Take a look at our latest design build project, a one level laneway house in Vancouver!
Architectural design by Terra Firma Design Ltd, interior design, build, & staging by JDL Homes Inc, videography by Roman Goltz, & portfolio images by John Bentley.

The Vancouver housing market is strong and there is also a lot of demand here for small footprints, affordability and independent living for older generations.  Bonus: the utility bills incurred in laneway homes are relatively low. Almost half of occupants reported that they pay less than $50 per month on hydro and gas when polled in a survey by the City of Vancouver.

Here are some tips if you're thinking about building a laneway house in Vancouver:

• For a more desirable rental unit, build at least 2 bedrooms.
• If you have a large lot, consider building a single-storey home to maximize space, as design guidelines permit building only 60% of overall square footage upstairs. Stairs take up a lot of room and can be prohibitive for the elderly.
• Consider where the morning and evening light will fall when designing the space and placing windows.
• As municipalities move away from using gas to heat our homes, consider a high efficiency heat pump for heating and cooling.
• Consider stratifying the laneway home so you can potentially sell it on the market separate from the main house down the road. 
• Hire a licensed, reputable, and experienced builder to bring your laneway home dreams to reality.

Don’t forget to read through relevant city regulations before you begin building. If you live in Vancouver and want to add a laneway home to your property, the City of Vancouver has compiled an easy-to-follow list of steps to take.

When your laneway home is complete, check with the city before moving in to see if you need an occupancy permit.

To learn more, discuss your plans or request a free quote, please don’t hesitate to call 604-568-9983, email us, or complete our online contact form today.

We recently attended the Homebuilders Association Vancouver (HAVAN)'s Ovation Awards Finalist's Reception held at Loungeworks, where we were announced as finalists for Best New Small Scale Home and Best New Kitchen Under $50,000 for our Collingwood Country Chic Laneway project!

Our clients wanted to build a single level laneway home in Vancouver, to accommodate for their special needs daughter and to be closer to their family.  We are big believers in combining traditional values with innovative building technologies, so construction features for this laneway include Nudura Insulated Concrete Forms​ (ICFs), and SIGA​ Majvest, a weatherproof and permeable membrane for an air/weather tight facade.  We installed vinyl windows, a large vinyl sliding door, a fiberglass entry door, and a Navien condensing combination boiler for both their on demand hot water and in floor radiant heat.  These items paired together create an efficient, high performing home.  The exterior is clad in smooth painted,  James Hardie board and batten siding with an asphalt shingled roof.  The front entrance showcases a custom overhang with painted soffits, and a standing seam metal roof.  The interior of the home features high vaulted ceilings in the living room and master bedroom, an attic storage mezzanine, engineered hardwood floors with no thresholds, custom painted full height cabinetry for loads of storage (you can never have enough), and an electric fireplace.

We are thrilled to be nominated and would like to congratulate all the other finalists of the evening!

For more project photos, please click here.

What is a laneway house?
A laneway house is a smaller, detached home located where the garage would normally go on a single-family lot which includes a parking accessory (either inside or out).  Unlike coach or infill houses, you cannot stratify or subdivide to sell the laneway house separately; it rides with the property like a basement suite.  Currently, the maximum permitted floor area for a laneway house depends on the size of the lot it’s built on, but not counting allowable exclusions, they may not exceed 83.6 square metres (900 square feet).  Laneway homes typically end up being between 700 and 1,000 square feet if you include the exclusions.

Can I build a laneway house on my property in Vancouver?
You can build a laneway house on any lot 32 feet or wider in any RS single family zone in Vancouver.  Having said that, there are certain requirements & restrictions, one of the primary ones is that you need at least 16’ distance from the main house to the laneway.  If you are not sure if your home is in an eligible zone, call 3-1-1 or you can look up your zoning online, using VanMap an online tool created by the City of Vancouver.

There are many options out in the market for siding materials today.  In this blog post we take a look at the pros and cons of fiber cement siding and why we choose to use the popular brand James Hardie.

THE PROS
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• COST SAVINGS: ​​Fiber cement costs less than wood, doesn’t attract pests, and resists water absorption to help protect against mold, swelling and cracking—buying you more mileage for your dollar.  It can be ordered in primed or pre-finished in one of their standard colours which is factory applied; therefore, a final coat will need to be applied on site, saving you time!

 

• CLIMATE SPECIFICITY: James Hardie is a low maintenance product as they engineer their siding and trim products for specific climates, ensuring that you get the best performance for your region.  It's hail-damage resistant and non-combustible (unlike vinyl) which is perfect for any side yard applications,  especially in the City of Vancouver where the bylaws that govern fire prevention are very strict.

 

• DESIGN OPTIONS & COLOUR THAT LASTS: Their fiber cement product is available in an array of standard colours which incorporates their baked-on ColorPlus® Technology which has greater resistance to fading, chipping and cracking, meaning less maintenance for you.  You can get the material in shingle, lap siding, panels, or board & batten format.  They also offer the materials in a smooth or cedarmill (wood grain) finish.  As a result, you can mix and match wood siding with fiber cement and it will look cohesive.

