Well, it only took 11 years. I still remember the first time I walked into Etobicoke Civic Centre and showed the lady at the counter my design for a laneway house. She didn’t know what a laneway house was and she couldn’t figure out where… Read More
I just subscribed to Kirsten Dirksen’s YouTube channel. She makes videos about simple living, self-sufficiency, and small homes, among other things. She has nearly 1.3 million subscribers and her videos have almost 500 million views. I think many of you will really enjoy her channel.… Read More
ISA Architects recently completed a project in North Philadelphia called Tiny Tower. It is a 6-level, 1,250 square foot single family home built on a small 12′ x 29′ lot. That’s about the footprint of two parking spaces. It feels like a house you might… Read More
Today we released the above rendering for Junction House and announced that sales will begin this fall. 144 condominium homes. A mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom suites, including our Two-Storey House Collection and our Laneway House Collection. Prices starting in the $400s. One… Read More
Vancouver is light years ahead of Toronto when it comes to laneway housing/suites. And by light years I mean that their Laneway House (LWH) Program is about a decade old now. Last month the City of Vancouver published this staff report which outlined recommendations for… Read More
Some of you might remember that last summer the city refused my laneway house/suite here in Toronto. Well that was last summer and this is this summer. On May 2, 2018 – which just so happens to be my birthday – Toronto and East York Community… Read More
This afternoon I stood up at the Committee of Adjustment (Etobicoke York) to present the laneway house proposal that Gabriel Fain Architects and I have been working on for the past year and that I have been working on since 2009. But before I could… Read More
In 2015, Studiolada Architectes (of Nancy, France) completed a 117 square meter home for a retired couple. On the firm’s website they call the project: Réalisation d’une maison individuelle à Baccarat. Here are two photos (1 exterior and 1 interior) via the architects: Most of the… Read More
I promise that this post won’t be all about laneways. This afternoon Erin Davis of Torontoist published a post called: Are Laneway Suites a Solution to Toronto’s Housing Crisis? There’s a quote in it from yours truly: Brandon Donnelly, a 34-year-old real estate developer, has… Read More
One of the criticisms surrounding laneway housing is that – while great – there is no way for this housing typology to have a meaningful impact on the overall housing supply equation. I’ve previously written about the impact of laneway housing in Vancouver. But I… Read More
