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Step Code 4 for Homes starting January

Step Code 4 for Homes starting January 2025 in New Westminster

As you might know, all municipalities are implementing higher levels of energy-efficient homes on a yearly basis, and if you want to build any new homes, you should be prepared for this action sooner or later.
The City of New Westminster is indeed implementing Step Code 4 for all new single-family home construction starting January 1, 2025. This is a significant step towards improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions in the city. You can see their announcement on this link.

Here’s a brief overview of what this means:

  • Higher Energy Efficiency Standards: Step Code 4 sets higher standards for insulation, airtightness, and mechanical systems in new homes.
  • Reduced Energy Consumption: By meeting these standards, new homes will consume less energy for heating, cooling, and hot water.
  • Lower Carbon Footprint: Lower energy consumption translates to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Potential Cost Savings: While initial construction costs may be slightly higher, long-term energy savings can offset these costs.
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If you’re planning to build a new single-family home in New Westminster, it’s important to be aware of these new regulations and work with a builder who is experienced in meeting Step Code 4 requirements.

As you might know, the city of North Vancouver has started the step code 4 requirement since November 2023.

We helped many homeowners achieve the goal of building energy-efficient homes, including Step Code 4 homes. Call us today to get assistance.

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How to build a house in Vancouver?

Building a house in Vancouver can interesting task to take but at the same time it could be a complex process. Here’s a general roadmap to get you started:

Research and Planning:

    • Zone Regulations and Property Check: Familiarize yourself with zoning bylaws in your municipality. For example, if you live in Vancouver, the City of Vancouver website offers a helpful tool to explore these regulations [City of Vancouver Build a new house or laneway house]. Understanding what’s allowed on your property is crucial. Sometimes the exploration and understanding the wording can be comprehensive. You can contact us to get more assistance.

Budgeting and Financing:

    • Crafting a Realistic Budget: Building a house involves various costs beyond just materials. Factor in demolition (if needed), permits, professional fees, and a buffer for unexpected expenses. Remember, always check these fees with a professional to avoid any mistakes.
    • Securing Financing: Talk to lenders or mortgage brokers to explore financing options that suit your project’s scale. If you have hard time with your lender, we might be able to find you one. Just contact us to see the possibilities.
vancouver laneway home builder

Team Building:

    • Hiring a Contractor: Consider hiring a licensed and experienced contractor to manage the construction process. Investigate references and qualifications thoroughly. Just to inform you that we are licensed, and bonded and have all required permits to build your desired home.
    • Design Professionals (Optional): An architect or architectural technologist can create plans that meet your vision and comply with regulations.
North Vancouver laneway home

Design and Permitting:

    • Designing Your Dream Home: Whether you use a professional or have a set plan in mind, ensure the design adheres to local regulations and your budget.
    • Navigating Permits: Building permits are mandatory. The City of Vancouver website offers information on the application process and required documents [City of Vancouver Build a new house or laneway house].

Construction and Occupancy:

    • Construction Phase: Once permits are acquired, construction begins. The contractor will oversee this stage, ensuring adherence to plans and safety regulations.
    • Inspections: Regular inspections by city officials are crucial throughout construction.
    • Occupancy Permit: Upon successful inspections, you’ll receive an occupancy permit, signifying your new home is ready to move into!
  • Remember, We are here to help you from stage one to the end and make sure all the process is been taken care of accurately and professionally. Just contact us for more details.
North Vancouver laneway home

Burnaby is accepting applications for Laneway Homes

Burnaby accepting applications for Laneway Homes

Starting Monday, September 18 2023 after many months of waiting, the city of Burnaby is accepting applications for Laneway homes.

If you like to know more about the regulations and zoning, click here to know more!

We build a laneway home within 4 to 8 months after the permit is issued and have many happy clients who testify to our honesty and integrity in our project.

If you are interested in building one, please call 604-929-6696 or contact us to start your application right away! (or simply fill out the form below!)

Vancouver laneway house

Eligible Properties:

First and foremost, the lot has to have vehicular access either from a lane or from a side street. Some corner lots will require approval from the engineering department.
The Laneway home will be constructed at the rear of the lot.

The lot zoning should be on a single family zoning such as R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R8, R10, R11, R12, RM1, RM2, RM3, and RM6.
Please consult with us to see if your lot is eligible for building a laneway home by clicking here.

What size can we build on a lot?

The maximum allowed floor area of a laneway home is 20% of the lot size up to a maximum of 1,507 SF. 
For example, if your lot size is 7,000 SF your laneway house can not be more than 1,400 SF.
Other considerations such as site coverage and impervious area coverage will affect the size of the home as well.

  • The Laneway home can not be more than 2 storeys
  • The maximum height can not be more than 24.93 ft for a sloped roof
  • The maximum height can not be more than 21.98 ft for a flat roof
  • Passive house has some exemptions
  • Basements and sellers are allowed in laneway homes
  • The Laneway home can not be more than 2 storey
  • The maximum height can not be more than 24.93 ft for a sloped roof
  • The maximum height can not be more than 21.98 ft for a flat roof
  • Passive house has some exemptions
  • Basement and sellers are allowed in laneway homes  
laneway house construction

There are other restrictions such as sideyard and rear setback, outdoor space, distance from the main house, access, servicing and the construction method that all can be taken care of by our team as soon as our client has decided to move forward with the project.

There are many benefits of investing in a laneway home construction and we assure our clients we build the most cost-effective one with the best standard in the market.
Our business module is on win-win philosophy and we take pride in having many happy clients because of our work ethic. See what our past clients say about our services by clicking here.