 

• GREAT WARRANTIES​: Below is a breakdown of the warranties for their products:

1. Color – 15 years
2. Cement board for exterior use – 10 years
3. Cement board – lifetime
4. Lap siding, shingles, panels, soffits – 30 years
5. Trim – 15 years
6. Weather barrier, flashing, seam tape – 10 years

THE CONS

• INSTALLATION & LABOUR COSTS: Hardie siding requires more planning, a larger labor force, and takes a bit longer to install due to its composition. It weighs about 300 pounds (100 square feet) compared to 60-70 pounds for vinyl siding.  The material itself is also more expensive compared to vinyl.

 

• Maintenance: It has to be re-painted periodically. Hardie board’s ColorPlus® Technology covers paint and labor for peeling and chipping of their finishes for only 15 years.  After that you're responsible for regular painting maintenance for your home.

 

• CORNER TRIMS REQUIRED: As we are unable to miter Hardie siding we are required to install corner trims which may be restrictive on the overall look of the home you're trying to achieve.

As you can see the benefits of James Hardie fiber cement siding greatly outweigh the cons.  This is why JDL Homes uses this material on majority of our projects.  For more information on this product please visit their website, here.
 

What are Nudura Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs)?

Effectively Nudura ICFs are a stay-in-place concrete form that consists of two expanded polystyrene panels (EPS), spaced apart in the desired wall thickness. Polypropylene webs (or ties) are spaced 6" or 8" on centre to withstand the concrete pressure and to allow the attachment of wall finishes (damp proof membrane or rainscreen on the outside, and drywall on the inside).

Why does JDL Homes use Nudura ICFs?

-Increased Efficiency:  The Nudura ICF panels comes in 8ft lengths x 18" high so we can put up more walls in less time.  They are also designed to be collapsible so they take up less space when they're transported or stored on our jobsites.  Another great feature we love about these ICFs is that they're reversible, non-handed, and is available in both angled and radiused profiles.  During assembly, they click into place which prevents form uplifts  resulting in plumb walls!

-Sound proofing: The thick multi-layer nature of the forms help increase sound proofing.

-Superior R-Values:  The City of Vancouver requires a rating of R-22 for all basement and above grade walls.  You can achieve R-24 with Nudura ICFs, which is 10% more compared to traditional assemblies.  As a result, it can help with energy savings in heating, cooling, and ventilation, creating a more superior performing home.

-Increased Interior Square Footage: Using ICFs in basements eliminates the need to build frost walls.  We can directly drywall over the ICF panels giving you more interior floor space.

-Cost: Nudura ICFs is 30% less expensive than conventional forms, savings that we pass onto you!

-Less Waste & Saves Trees: Unlike other conventional ICFs on the market, you can cut these panels to the desired lengths and use the remaining portion for another area, decreasing overall waste! 

We at JDL Homes believe in combining traditional values with innovative building technologies like Nudura ICFs panels to build you a quality home with integrity.  We're always looking for ways to improve and to be more efficient without compromising the overall quality and end result of your home.

​Contact us today to discuss how we can help you with your next project and f​or more information on ICFs please visit Vancouver ICF.

JDL Homes Vancouver had the pleasure of presenting the "To Renovate or Build New?" seminar at the Greater Vancouver Home Builder's Association (GVHBA) Home Reno Show this past weekend.  Here's our slideshow presentation in case you missed it!

On Saturday, October 1st, the Langford family bundled up the baby and struck out to take in the Vancouver Heritage Foundation's 2011 Laneway House Tour.

While we didn't make it to all the houses, what we did see was inspiring. It was great to see some other builders doing stylish, high-quality work.

Laneway housing has met with some resistance since its introduction to Vancouver in 2009. However, walking through some of these homes it is clear that they are a smart, practical solution for affordable housing in our region.

As a licenced and insured new-home builder, JDL Homes can help you with your laneway home from design to build and all the details in between.

Check out the homes below for inspiration and then contact Doug today for your free consultation.

Small really is beautiful! This 750 square foot 2 bedroom plus garage is full of smart storage and plenty of light. I was impressed that the second bedroom had room for a crib AND a built-in captain's bed.

Lot Size: 50 x 120
Zoning: RS-1
2 bedroom
750 square feet (plus garage)

The nice big balcony was a key feature of this spot. The upstairs living space was an interesting reversal from some of the others which were primarily living downstairs, sleeping upstairs. However, the bakers on the tour wondered if they could survive in a home without a proper oven.

Lot Size: 35.25 x 112
Zoning: RS-5
1 bedroom
921 square feet (including garage)

This home built by the owner was the first stop on the tour. It was absolutely gorgeous and made me think we should build a laneway house for our family and just rent out our main house! Yes, it was that nice. The builder made excellent use of windows, french doors and skylights to keep the entire space feeling bright and airy. All the natural light made you forget you were in a laneway house.

Lot Size: 47.5 x 130
Zoning: RS-1
2 bedrooms
970 square feet (including garage)

At 530 square feet this was the smallest laneway house we looked at on the tour. The house featured  a one-wall galley kitchen, one and a half baths and beautiful french doors opening out from the kitchen / main living space onto an outdoor patio.

Lot Size: 33 x 130
Zoning: RS-1
1 bedroom
530 square feet