Mirvish Village Laneway House

An old falling-down garage makes way for a stunning 2-bedroom oasis.

Our Clients

Samantha & Colin had this property in their family for decades and while they currently live in the west end, they had lived at this property during their university years. The garage on the property was falling down and had to be dealt with. This was the ideal opportunity to build a laneway house.

The obvious move would have been to build a simple home to keep costs down and rent it out. But Samantha and Colin had a grander vision - one that saw them possibly retiring into this neighborhood when their current family home becomes too big.

So they spared no expense and engaged a wonderful architect in Neil Morfitt who expertly guided them on building a beautiful, high quality 2-bedroom home that will certainly outlast them.

The best part of the design saw the kitchen and living room move to the second floor in order to take advantage of the daylight and views of the future park, now currently being built in the new Mirvish Village

LOCATION
The Annex, Toronto 

PROJECT GOALS

  • Create separate living space from the main house

  • Maximize daylight in living spaces

  • Create luxurious home fit for retirement. 

APPROXIMATE COST
$920K

What we did

Once the garage was torn down things moved ahead fairly easily. A brand new foundation was poured and the plumbing and electrical services were trenched back to the main house.

The roof and upper walls were clad in custom metal while the ground floor walls received a beautiful brick treatment. The fully custom kitchen built out of white oak blends seamlessly with the flooring and douglas fir windows.

As is typical with high-end homes, this features a unique floating staircase which allows tons of light in what would otherwise be a dark hallway.

The Details

Approximate Cost

$920k Plus HST

Approximate Duration

12 Months

Property unoccupied during construction

Architect

Neil Morfitt Architect

Project Challenges

Adding the lanehouse with an electric car charger to this property pushed the electrical service needs beyond the existing 200A. This meant upgrading to a 400A service and the challenge there is that the cables have to be buried underground in concrete.

A very long, protracted campaign ensued to get Toronto Hydro to play ball and in the end it worked out. But they certainly made us jump through a lot of hoops.

>> Project Gallery

“Lighthaus has the ability to do it all. They have great relationships with trades, they understand lead times for purchasing, and they can troubleshoot really tricky problems to find a solution that will work for you.”

—Samantha H, homeowner

Feeling inspired?
Get in touch.

We're ready to start working with you to bring your vision to reality. Fill out the form to tell us about your project, and we'll reach out to you.