Few things go as well together as tacos and snowstorms. And so that's exactly what I did for lunch today given the awesome -- I love snow -- storm that we're having in Toronto this weekend. The garnish you're seeing below is grilled cactus. Dave, the owner of Playa Cabana Taqueria, grows it on location and uses it for special dishes like this one here. If you haven't been, I would highly recommend it. They're located at 21 St. Clair Avenue East.
In addition to tacos, I also spent the morning with Gabriel Fain Architects working on our upcoming laneway suite collaboration. Some of you may remember that our previous laneway project was refused at the Committee of Adjustment back in 2017. Well now that laneway suites are permissible as-of-right, it's time to get going. We are not planning to seek any variances from what is currently allowed.
But if you're thinking about building your own laneway suite, there are still a number of issues that you might run into depending on your property. Servicing, proximity to a fire hydrant, access, and trees are maybe some of the most common. I know that the city is working to resolve / streamline some of these complications, as the objective is truly to build laneway suites across the city.
As Gabriel and I work through our project this year, my plan is to write about it here on the blog. And hopefully when the project is complete, the posts will serve as a kind of guide for homeowners. These suites are really setup to be built by individual homeowners, as opposed to by developers. If you don't already email subscribe to this blog and are interested in learning more, sign up here.
In the meantime, if you have any questions about laneway suites, there are a number of experts in the city, including Gabriel Fain Architects and the folks over at Lanescape.
This afternoon my friend Gabriel, of Gabriel Fain Architects, sent me the work of APOLLO Architects & Associates. They are based in Japan and South Korea. Here is a preview of some of their “private houses”:
We received the list of required zoning variances for Mackay Laneway House last week and they have been posted to the Globizen blog.
As is said in the post, we have requested clarification on a few items and we will be resubmitting the drawings to address some of the notices.
But I still think it’s great to get this information out in the public. It’s the sort of thing that usually doesn’t get published and I know there’s a lot of interest in laneway housing in the city right now. If you haven’t already, please consider signing your name at lanewaylove.com.
It is, however, a fairly esoteric post. So if this is not your bag, ignore this post and check back tomorrow. Regular scheduled programming will resume then.
Few things go as well together as tacos and snowstorms. And so that's exactly what I did for lunch today given the awesome -- I love snow -- storm that we're having in Toronto this weekend. The garnish you're seeing below is grilled cactus. Dave, the owner of Playa Cabana Taqueria, grows it on location and uses it for special dishes like this one here. If you haven't been, I would highly recommend it. They're located at 21 St. Clair Avenue East.
In addition to tacos, I also spent the morning with Gabriel Fain Architects working on our upcoming laneway suite collaboration. Some of you may remember that our previous laneway project was refused at the Committee of Adjustment back in 2017. Well now that laneway suites are permissible as-of-right, it's time to get going. We are not planning to seek any variances from what is currently allowed.
But if you're thinking about building your own laneway suite, there are still a number of issues that you might run into depending on your property. Servicing, proximity to a fire hydrant, access, and trees are maybe some of the most common. I know that the city is working to resolve / streamline some of these complications, as the objective is truly to build laneway suites across the city.
As Gabriel and I work through our project this year, my plan is to write about it here on the blog. And hopefully when the project is complete, the posts will serve as a kind of guide for homeowners. These suites are really setup to be built by individual homeowners, as opposed to by developers. If you don't already email subscribe to this blog and are interested in learning more, sign up here.
In the meantime, if you have any questions about laneway suites, there are a number of experts in the city, including Gabriel Fain Architects and the folks over at Lanescape.
This afternoon my friend Gabriel, of Gabriel Fain Architects, sent me the work of APOLLO Architects & Associates. They are based in Japan and South Korea. Here is a preview of some of their “private houses”:
We received the list of required zoning variances for Mackay Laneway House last week and they have been posted to the Globizen blog.
As is said in the post, we have requested clarification on a few items and we will be resubmitting the drawings to address some of the notices.
But I still think it’s great to get this information out in the public. It’s the sort of thing that usually doesn’t get published and I know there’s a lot of interest in laneway housing in the city right now. If you haven’t already, please consider signing your name at lanewaylove.com.
It is, however, a fairly esoteric post. So if this is not your bag, ignore this post and check back tomorrow. Regular scheduled programming will resume then.
There is a lot that I love about these homes.
I love their simplicity. Look at this handrail detail. Nothing more than what is absolutely necessary.
I love their modesty. Many of the above homes hover around 150 square meters and many of them are much much smaller.
I love that each project’s description starts by talking about the owners and the site conditions, signaling that each home represents an individual response tailored to both the occupants and the context.
And I love that many of these homes have been built on unthinkably small parcels of land in dense urban settings; parcels that would be dismissed as entirely useless in other parts of the world.
The site area for this home is 46.53 square meters and the building’s footprint is 36.93 square meters.
Of course the Japanese housing market is a unique place. It’s worth pointing that out.
But as I browsed through what are effectively custom single family homes, I couldn’t help but be reminded that there’s a fine line between need and want.
Small can be very beautiful. But small is also subjective.
There is a lot that I love about these homes.
I love their simplicity. Look at this handrail detail. Nothing more than what is absolutely necessary.
I love their modesty. Many of the above homes hover around 150 square meters and many of them are much much smaller.
I love that each project’s description starts by talking about the owners and the site conditions, signaling that each home represents an individual response tailored to both the occupants and the context.
And I love that many of these homes have been built on unthinkably small parcels of land in dense urban settings; parcels that would be dismissed as entirely useless in other parts of the world.
The site area for this home is 46.53 square meters and the building’s footprint is 36.93 square meters.
Of course the Japanese housing market is a unique place. It’s worth pointing that out.
But as I browsed through what are effectively custom single family homes, I couldn’t help but be reminded that there’s a fine line between need and want.
Small can be very beautiful. But small is also subjective.
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