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Category Archives: Laneway House

Decorating the small place

In pursuance of my dream of having our place look much larger than it is, I am reading every magazine and blog post I can find about “decorating small”.  Luckily, Apartment Therapy is way ahead of me, and has many, many good ideas I can use.

In this article, the author explains the 3 things that make a big difference when you are living in a small space.

Turns out they are:

  • Lighting
  • Storage
  • Flexibility

I’m in total agreement.  Right now we are planning the lighting for the laneway.  Upstairs we will be using the abundance of natural light that will be coming in from our south-facing main windows.  Plus a nice pendant over the kitchen peninsula,

KLampand maybe one of these over the sectional

SRlampToo much?  It’s so hard to tell if we need that light or not.  Our thinking is that in the evening with the blinds shut on the windows, we may need some task lighting for knitting or reading that the pendant will not be suitable for.  We don’t want the whole room lit up, just a pool of light where we’ll be sitting.

Anyway, we are very carefully looking at the lighting in our place.

 

Now the fun part begins…..

I mean it!  Even though we are busier than ever with packing and tossing and moving and all the nuts and bolts of those things, now is the time when we can really get down to the fun of planning the decor of our new home.

It helps that we are moving into a tiny rental space.  There’s no time for us to regret shedding most of our furniture — we’ll be seeing pretty much how we will be living, so sentimentality will get put out on the curb along with those IKEA chairs.

Although most of the choices can be made at different times during the build process — we won’t need the sectional for the upstairs sitting area until we are ready to move in — we will need to decide on a number of options soon because we have to design how to get power to the lights we want.

For instance, we know we want the sputnik lamp above the bed

sputnik

 

(maybe with fewer arms)

sputnik2 so we’ll have the box wired into the ceiling to accommodate that.

Now for beside the bed — we want lighting beside the bed for night-time reading.  Mounted on the wall?  Or sitting on the bedside table? Mounted, since the tables are already very small.  Maybe a pendant?  No, we want a lamp with an arm so we can direct the light onto our books and away from our fellow sleeper’s faces.  We know where the bed will go — but how high will it be? How big will our headboard be?  We’ll need to place everything correctly.

We need storage under the bed, and because the bed will be placed so close to the side walls there won’t be room to pull out under-bed drawers, that means a lift-a-bed

bedLuckily they have a local distributor. So when we pick a bed, we will have a good idea how high the mattress will be in relation to the lamps, and we will know how wide the headboard should be, so we’ll be able to talk with the designer to get the boxes for the lamps put in just the right place.

And this is before we even break ground on the new place!

But doing this homework ahead of time and making clear decisions means no CHANGE ORDERS!  Change orders are just what they sound like, a way of taking your estimate and blowing it up (literally and figuratively).  Heaven forfend you change your mind on something after the trades are off-site!

And all the time we are picking the nitty and the gritty of the design, we are trying to keep to the big picture.  Or rather, the small picture. Because we are trying to make the inside of our home look bigger than the outside.

Like this guy did:

TardisAnd that’s going to influence all our decisions.

 

 

We have a cunning plan

We went over to see Laurel at  Novell and signed the contract and looked at the final plans and picked up our copies of the plans and the permits and signed a whopping great cheque.  And all is well. Better than well, really.

Would you like to see what the place will look like?

Like this:

Plans3.1

 

(click on the images to embiggen)

That’s the main floor — nice, dark bedroom with a lovely bright bath with the walk-in shower we wanted. Plus the washer/dryer, the clothes closet outside the sleeping space, and the storage for our shoes int the bottom two stairs.  Then upstairs

Plans3.2

the adorably small sitting room with the kitchen of our dreams — compact but just what we want. Plus the walk-out to the deck with green, living roof  all around it. A little deck off the north side stepping into our garden.

By the way, we were wondering the outside dimensions of the sectional we will be getting for our sitting area, so Novell kindly marked out the measurements — 4’2″ by 6’91/2″.

That is not the whole plan, of course, there is also a look at what the outside will be:

Plans5.1

That’s what you’ll see walking up the lane — except with lovely plants around the front door on the lower left. The pitched  metal roof is rolled steel, continuing onto the cladding on the front of the deck. the siding and the board and batten will be painted to match the main house.

Going clockwise, if you can sneak between the fence and the house, on the west side:

Plans5.2

See how you walk in on the lane level of the house and walk out on the yard level, with all the light coming through the windows. We have great plans for a green space between the home and the fence.

If you walk out the basement of the main house, you’ll see this:

Plans5.3

The metal roof is rolled steel, and you see how the foundation continues below grade — that’s our bedroom.  You see the bedroom window, with the little window between the counter and the upper cabinets of the kitchen on that side of the house.

And of course, the east side of the building:

Plans5.4

The bump up on the garage roof will be covered in living roof — with bulbs planted for a beautiful spring garden just outside our kitchen window.

S’pretty swell, isn’t it? You see how we couldn’t just buy a plan off the rack– the slope of the lot, plus our need for the special engineering the living roof requires meant that we needed something a little more…custom

Start of build will be May 13, and should last 30 weeks.

