Thanks - we are working with a reputable designer and have a number of restrictions and preferences which limit the design.
As these are the preliminary sketches (waiting on our survey to come back) I was curious if someone might have an idea of the second floor bathroom and layout - but happy to hear about all the issues too if there are any big red flags!

What is a coach house?

Seems pretty real models

Is the upstairs bedroom for a child, or for guests? Will it also be a den/office?

Do you plan on a dishwasher?

Upstairs bedroom will be primarily used as an office and then when needed a guest bedroom @bpath.

@Mrs S a coach house is a smaller home located on the same property as a larger residence - typically accessible via the lane.

Is this for you, or is it a new rental in your yard, or on another property you own?

Where will this be built?

What is the site conditions?

What is the site plan?

Where are the adjacent buildings?

What do the exterior elevations look like?

@bpath - the home is for myself and my husband, and is being build on property owned by our family.

@Mark Bischak, Architect great questions - and apologies in advance as we don't have our survey back yet so I can't answer all, but hopefully can give you enough to see if you have any recommendations for that second level layout...

I'm based in Vancouver, Canada.

The site is a residential lot (fairly flat with easy access) with an existing heritage home as the main residence. This home has a laneway on the West side, neighbor on the North (yard and car park closest to the new build), main residence on the East side with a shared yard and main roadway on the South side. I've attached the starting sketches of the exterior for your reference. Max height is 25 feet (9ft main, vaulted second level) and max width is approx. 30ft (the floor plans have maxed out the space allowance).

Verify how the building height is determined. Sometimes it is from grade to highest point, sometimes it is an average from the roof ridge to the roof eave, to grade.

A second floor outdoor living space directly above a first floor heated living space is always a risk of leaking.

Your notes call for a "bench/hook area". This would be in addition to the bench and closet shown on the drawing just inside from the "Covered Entry Porch"?

Bedroom #2 does not have an egress window.

There is second floor plumbing over potentially unheated space will have to be addressed.

Kayla we are also in Vancouver. As you and I know coach houses are extremely common here. Both the layouts you shared are also very common. They are great little homes. So fun!

Yours looks extremely similar to many I’ve seen before. Our neighbours had one just like it. I personally prefer the first of your two layouts. In my opinion I would make the guest/office more multi purpose though. Maybe a Murphy bed and a sliding door or some kind of system that could be left more open at times. Lane way and coach houses are tiny in reality and the more you think on how to keep it open and feel bigger the better.

Who are you working with? City of Van is intense right now with all their energy efficient rules etc. Building will be pricey. We considered a lane way at one time and were quoted $400/square foot and that was back in 2016

@Mark Bischak, Architect - thanks for your feedback and recommendations!

Your idea for the configuration of Option B is definitely something we will consider as it will remove the risk of the bathroom plumbing be positioned over the storage area (as you also flagged).

Thanks again!

@WestCoast Hopeful we are fortunate to have a few general contractors in our family, so the project management costs have been reduced, but that estimate of $400 per sq ft is probably pretty accurate.

And yes we're already planning for a murphy bed in the second bedroom to maximize space for the office layout (which will be the use for 90% of the time). If you have any recommendations for companies please let me know as I'm having trouble finding exactly what I want!

We are looking at geo thermal and solar power to reduce our footprint so hopefully the City approves!

I prefer Mark's version as it solves the issues I was seeing.

And also as Mark suggested be careful of having exterior balconies over enclosed spaces. (Ask me how I know about this problem.)

Do you need the seating at the island or peninsula? Kitchen layout in B is not ideal and kitchen layout in A is not wide enough for an island with seating so close to the living room.

Is it a possibility to extend the living space upstairs into the area that is now a balcony and have large windows along that wall instead?

My husband, having had to repair some balconies over living spaces, absolutely refused to have one in our new house. He said it is not a question of *whether* they will leak, it is a question of *when* they will.

Perhaps there are other alternatives that could give you the outside feel while still inside?

I like Mark’s version of the bedroom, too. But I also like the Plan A kitchen running along the left wall. (The U-kitchen in B is kind of a ”one-butt kitchen”.) Could the Plan A and Plan Mark be combined somehow?

@cpartist thanks for your comments and thoughts! We are pretty set on having seating at the kitchen island - our priority zones are kitchen and living room as that is where we spend the majority of our time.

And yes to accommodate that outdoor space our hands are tied with it being over interior living space - that said it is definitely a concern.

@K B thank you for your feedback and thoughts! Unfortunately we are maxed at square footage so we can't take from the deck - if we reduce the footprint of the outside space we are not able to gain it on the inside - the regulations around the zoning of these infills/coach houses are pretty particular to say the least!

We will definitely investigate our options as I can appreciate the comment of not whether it will leak but when it will leak!

@bpath - I agree, I think the bedroom/bath option in Mark's layout could work, but I want the kitchen and living to be closest to the deck (and skylights). That said the reason for our reversed floor plan was to capitalize on the open feeling of the vaulted ceiling, and my concern was losing some of this if you walk up the stairs and are immediately met with walls or doors on the right hand side... that said it gives a better bathroom layout for sure.

