Your backyard could pay your mortgage.
If you own a property in Vancouver, North Vancouver, or Burnaby, you could be eligible to build a laneway or coach home. Answer six questions and we call you with what fits and what it costs to build.
Does your lot qualify?
Six quick questions, then where to reach you. We look up the lot before we call.
- Building in Metro Vancouver since 2002, now in the third generation.
- Georgie Awards finalist and Built Green Canada Maverick Award winner.
- Every home covered by 2-5-10 warranty insurance.
Two Ways Owners Use It
Rental income
A self-contained home with its own entrance, rented to a long-term tenant. The rent goes toward the mortgage on the main house.
Family close by
A home of their own for a parent or an adult child, with its own entrance and kitchen, steps from the main house.
A laneway home built for family can be rented later, and one built as a rental can house family.
Built for Owners of Detached Lots
A good fit
- You own a detached house or a vacant lot, or your family does.
- The property is in Vancouver, North Vancouver, or Burnaby. We build across Metro Vancouver as well.
- You want one team for design, permits, and construction.
- You would like to start within the next year or two.
Not a fit
- Townhouses and condos. They sit on shared strata land, where a laneway home cannot be added.
- Renters. The owner of the property needs to lead the project.
We Handle the Entire Process
One team and one point of contact through all five stages. You receive a dated schedule before construction starts.
- 01
Feasibility
We check the zoning, the lot, the lane, and servicing, and give you a budget range.
- 02
Design
Plans drawn to your city's laneway and coach house rules, around how the home will be used.
- 03
Permits
We prepare the application and work with the city until the permit is issued.
- 04
Construction
One project manager runs the site. You keep living in the main house.
- 05
Occupancy
Final inspections, the occupancy permit, and the keys. Covered by 2-5-10 warranty insurance.
What Happens After You Send a Request
We look up the lot
Zoning, lot size, lane or street access, servicing, and where the existing house sits.
What fits, and what it costs
Whether a laneway home works on your lot, what your city allows on it, and a build budget range.
Site walk and itemized estimate
We walk the property, then send an itemized estimate and a dated schedule.
Laneway Home Questions
It depends on your city's rules, the size and shape of the lot, lane or street access, servicing, and where the existing house sits. We check all of it before we call, so the answer is specific to your property.
Very little. Both are a separate home at the back of the lot, with its own entrance, kitchen, and bathroom. Some cities call it a coach house and some a laneway home. What differs from city to city is the rules on size, height, and parking, and we design to the rules for your lot.
It depends on size, site conditions, and finish level. You receive a build budget range on the first call and an itemized estimate before you commit to anything.
Yes. The laneway home goes up at the back of the lot, behind site fencing, while you stay in the main house. Expect some noise during excavation and framing.
Yes. The design and permit process is the same, and the home can be rented later if your plans change.
No. Design, engineering, permits, and construction all run through Major Homes, with one point of contact. If you already have drawings, we review them against your city's rules.
Yes. Select 'I am looking to buy' in the form and enter the address you are considering. We tell you whether the lot can take a laneway home before you make an offer.
Find Out What Your Backyard Can Hold
Six questions and one call. You hear whether your lot can take a laneway home and what it costs to build.
Send Us Your Request