mansions and gardeners lived in them...They were about five times bigger than the house we live in now - and lovely and stately too.
Forward 25 years and 'coach houses' although we call them lane-way houses, or lane houses, are back in fashion. I suppose we call them laneway houses because, unlike their elegant cousins, they are actually built in lanes and not around the back behind the tennis courts.
I think they can be still be elegant. I love small spaces, and when done right they always feel really big.
Anyway, that's about the extent of what I know, going into this.
Here we are, April 11th, 2012 and I have learned so much, as you will see if you browse through this blog. It's been an interesting ride, that's for sure. Back then, Laneway houses were still rare; today there are two others in our lane, and at least two more in the planning stages.
Although we initially did plan on living in our laneway house, (which is extraordinarily beautiful), we have since decided to use the garage as a garage, unlike most lanehouse owners, for a little while, and therefore, will move in when we convert it to a two bedroom place.
It was a tough decision for me. I love the house and I've spent endless hours in there, since it's completion getting a feel for the place, for the light, for the sound system, the heated floors and the wonderful kitchen.
Now it's for rent. We chose Sunstar Realty to manage the rental for the first year, and so far we've got a lot of interest.
Not a lot. I grew up in Vancouver and back in the day, lane houses did exist, although we called them coach houses and they were in the back gardens of Shaughnessy mansions and gardeners lived in them...They were about five times bigger than the house we live in now - and lovely and stately too.
Forward 25 years and 'coach houses' although we call them lane-way houses, or lane houses, are back in fashion. I suppose we call them laneway houses because, unlike their elegant cousins, they are actually built in lanes and not around the back behind the tennis courts.
I think they can be still be elegant. I love small spaces, and when done right they always feel really big.
Anyway, that's about the extent of what I know, going into this.
Here we are, April 11th, 2012 and I have learned so much, as you will see if you browse through this blog. It's been an interesting ride, that's for sure. Back then, Laneway houses were still rare; today there are two others in our lane, and at least two more in the planning stages.
Although we initially did plan on living in our laneway house, (which is extraordinarily beautiful), we have since decided to use the garage as a garage, unlike most lanehouse owners, for a little while, and therefore, will move in when we convert it to a two bedroom place.
It was a tough decision for me. I love the house and I've spent endless hours in there, since it's completion getting a feel for the place, for the light, for the sound system, the heated floors and the wonderful kitchen.
Now it's for rent. We chose Sunstar Realty to manage the rental for the first year, and so far we've got a lot of interest.
City Electrical Inspection Today
Today I am blogging from Whistler, where the winter is in the air and the leaves are in full fall brilliance. Today, while I am here working on my book, the City Electrical Inspection will be taking place and when we pass this, which I'm sure we will, BC Hydro will hook up power to our laneway house.
Musing on Lanehouse, writing, snow removal and more!
I've been quiet of late and apologise. I am up at Whistler Mountain , (where there is a bit of fresh snow on the peaks), but the hill is not slated to open until late November. I am not here to ski, however, but working on my next novel. I return home on Thursday of this week, and am looking forward to seeing the progress on the laneway house. I keep in touch with Lanecraft via email and texting and do know the tiling is nearly completed in the bathrooms, the glass is on the staircase and with any luck, Hydro had hooked up the electricity.
Up here, in the mountains, the trees are decked out in fall colours – striking gold, yellow and orange hues, and every morning when I wake up, there are more leaves on the ground as the branches shed their tired leaves and winter approaches. It really is a beautiful time of year to be in the mountains . I make sure to take a walk every day, and go for a swim, even if it is wet and cold outside, but most of the time I am working away on the second draft of my next book.
I know when I get back to Vancouver, I will have to begin to think about the future of our laneway house, which means we will need to advertise to find the first set of lucky tenants. We have decided to pay back the loan we took out to build the house, by initially renting it out, probably on a short term basis, so I've got some research to do re: rental pricing. I do know that we want to continue to have the lowest possible impact on our neighbourhood, so we will be looking for tenants who prefer public transit or a Zip car over owning their own vehicle. Parking has always been a problem in Dunbar. We don't have residential parking permits, though I would like to see that in the future, so it is not uncommon to have to park half a block away from our house and I know many of our neighbours have the same issues.
