West Bend Laneway Suite

This project is the fourth unit on the West Bend Multiplex property. The site is complex, as the laneway is a full storey higher than the street at front. On the laneway side, the building appears to be a typical two-storey laneway suite, with parking at grade and an apartment above. However, on the garden side it looks like a three-storey building, where the lower level is a full walk-out at grade with the backyard, providing a generous storage space.

To gain approval for this unconventional laneway project, the design required a minor variance for height to accommodate for the extreme grade difference around the building.

This laneway house has a unique three-level design, utilizing a full-storey grade change between the laneway and the backyard. From the laneway, you access a 573 square-foot garage that can accommodate two cars and bicycle parking. Off the garage is an exterior stair leading down to the backyard below, and to the multiplex units and street out front.

Above the garage is a 611 square-foot, one-bedroom apartment, which is accessed from the street with stairs from the backyard. Alternatively, you can also reach the apartment through the garage itself. As you enter the apartment, you are greeted with a spacious closet and laundry nook. Around the corner is the living room and an eat-in kitchen, and beyond is a full washroom and a bedroom with office nook.

Below the garage is the walk-out basement, used as a large storage space for the property’s occupants. This storage level has the potential to be converted into another apartment in future, should the zoning bylaw be amended to allow for two units in laneway houses.

As with the multiplex on this property, the construction of this laneway house was managed entirely by our client. It is another all-electric, super insulated, and airtight project, similarly designed with Passive House principles. It is well built, comfortable, and extremely energy efficient.  The foundation is cast in place concrete using insulated concrete forms, while the ground floor is a suspended concrete slab using an insulated formwork.

The property is equipped with solar panels, with 16 panels on the laneway suite and 21 panels on the multiplex. All together, they provide power for the laneway suite and the owner’s suite in the multiplex. Our client has reported that their operating costs are quite low, and noticeably less than other older homes with comparable living space serviced by natural gas systems.