Laneway house vancouver

The city of Burnaby is aiming to accept building permit applications by September 2023. Considering the number of homeowners who would like to apply for the permit, there will be a huge number of applicants’ anticipation. 
The question is how the city can handle the number of applications.
We experienced similar situations in other municipalities and the backlog of applications is taking years to be taken care of.
If an applicant wants to wait until September 2023 to start their process, it will take about two months to have the initial documents ready to submit to the city.

By the time the documents are ready, there will be a huge number of applicants who applied for the permit already.

The best approach is to hire the company of your choice and have them have all the documents ready and as soon as the permit application is open to submit, your application will be one of the first ones.
Fill out the form below and let us help you to build your Laneway home sooner!

We are all working toward a better community. We can do it by opening the floor for dialogue and listening to all the ideas on the table.

Contact us if you need to know more about how can you make a difference and make your home energy efficient.

 





 


Vancouver laneway house builder

How to start building a laneway home?

How to start a Laneway house project?

Each municipalites have their own rules and regulations, some are easier to accept the laneway homes some harder.
For example, in the city of Vancouver, most properties are eligible to build a laneway home. (It’s always a good idea to call 311 and talk to the enquiry center to make sure your lot is eligible).
On the other hand, in the city of Coquitlam, only lots that are zoned as RT are eligible for building a laneway home. However, this might change soon.
The city of Burnaby is accepting the construction of laneway homes starting in the Fall of 2023 after many years of debates. Read more here.

Step by step guide:

The following is the step-by-step guide as per our experience to help you to find your way.

But if you want to make it easier, contact us and we will take care of all these steps for you and take you from a concept to the move-in to your brand new laneway home in a timely manner.

 

1-Find out the local zoning and regulations,
Check out the municipal website and call them to find out if your property qualifies for this kind of structure. Take note of the regulations, because they will have a major impact on your design. Do you have to provide off-street parking? How big can it be? Setbacks from the property line and the house?
Your designer can help you with some of them too.

The city requires that the owner occupy one of the buildings, note that this building can not be stratified.

 

2-Talk to a designer/builder,
Once you’ve confirmed that you can build a laneway house talk to a designer or a builder to get an idea about the process cost. In many cases, the builder will take care of the rest.

how to start building a laneway home?

3-Site survey
If you hire a builder, they will hire a surveyor for you, or you can hire a surveyor from the telephone book.
We would need a legal survey taken by a BC certified engineer to determine the lot boundary, elevations and utilities location

 

4-Talk to utilities and city services
This new house will need to hook up to sewer and water, electricity and, possibly, gas. Find out the costs of connection fees and permits so you can plan your budget. Check with your city services, BC Hydro and Fortis. Show them the site survey so they can alert you to any concerns that may affect the design or siting of your laneway house.

If there’s an older home on the lot, you might need to update the water line for the sprinkler system or twin the sewer system. It’s important to know these things beforehand.

“We always advise customers to contact BC Hydro before they begin the design process to get a connection estimate,” says Mora Scott from Media Relations and Issues Management at BC Hydro. “The amount of work required will vary for each situation so understanding the cost up front can save customers time and money.”

Later, in the design phase, applicants are required to work with BC Hydro to complete an electrical feasibility study and a physical feasibility study. To proceed with construction, applicants are then required to obtain an electrical permit from the city.

BC Hydro costs associated with a laneway house depend on a number of factors, including height, design and allocation of the laneway house or location on the property.In most cases, BC Hydro will need to add new equipment or upgrade the existing electrical system to provide electrical service to a laneway house.  Mora Scott says that, depending on the scope of work required, costs are usually around $500, but they can go much higher for more complex cases.

Homeowners could be prevented from building a laneway house if they don’t meet BC Hydro’s standard connection guidelines.

“For example, clearance requirements from BC Hydro’s electrical infrastructure are there to keep workers and the public safe,” she says,. “Property owners or parties acting on behalf of a property owner who make an application for electrical service are responsible for ensuring that a laneway or coach house close to the property line meets minimum clearance requirements.”

The standard connection guidelines are available here. For more information about the application process, call BC Hydro’s Electric Service Coordination Centre at 1-877-520-1355.

5-Design
First of all, you need to know your style. Do you want the new building to look like the main house or do you want a different look? Your designer can help you to answer some of these questions, but it’s a good idea to do some research and soul-searching to know yourself and your style.

Get a design done!

You will need detailed plans in order to get permits. A company with experience designing and/or building laneway homes is a good idea because they’re familiar with the regulations and the kinds of problems that can arise with this kind of project. In fact, if you have them on the side from the start, they can guide you through the entire process.

They can help you to hire all other engineers and consultants that required to have all documents ready for the permit application submission.

6-Applying for building permits
Once you have your detailed drawings, you take them to the city for approval. Generally, you will need a development permit, and once you’ve been approved for that you’ll need a building permit. (Depends on the municipalities. For example city of Vancouver will have a combined application but for the district of West Vancouver you would need to apply for DP first and then BP)

In Vancouver, the permit process takes about six months, although the city recently went back to the city council to reduce the length of the process for one-storey laneway homes.

7-Finance 

All this will cost money. CMHC offers forgivable loans through its Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program if the home is built to accommodate the needs of seniors or people with disabilities.

Some banks offer a Laneway Homebuyers’ Bundle that includes free legal and appraisal services, plus a preferred interest rate and the potential to earn up to 2% cashback.

8- Construction

Build it…If you don’t have any building experience, you better leave it to experts and hire someone who can help you throughout the process.

We take care of the construction of the laneway home within 4 to 6 months, depending on the time of the year we start.
Our work is insured and bonded by a reputable insurance company, even though we never had any claims within the last 35 years of our practice.

9-Move in
Hopefully, you hired a builder who cares about the environment and builds a green home for you. So, you can enjoy your new Laneway home with minimum operation cost.

Laneway house Vancouver

Vancouver laneway house