And winter is coming. A winter with above average snowfall predictions. This is always comical in Vancouver, where most of the population (myself included) have little snow driving experience and snow tires are a concept not all of us have embraced. This means chaos on the roads when snow falls, and the Dunbar hill, one of the highest points in Vancouver, causes problems for both buses and cars. The last time we experienced a snowy winter, people abandoned their cars for cross country skis, sleds and toboggans. It was very quiet on the streets, the silence broken only by the occasional sound of spinning tires on ice and cursing!
The merchants didn't do a great job of clearing the sidewalks, so it was difficult for elderly residents to get out and shop. Hopefully, if we do get snow this year, people will actually get outside and shovel the sidewalks and use sand for traction. We have a snow removal bylaw, often ignored, which I've copied below for those interested:
Vancouver property owners: snow removal reminder
The City of Vancouver reminds all property owners that they are responsible for clearing snow and ice from the sidewalks that surround their property by 10 a.m. the day after a snowfall.
The City's Street and Traffic bylaw applies to all property owners in the city EXCEPT one- and two-family residences outside the downtown peninsula.
Property owners or occupants who fail to remove snow and ice as required by the bylaw may be fined, or the City can have the snow removed and bill the owner or occupants for the cost.
The City encourages everyone to clear their sidewalks, help others who can't, and try to follow these basic helpful points:
· Clear sidewalks adjacent to your property as soon as the storm is over.
· If the storm is over, the City has plowed, and snow begins to melt, please clear around the catch basin in the gutter fronting your property. This will help the melted snow run off into the storm sewer system, and reduce flooding problems.
· If your car is on a major street, move it (if possible) to a side street. This will help City staff to plow major arterial streets more effectively.
· If a street is blocked off with barricades, leave them in place. Do not try to drive on that street.
City crews focus their efforts first on clearing and controlling snow and ice on main arterial streets, transit routes, major collector streets and bridges. These are treated immediately after a snowfall. Residential hills and designated bicycle routes are also treated as soon as possible after a heavy snowfall.
Up here, in the mountains, the trees are decked out in fall colours – striking gold, yellow and orange hues, and every morning when I wake up, there are more leaves on the ground as the branches shed their tired leaves and winter approaches. It really is a beautiful time of year to be in the mountains . I make sure to take a walk every day, and go for a swim, even if it is wet and cold outside, but most of the time I am working away on the second draft of my next book.
I know when I get back to Vancouver, I will have to begin to think about the future of our laneway house, which means we will need to advertise to find the first set of lucky tenants. We have decided to pay back the loan we took out to build the house, by initially renting it out, probably on a short term basis, so I've got some research to do re: rental pricing. I do know that we want to continue to have the lowest possible impact on our neighbourhood, so we will be looking for tenants who prefer public transit or a Zip car over owning their own vehicle. Parking has always been a problem in Dunbar. We don't have residential parking permits, though I would like to see that in the future, so it is not uncommon to have to park half a block away from our house and I know many of our neighbours have the same issues.
And winter is coming. A winter with above average snowfall predictions. This is always comical in Vancouver, where most of the population (myself included) have little snow driving experience and snow tires are a concept not all of us have embraced. This means chaos on the roads when snow falls, and the Dunbar hill, one of the highest points in Vancouver, causes problems for both buses and cars. The last time we experienced a snowy winter, people abandoned their cars for cross country skis, sleds and toboggans. It was very quiet on the streets, the silence broken only by the occasional sound of spinning tires on ice and cursing!
The merchants didn't do a great job of clearing the sidewalks, so it was difficult for elderly residents to get out and shop. Hopefully, if we do get snow this year, people will actually get outside and shovel the sidewalks and use sand for traction. We have a snow removal bylaw, often ignored, which I've copied below for those interested:
Vancouver property owners: snow removal reminder
The City of Vancouver reminds all property owners that they are responsible for clearing snow and ice from the sidewalks that surround their property by 10 a.m. the day after a snowfall.
The City's Street and Traffic bylaw applies to all property owners in the city EXCEPT one- and two-family residences outside the downtown peninsula.
Property owners or occupants who fail to remove snow and ice as required by the bylaw may be fined, or the City can have the snow removed and bill the owner or occupants for the cost.