Bon yoyage, our little home!


State of the address

We have permits!

And all it costs us is $18.232.88 for the city permits and the hookups to those little things that make life worth living, electricity, gas, sewage et al.  And another $1,303.48 for the DCL.  What is a DCL, you ask?  As did we.  A DCL is a Development Cost Levy. That is what it is.

To put it simply, it is part of the cost of doing business with the city, and so pay it, take your permits and go away. It’s a good idea, it pays for some good stuff, but it was a bit of a surprise.  We are, however, thankful we are not building in an area that needs a layered DCL.

And we are thankful we have permits!  And a new address – 3222 East 8th. It sings! It rolls off the tongue, does it not?  Three-two-two-two!  Thirty-two, twenty-two!  Three thousand, two hundred and twenty-two!

We are moving forward, for the mere cost of $19, 535.56!  Thank you, City of Vancouver!

vancouver-city-hall-1930s

 

And thanks to our builder/designer who held our hands through the process.  And thanks to Ryan at the City of Vancouver, who really likes the design of our laneway home!

Bless you, City of Vancouver, and all who sail in you.

We have permits!

Pack up your troubles, or where there’s a will there’s a way

Going through our late Dad’s (and Mom’s) belongings is very interesting.  For instance, what was formerly merely an item, an object, or a thing, is now an artifact, and has therefore gained a value it did not have before.

Even things they owned — and did not use — are precious.  The glasses that were only for company.  The handkerchiefs neatly folded in the sachet. How can I just give these things away when they meant so much to our parents that they kept them, unused, for years?

Someday soon I will realize that grasping these objects is not going to bring back my parents, not even for a moment. But not now.  Now I will put the items into boxes and store them.  The irony of this is not lost on me.

But there is a lesson here for me.  If I don’t use something I will give it away.  It has to be that way.  There is no sense in moving into a smaller, simpler home if I don’t adopt a smaller, simpler life.  Dragging all my belongings with me like some great carapace is not going to protect me or nurture me.

As a side issue, we found a file with all the important papers in it carefully locked in the strong-box my parents kept.  There was even a list of things to be done when they died (we followed it to the letter).  But there was no will for my father.  Oh, there was a copy of the will.  But no original.  The copy had the name of the lawyer who had drawn it up.  He moved away many years ago.  I googled his name and found his ex-partner in the law practice.  He had a number of an office where the original lawyer worked.  Or at least where he used to work.  But they gave me his cell number and eventually I was able to leave a message.

There were two things that made this “not a big deal”.  One was that everything was in my sister’s and my names.  So we could move ahead with things that had to be done.  The other was that when we showed up at the government offices and told the nice clerk our father had passed away, she said she was sorry, and then asked if we wanted to perform a will search.  So apparently this is not an uncommon occurrence.

We’ve heard from the lawyer who has the will and he will send it to me.  But I will a) update my will, and b) organize my papers to make sure I can find everything when I need it.

This method looks like it could work for me, as I am an unrepentant “piler”. And I will go paperless as much as I can.

High land costs down under mean the end of cottages

I believe you know I am a supporter of living small.  I was just in a neighbourhood a few weeks ago that had undergone a change in the other direction.

I remembered a neighbourhood close to our new house that had been primarily small bungalows that had been constructed in the late forties.  The entire area had been built for returning soldiers after World War II, and had been street after street of similarly designed homes of 1000 to 1500 square foot size.

BungalowI’m a boomer, and when I was small we lived in a house much like this — maybe you remember homes like this — two bedrooms on top (your Dad probably put another in the basement when you and your siblings outgrew the one bedroom). One bathroom for the whole family.  An eat-in kitchen or a tiny dining room.

But when I saw the neighbourhood again recently, I had to look for these old bungalows — they had been replaced by McMansions.  I felt a real sense of loss. But I understood why.  If you visit the site Crack Shack or Mansion, play the game to see if modest bungalows like the one above are dilapidated shacks or worth the price of a mansion in another city.  Who am I kidding — a dilapidated shack in Vancouver IS worth the price of a mansion almost anywhere else.  Because it’s all about the price of the property.

I can understand why someone who buys one of these homes would tear it down, and for another $300K or $400K, build a huge home that dominates the lot and leaves no yard to speak of (or play in).

And Vancouver is certainly not the only city to “suffer” from this.  Even Down Under,  the land crunch is being felt.  In this article we learn that Sydney, Australia is seeing their bungalows (or “cottages” disappearing).   And the reason is

Bob Schwartz, chief economist of Pitney Bowes Software, which did the analysis, said two- and three-bedroom houses were becoming ”too small” for the Sydney housing market.

”Those types of houses are in decline because they are simply not the best use of space,” he said. ”The small cottage just can’t cut it with high land prices.”

I am hoping that the option of increasing the living space in the home by building laneway homes will slow or stop this trend.  As nice as these large houses look, it doesn’t increase the densification of the neighbourhoods, and it completely changes their character.

 

 

What’s new, you ask?

