Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/728142
profile AT HOME Ihor Pona, Adam Blasberg FALL 2016 BCA A .COM 29 AN UPSIZE AND A DOWNSIZE Moving into a laneway home was a size upgrade for renters Kris and Meagan Smith. But the owners built the house with plans to eventually downsize, and use it as a pied-à-terre when they retire, says Jake Fry, founder and principal of Smallworks, the builder. What makes the space livable? "Every room has a connection to the ground floor. Although the square footage is comparable to a condo, you have a big deck or patio," says Fry, whose company specializes in laneway homes and other small residences. "You have this contact with the outside you don't typically have with a smaller living environment." Laneway homes have become more popular in recent years, as Vancouver's municipal government alters zoning in some residential areas to allow greater density – and provide much-needed rental housing. Design-wise, the goal was to balance the West Coast modern aesthetic of the laneway home with the circa-1930s principal home – and it worked out well, says Fry. The next imperative? Maximizing built-in storage space such as shelving and closets. "The more built-ins and customized furniture, the more opportunities for storage," he says. "We are able to treat these homes much like sailboats: you may not have extra rooms, but you have what you need to live comfortably."