Laneway House Blog

Building a Laneway House in Vancouver

6 Responses to Laneway House Blog

  1. Iolanda
    November 9, 2011 at 10:17 am

    Hi Julie, I’ve been reading your blog as we are considering doing the same. We are in the process of selecting a company. How did you come to a decision to use lanecraft? Did you research extensively before selecting them?

    Thanks, Iolanda

    Reply
    • Julie Burtinshaw
      November 13, 2011 at 10:07 am

      Hi,
      My advice to you is to meet with three or four companies and ask to see their projects. They should be willing to give you a tour of a recent build. If you like what you see, ask for an estimate to make sure they can build your lanehouse within your budget.

      Find out if they are willing to work with you to make any changes to their original plans, should you want to upgrade or customize your house.

      Finally, and this is important, make sure you like your contractor. You will form a close relationship with them over the time you are building your lanehouse. Whoever you choose, should understand your vision!

      If you do all of this, you will be happy with your contractor.

      Reply
      • Graham Barron
        February 29, 2012 at 7:57 pm

        There are also laneway house companies that design the house, while working with third party contractors to build it. This gives the homeowner the freedom to work closely with a designer, and choose the builder separately or get multiple quotes for a particular design. This is the case with my company, Lanewave, which I started with two other designers.

  2. Melisa
    February 6, 2012 at 1:42 pm

    Hi Julie!

    I’ve been following your blog on LWH recently, since my parents, fiance and I are considering doing the same. We plan to build one on my parents’ lot. I have a few important questions to ask you.

    I was wondering if your house is done being built yet! You haven’t updated since January 9th of the new year! From the most recent pictures, it looks fabulous and well on its way! I was wondering what should I expect the City to do after the LWH is done being built. I know that there will be on-site inspections after it’s completion.

    However, how often should we expect to see these inspections afterwards? And are they just inspecting the LWH on its own? Or does the City expect to inspect the Main House and the Basement Suite as well? Do they inspect the front yard/back yards and everything when they come to inspect the LWH?

    Also, before you build the LWH, does the DoP/City inspectors come to inspect my parents’ lot beforehand? And do they also expect to see and walk into and inspect their Main House and basement suite as well (i.e., the entire living unit of my parents’ home?).

    I’m sorry if this requires a lengthy response, I’d love to get into contact with you through e-mail (if it is not too invasive and too much of a hassle for you). I’d really appreciate your response, and I really do enjoy reading your blog on the LWH!

    Sincerely,

    Melisa

    Reply
  3. Julie Burtinshaw
    March 1, 2012 at 9:09 am

    I love the Lanewave idea, Graham – really smart. Could you post something about that on my other blog: Building a Laneway House in Vancouver?
    Thanks,
    Julie

    Reply

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