If you live in West Vancouver and ever thought of building a coach house then you’re finally in luck. After several years of careful consideration West Vancouver has followed other neighbouring cities in allowing the construction of backyard homes, beginning in the fall/winter of 2014 (in areas where secondary suites are currently allowed).

Here’s a quick comparison of coach house programs:

* The program allows the increase of property Floor Space Ratio (FSR) if building a coach house
(sometimes also called a laneway house).

Vancouver’s program is very popular as it allows for a secondary suite and a coach house, as well as an increase in the property’s allowable Floor Space Ratio. The City of North Vancouver (CNV) has had a number of coach houses built but not to the same extent as Vancouver given the more restrictive CNV program structure. West Vancouver’s offering is closer to the City of North Vancouver’s program and so while there will be coach houses built the growth won’t likely be as rapid as that seen in Vancouver.

Benefits of Building Coach Houses

Despite the new programs comparatively tighter requirements there are still excellent benefits especially in communities like West Vancouver where land costs are high compared to other cities.

• Allows additional privacy for owners who want to have a secondary suite without having to live
  in the same structure.

 

• Creates multi-generational living opportunities for either adult children or elderly parents.

 

• Owners can downsize into a smaller housing unit on their own property.

 

But living small doesn’t mean that you can’t live large. West Vancouver will allow coach houses up to 1,200 square feet (or 10% of the lot size if the calculation is less than 1,200). This is significantly more space than many apartments in or near downtown Vancouver.

Any good builder knows that designing a coach house isn’t the same as designing a standard house as there is a much greater need to maximize the use of every bit of space in a multi-functional and flexible way. We respect this fact and have aligned ourselves with the expertise and experience of our good friend Greg Cormier, who designed and built the first coach house on his own property in the City of North Vancouver (seen here).

So if you’re envisioning a North Shore coach house, why not drop us a line. We’d be more than happy to hear about the project that you have in mind.

West Vancouver coach house information can be found here.