The City encourages everyone to clear their sidewalks, help others who can't, and try to follow these basic helpful points:
· Clear sidewalks adjacent to your property as soon as the storm is over.
· If the storm is over, the City has plowed, and snow begins to melt, please clear around the catch basin in the gutter fronting your property. This will help the melted snow run off into the storm sewer system, and reduce flooding problems.
· If your car is on a major street, move it (if possible) to a side street. This will help City staff to plow major arterial streets more effectively.
· If a street is blocked off with barricades, leave them in place. Do not try to drive on that street.
City crews focus their efforts first on clearing and controlling snow and ice on main arterial streets, transit routes, major collector streets and bridges. These are treated immediately after a snowfall. Residential hills and designated bicycle routes are also treated as soon as possible after a heavy snowfall.
I can hardly believe it is already the second week of October – how the time has flown by this year. The laneway is nearing completion and all of us are growing impatient to see it finished and ready for occupancy.
Thomas at Lanecraft sends us email updates of what we can expect on a weekly basis (very helpful) and this week's update includes:
Counters
Yesterday, the counter installers finished the kitchen counters and installed the sink and faucets. He also drilled holes for the soap dispenser. As you can see from the photo, it looks amazing! Now that this is done, the plumber will be able to attach the water and drainage lines, allowing the finishers to put the final touches on the kitchen cabinets.
Tiling
The tiling in the bathroom is still not complete and this is holding up the plumbing. I don't know why it has taken such a long time to do two small rooms, but Thomas assures us it will be finished by mid next week, so they will be able to install the toilet, sinks and vanities.
Deck Pavers
These are just gorgeous and almost completed :)
Exterior Trim
Some of the exterior trim is still not up, but this will be looked after within the next week, so that the painting can be finished up.
Plumbing
Ron has a couple of days to complete, but we are waiting on counters and vanities and tiles to be complete before he swoops in to install all the fixtures. If all goes well he could come in middle of next week.
Electrical
We are waiting for BC Hydro to connect any day now.
Final installation of trim and cover plates and any necessary adjustments or missing items will be handled then.
Millwork
Jesse has one more day of work as well and will be one of the last to come in.
Painting
Al will be the last to be inside to do final painting and touch up.
Thomas at Lanecraft sends us email updates of what we can expect on a weekly basis (very helpful) and this week's update includes:
Counters
Yesterday, the counter installers finished the kitchen counters and installed the sink and faucets. He also drilled holes for the soap dispenser. As you can see from the photo, it looks amazing! Now that this is done, the plumber will be able to attach the water and drainage lines, allowing the finishers to put the final touches on the kitchen cabinets.
Tiling
The tiling in the bathroom is still not complete and this is holding up the plumbing. I don't know why it has taken such a long time to do two small rooms, but Thomas assures us it will be finished by mid next week, so they will be able to install the toilet, sinks and vanities.
Deck Pavers
These are just gorgeous and almost completed :)
Exterior Trim
Some of the exterior trim is still not up, but this will be looked after within the next week, so that the painting can be finished up.
Plumbing
Ron has a couple of days to complete, but we are waiting on counters and vanities and tiles to be complete before he swoops in to install all the fixtures. If all goes well he could come in middle of next week.
Electrical
We are waiting for BC Hydro to connect any day now.
Final installation of trim and cover plates and any necessary adjustments or missing items will be handled then.
Millwork
Jesse has one more day of work as well and will be one of the last to come in.
Painting
Al will be the last to be inside to do final painting and touch up.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Laneway Housing in Toronto – dreams and ideas
I always like to pass on interesting articles, tips etc... about laneway housing and not just in Vancouver, but across Canada. Check out this article from 'Spacing Toronto, Understanding the Urban Landscape.
It deals with Laneway Housing ideas for the Kensington-Chinatown neighbourhood of Toronto, near University of Toronto. I love the design mock-ups in the photos.
The project was created in the U of T Architecture Faculty's Laneway Housing Studio – didn't even know that existed, but glad it does!
Enjoy!
It deals with Laneway Housing ideas for the Kensington-Chinatown neighbourhood of Toronto, near University of Toronto. I love the design mock-ups in the photos.
The project was created in the U of T Architecture Faculty's Laneway Housing Studio – didn't even know that existed, but glad it does!
