Contemplating build costs in Vancouver this afternoon... so here's some thinking out loud.

In 2010 we built the first lane house in Vancouver for ~$220k (700sf). This included all cost for design / permits / all construction. Accounting for inflation that 220k would be about 300k today.

Accounting for the higher end specs and features we do as standard today, it would bump up to 350k.

In 2024 the "all in" cost is ~$600k (design+permits+construction)

so about 18k per year cost escalation, roughly.

Happening Now

https://twitter.com/VanCityClerk/status/1615843674734166023

Digging into the proposed missing middle zoning language for Victoria #yyj

pub-victoria.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ash… I'm not super familiar with @CityOfVictoria zoning (except to know that their lane house policy has been meagre)... but the new zoning seems to allow "Houseplexes" and corner site town houses.

These are generally the low hanging fruit (politically speaking) after LWHs & suites

We're continuing to look at how apt levels of density
(1.4 FSR) might land on a typical 'single family' lot.

In this case a 50x122 lot

The massing battle royale:
> Storeys: 3 vs 3.5 vs 4
> Grade-Accessible vs Basement
> Height vs Site Coverage (aka green space) Existing single family houses are usually 1.5 to 2.5 storeys, though our older 'hoods have 3.5 storey character homes from 1910/20s

Imagine a future where $5 / litre gas is typical.

Then imagine living in a city or town where you can say, 'no big deal'

If we can imagine it, we can build it This means everyone living in a home that is comfortable year round without fossil fuelled heat or electricity.

Another morning listening to @MontePaulsen talk about passive house and embodied carbon.

Monte says underground parkades are a 'carbon bomb'... I also like 'carbon iceberg'... the climate impact is hidden below "mass timber is not a 'fix all'".... but it can reduce embodied co2 around 25%

Perhaps I'll call it a 'fab 4'

Passive house 4 plex on 33' lot(s).
Accessible flats w elevator.
1400sf family sized 3br units. Shared roof deck and yard.

~1.4FSR.
Could contribute 500k to $1m toward city's affordable housing fund. No side yard in the zone where it is adjacent to a single fam house... i.e. for about 40'.

There is a 5' side setback for the portions extending into the front and rear yard.

The bottom floor unit would be smaller to have a breezeway from front yard to back.

Comments on #MakingHome proposal for multifamily housing in Vancouver's 'single family' neighbourhoods:

In 2009 Vancouver adopted a laneway house bylaw that was revolutionary at the time. It allowed “single-lot infill development” city wide, in all [RS zoned] neighbourhoods. In 2018 a limited duplex program was allowed, but it still became a popular alternative to the increasingly unaffordable ‘single family’ home.

Vancouver’s character homes program: An aesthetic fetish for wealthy people that does very little for housing, affordability or the environment (in its current form).

https://twitter.com/globeandmail/status/1340357109620170753

We should exclude basement FSR in existing character homes (so the density can be transferred the infill while leaving the character home intact)

Low basements that count as FSR = gut / lift / total rebuild

Some more details on this list of things that @CityofVancouver has done to incentivize passive house projects.

cc @DianaUrge

https://twitter.com/Lanefab/status/1174815207366918144?s=20

Thick wall exclusions:

In Vancouver the floor area of a project is measured to the OUTSIDE of the wall.

The total amount of floor area that you can build on a given lot is capped in the zoning, so most people want to build to the max size allowed.