Laneway houses in Richmond Hill
A laneway house is a self-contained home at the back of a lot that fronts a public lane, built where the garage stood, and the lot check comes before anything is drawn. Richmond Hill is older streets around the Mill Pond and off Yonge, 1970s and 1980s subdivisions, and moraine lots at the north end, mostly on 50 and 60 foot lots. In Richmond Hill that means checking the lane, the fire access route and the lot depth against the rules before the design starts.
Richmond Hill, on the ground.
Lots have the width for a crane and a bin, and the mature trees on older streets are protected, so the site plan works around them. The garage comes down, the services are trenched from the house or the street, and the new house goes up at the back of the lot with deliveries from the lane.
Read more about building in Richmond Hill or the full laneway houses page.
On the drawing.
A lot check against the laneway by-law: lane frontage, fire access route, setbacks, height, lot depth
Engineered drawings and a rendering of the laneway house
Building permit filed and followed by us, with the demolition permit for the garage
Foundation, framing, envelope, roof, mechanical, electrical and finishes
Services from the main house or the street as the drawings call for
A deficiency walk with the list closed before the last payment, and a written warranty
Paper first.
A laneway house needs a building permit with engineered drawings and a demolition permit for the garage, and the fire access route is part of the review. The City of Richmond Hill issues the permit, and moraine lots at the north end add the conservation authority and the Moraine plan to the review.
- A building permit with engineered drawings is required, plus a demolition permit for the garage.
- In Toronto, laneway suites are permitted as-of-right on qualifying lots under the City's by-law; a lot outside the rules goes to the Committee of Adjustment.
- The fire access route from the street is part of the permit review.
- Other municipalities have their own additional residential unit rules. [Kam confirms which ones Savino has built under.]
The paperwork wall: WSIB, insurance, licences, the HCRA status and the warranty, on one page and dated.
| Driver | What we look at |
|---|---|
| Storeys and floor area | One storey or two, and how much of the allowed footprint is used. |
| Services | Water, sewer, gas and hydro run from the main house or from the street, and the distance sets the trenching. |
| Fire access | The route for a fire hose from the street decides whether sprinklers or other measures are needed. |
| The old garage | Demolition and whether the old slab and footings can go. |
| Finish level | Kitchen, bathroom and flooring chosen from the catalogue. |
No price per square foot on this site. The lot check and the drawings set the number.
It needs lane frontage, a fire access route from the street and the setbacks and lot depth the rules call for. We check the lot before drawings. [Kam confirms the Richmond Hill rules Savino has built under.]
the City of Richmond Hill issues the building permit and the demolition permit for the garage, and the fire access route is part of the review.
Usually, with reinforcement the engineer decides from a test pit. The lots off Yonge and around the Mill Pond have the width for a crane, and a second storey keeps the footprint and the mature trees.
The City of Richmond Hill. Additions, second storeys and new houses all need a building permit with engineered drawings.