Enjoy!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Choosing a Lanehouse Company: Custom or Cookie Cutter?
Graham Barron, one of the principals in a new Vancouver based lanehouse company, Lanewave, is today's guest blogger. When Graham first got in touch with me on my other blog, I really liked his company's emphasis on design.
I've talked about how to choose a lanehouse company on this site before and the importance of working with designers who you trust and who you get along with, who not only understand, but can interpret your vision. Our lanehouse stands out among others because the design is so unique and carefully thought out – Kudos to Lanecraft for that.
Those interested in building a laneway or coach house should, as I have said before, do their due diligence and interview a few companies before deciding on which one is right for your project. So here is a new one to consider – Enjoy Graham's guest blog!
Vancouver's laneway house initiative has proven to be very popular,with hundreds either built or in the process of getting built. A trio of designers at Lanewave.com is working with homeowners to produce laneway houses that are contemporary and stylish as well.
Most of the outfits building laneway houses in Vancouver today are just that - builders. Their primary interest is in the construction, while the design of the laneway house is secondary. For some homeowners - who either want the freedom to choose any contractor, or
who want a highly custom or unique design - it makes sense to work with a design-only firm like Lanewave.
Lanewave designers Mike Wartman, Milos Begovic and Graham Barron are all graduates of the UBC School of Architecture, and worked at architecture firms in Vancouver before starting Lanewave. They are very familiar with the Vancouver design and construction process. They
can take a design all the way from a sketch on the back of a napkin,through to building permit and working drawings.
Here are three examples of laneway houses designed by Lanewave that are about to be submitted for building permit. Lanewave designers met with the homeowners over the course of the winter to customize these designs to their liking.
The first is for a couple who rent out the principal house and plan to move into the laneway house when it is completed. The house was designed to suit their taste, down to the size and location of the closets and even sinks and shower.
The second, (above) is for a family whose parents are looking for a place to retire. The husband is in the construction industry, and he plans to build the laneway house himself.
The third is actually a rear yard infill rather than a laneway house, an older form of backyard housing permitted in two-family (RT) zones of the city. This house has a number of green features,including a green roof and solar hot water.
If you're looking into building a laneway house and you like these designs, and you like the idea of customizing your laneway house to suit your tastes, check out Lanewave?
I've talked about how to choose a lanehouse company on this site before and the importance of working with designers who you trust and who you get along with, who not only understand, but can interpret your vision. Our lanehouse stands out among others because the design is so unique and carefully thought out – Kudos to Lanecraft for that.
Those interested in building a laneway or coach house should, as I have said before, do their due diligence and interview a few companies before deciding on which one is right for your project. So here is a new one to consider – Enjoy Graham's guest blog!
Vancouver's laneway house initiative has proven to be very popular,with hundreds either built or in the process of getting built. A trio of designers at Lanewave.com is working with homeowners to produce laneway houses that are contemporary and stylish as well.
Most of the outfits building laneway houses in Vancouver today are just that - builders. Their primary interest is in the construction, while the design of the laneway house is secondary. For some homeowners - who either want the freedom to choose any contractor, or
who want a highly custom or unique design - it makes sense to work with a design-only firm like Lanewave.
Lanewave designers Mike Wartman, Milos Begovic and Graham Barron are all graduates of the UBC School of Architecture, and worked at architecture firms in Vancouver before starting Lanewave. They are very familiar with the Vancouver design and construction process. They
can take a design all the way from a sketch on the back of a napkin,through to building permit and working drawings.
Here are three examples of laneway houses designed by Lanewave that are about to be submitted for building permit. Lanewave designers met with the homeowners over the course of the winter to customize these designs to their liking.
The first is for a couple who rent out the principal house and plan to move into the laneway house when it is completed. The house was designed to suit their taste, down to the size and location of the closets and even sinks and shower.
The second, (above) is for a family whose parents are looking for a place to retire. The husband is in the construction industry, and he plans to build the laneway house himself.
The third is actually a rear yard infill rather than a laneway house, an older form of backyard housing permitted in two-family (RT) zones of the city. This house has a number of green features,including a green roof and solar hot water.
If you're looking into building a laneway house and you like these designs, and you like the idea of customizing your laneway house to suit your tastes, check out Lanewave?
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