Laneway houses in Vaughan
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. The Vaughan brief is usually a custom home on a Woodbridge lot, a second storey on a 1980s house, or a whole-home renovation with a new rear wall.
Vaughan, on the ground.
Vaughan is 1960s and 1970s houses on wide lots in Woodbridge, Maple and Thornhill, many already rebuilt as custom homes, with a heritage district in Kleinburg. In Vaughan that means checking the lane, the fire access route and the lot depth against the rules before the design starts. Lots are generous, driveways take a crane and a bin, and lots along the Humber add a conservation authority review. 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 Vaughan 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 Vaughan issues the permit, and a design outside the zoning envelope goes to the Committee of Adjustment before the application is complete.
- 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 Vaughan rules Savino has built under.]
the City of Vaughan issues the building permit and the demolition permit for the garage, and the fire access route is part of the review.
The City of Vaughan. Additions, second storeys and new houses all need a building permit with engineered drawings, and Kleinburg's heritage district adds a review.
It depends on whether the design fits the zoning envelope and whether a conservation review applies. [Kam confirms typical Vaughan permit timing.] Our guide on the Vaughan permit timeline walks through the steps.