This 1,480 square foot 3-bedroom 2-bath laneway suite will become a forever-home for the homeowner’s son and family. Our team developed a planning scheme custom tailored to the homeowner’s immediate and long-term needs on this uniquely deep lot in Toronto’s East End. The ground floor living space offers a spacious open concept dining, kitchen, and living area with large sliding doors opening to a dedicated patio and parking area, effectively blurring the boundaries of exterior with interior. The upper level hosts a large principal bedroom suite oriented to the laneway, alongside a common bath and two secondary bedrooms. The building is sited to accommodate and leverage several large trees that provide passive shading and privacy. This configuration also enables the creation of private outdoor space, surface parking, and through-access to the rear of the lot from the primary dwelling. Striving to meet a very ambitious budget, our team worked closely with the homeowner to identify key priorities and a phased approach to construction that would exceed all goals both in the short and long term while avoiding any sacrifices on comfort, building performance, or the aesthetic.
The Osborne Laneway Suite exemplifies how a resourceful and integrated approach can meet ambitious project goals both physically and financially while leveraging the unique characteristics of the lot to their greatest advantage. This unit is a prime example of how laneway suites can be an affordable, long-term housing option for families to live, work, play, and grow together in our existing urban fabric.