I am back in Nelson, lovely Queen City of the Kootenays.  It’s impossible to describe how lovely this place is, so:

Nelson

 

My sister and I are up here to visit our father, who celebrated our arrival by slipping on a wet bathroom floor and ending up in the hospital with a bruised foot and back.  Being 89 years old presents its own problems in the healing process, so it’s not likely he’ll be home before Sis and I have to head back to our other obligations. We visit him in the hospital and chat with the doctors and nurses and generally try to be good daughters.

But there is good news this week, and that is that DH and I have found a place to live during the build.  DH took on the task of combing Craigslist and Kajiji looking for suites in the area to rent.  We really wanted to move into our new neighbourhood so we could watch over the build process and also get used to our new stores and local amenities.  There aren’t any apartment buildings in the area for rent, just basement suites. Luckily. after a couple of false starts,  he found one just 10 blocks from our new home, in the basement of a large home.  It’s close to transit and shopping, and most importantly, close to the action as the build goes on.  The landlord didn’t ask us to sign a lease, so we will be renting month to month, ideal for us. It has 8 foot ceilings and is quite bright.  And it’s small, so we’ll get used to just keeping what we need.

Because I will be up at the hospital and away from the computer, I may not be posting at my usual manic rate.  But I’m still here.

 

Densification comes to small cities

Meadow Lake is a city located in north west Saskatchewan, Canada about 246 kilometers north east of Lloydminster and 156 kilometers north of North Battleford.

So, out of the main hustle and bustle, then.

And it looks like a lovely place.  Lots of amenities, and tons of fresh air and open spaces. An up-and-coming place, with people moving there all the time.

The city government also sees the cost of its own growth. According to this story in the local publication, the Meadow Lake Progress,

If Meadow Lake hopes to live up to its title as a ‘city’ and become a real urban centre, it needs to look at alternative forms of housing.

As it stands, the city faces a shortage not just of affordable housing, but of purpose-built rental units in general. Ask any young professional what the rental situation is like here and they will lament on the challenges on finding a decent apartment. Basement suites are more common, but self-contained rental units are rare and as a result are priced at a premium.

But they are doing something about it. By calling for densification through laneway and coach homes.

Many municipalities are only now learning the true cost of urban sprawl, as long commutes increase emissions, congest city streets and put further strain on our infrastructure.

But there is a way to embrace alternative housing and increase the density in our residential neighbourhoods while still meeting fire, safety and accessibility standards. Council should put their heads together and figure out the best way how.

Of course, I am a fan of densification in residential areas — and it’s good to see that others are seeing the value in it.

Laneway House pilot project proposed for Regina, Saskatchewan

We think of the prairies as wide open spaces, with lots of room to build.

But Regina, Saskatchewan is seeing the benefit of housing densification within its cityboundaries.

From the civic website:

The City of Regina is considering a zoning change that would allow for the development of 11 laneway homes on a single block in the Greens on Gardiner. Currently laneway housing or any secondary suite not attached to a single family home is not permitted.

This pilot project relates to two goals in the City’s Comprehensive Housing Strategy, which is currently under consideration: “Foster the Creation of Secondary Suites” and to “Develop and promote prototypes and pilot initiatives of innovative housing forms.”

Looks like laneway homes are the way of the future in many urban areas.

An overview

All last week I’ve been home from work with a pinched nerve in my back.  Ugh. Also OW! I’m taking a prescription that will help alleviate the nerve pain, but it takes 2 weeks to work, so in the meantime I’m relying on my old standbys, extra-strength Advil and whining.

However I have been rising from my bed of pain and inconvenience to do the exercises my physiotherapist assigned me, and to pack some boxes of things we are putting into deep storage — the storage space we have rented to put things we won’t need for our temporary home during the build phase.  These things include three decorative teapots, some of the dozens of mugs we have managed to accumulate, “plain” martini glasses we bought for our yearly martini parties (from the dollar store, cheaper than renting!), a set of lager glasses (drink from the bottle!), and flower vases (no frou-frous at the temporary place!).

Then yesterday, DH picked up the van he had reserved from ZipCars and doing all the (literally) heavy lifting, managed to fill the entire thing and then regurgitate its contents into the storage space.  I stood by and gave him the benefit of my opinion.  We also made a stop at the bike repair shop where he is getting his old, classic bike reconditioned, and some side trips to the transfer station, then to some recycling depots when we found the transfer station would not take old tires or old paint (who knew?).

And now our condo storage space is empty and ready for more packed boxes.

We thought it would take two hours, it took four. Luckily, DH was able to extend the reservation on the van on the spot with his cell phone.  Also unlock and lock the van with his cell phone.

When DH was using his cell phone to unlock the van, he stood beside the van, the signal travelled up to a satellite, then back down to the van he was standing beside.  It’s funny to think of that.

But that made me think of this:

VancouverHadfieldIt’s a picture of Vancouver, taken from the ISS by our own Canadian satellite jockey, Chris Hadfield.  I joked to a friend that I could see my house — but you know, I can!  It’s easy to pick out which main streets are which, and work out approximately where our building is.

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