Do you actually sit at the island stools to eat your meals? or do you perch over coffee and bagels, but sit down at the table for dinner? What I’m saying is, maybe you can go with a narrower island, and maybe perch around the corner instead of in a row. That would give you a little more room between island and living room.

"Could the Plan A and Plan Mark be combined somehow?"

That will be the job of the "reputable designer". We can only lead the horse to water.

Mark here in Vancouver there are many designers who specialize in lane way homes and are excellent at their craft. They are not the hacks that often get complained about here.

@Mark Bischak, Architect I have to take responsibility for the preliminary plans as I was set on having the openness of the vaulted ceilings not be blocked by doors or walls as you walk up the stairs, which remains my biggest concern with the recommendation you put forward. I will have to think about what my top priorities are and then go from there!

@WestCoast Hopeful we are very lucky in this area of the world to have some fantastic people to work with! Additionally my immediate family is made up of 3 general contractors and a custom kitchen cabinet maker so I've been spoiled with a lifetime of designs, builds and quality craftsmanship!

@bpath completely understand what you're saying and it's it definitely something I've put thought into, that said we're pretty much all kitchen and living room people (rarely use our dining room table).

I think I'll do a little space blocking to get a better feel of the distance between the living and kitchen and see how tight it feels.

@kayla, hopefully you will be able to get some more ideas from your architect. Maybe you could flip a part of the plan so that thr balcony is over the garage? It would change up a lot, so it might not be worth it, especially if it would be less privacy or losing a view, but at least a possible future leak over the garage or storage space would be better than over you bedroom. Of course, if the other constraints won't let that happen, maybe you just plan to redo that part of the house every x number of years as part of preventative maintenance? So many factors to consider!

In Plan A one would have to walk through the dining area to get from the bedroom to the bathroom. Without knowing how the spaces will be used, it is still something I would avoid.

Upper B with change suggested by Mark Bischak, Architect seems to be the more practical of the two options.

Seriously consider looking at more plans to know all your options and don't discount the idea of omitting the garage from the structure in order to have more space especially if you have the option to add a carport or car shelter now or later.

You cannot add more space. They are maxed out. The rules are very tight.

Saw this local one and thought of you. It is not a two bedroom but lots other is similar.

https://smallworks.ca/app/uploads/2019/03/4022-Quesnel-Drive.pdf

Thanks @westCoast Hopeful!
And you’re very right about the space restrictions and how strict things are when it comes to this build - definitely a lot of hoops to jump through!!

Thanks for your comments and thoughts @suezbell - we are still undecided about the bedroom /bath layout in B - even with the closet switch that Mark recommended but we will see!

Where in Van are you? What size lot is it on?

@MarkBischak - yes the access and route is definitely something to consider… the bedroom will be used as an office 95% of the time, but ideally the bath and bedroom would sit closer together. Thank you for your feedback and sharing your thoughts on this - lots to think about!

@WestCoast Hopeful - we’re on a 50ft x 130ft lot so have a decent amount of space for this infill but never enough!

Lucky! That’s large for Van.

If you did something like Mark’s bedroom plan, you could add a pocket door at the entrance to that suite. It would stay open and out of the way most of the time, but could be closed to give a guest a little more privacy between bathroom and bedroom.

Consider this for the kitchen. It will give you extra light if you want by putting windows on either side of the stove. It will also put the fridge closer to where you serve and make it easier for adding in a dishwasher and having better prep space between sink and stove.

If you do decide to put your kitchen between existing house and new garage, you could have windows on both ends (?east and west sunlight?) -- and/or consider adding skylights to the kitchen -- and/or add skylights to any porch you add to add more light since you'd be building a new kitchen roof anyway.

By using the room beside the entry foyer as your dining room, you could recreate that wall in between the two and make it more open and create space for a coat closet/ hall tree w/seating.

No offense to Mark and those of you suggesting his edit, I am sure this is simply overlooked, but 8'6 is not suitable for a bedroom. I simply can't agree with this plan.

Rabbitt this is a tiny lane way home. The bedroom on paper will be an occasional guest space and mostly office. This layout and size is extremely common in small lane ways in Vancouver

eh...spitball design, spent 20 minutes considering this, take it for what its worth

Thanks @Rabbitt Design appreciate the feedback - and always nice to be able to 'see' a plan!

In a tiny home for two, consider a Murphy bed, perhaps in a dining room with a dining table and chairs with wheels for easily moving them about. Focus on plenty of closet space and an efficient bath (w/stacked w/d in bath) to hide what needs to be hidden and minimize clutter.

Put additional storage and guest space upstairs in a dual loft (with or without a powder room) .Make the loft space accessible from spiral stairs)

https://www.paragonstairs.com/spiral-stairs/uses/indoor/

preferably in it's own closet (visible, if desirable, via glass in or as a part of the walls and/or glass door ) .

Constructing the stairs so they can be closed off from the downstairs for temperature control -- heat/ac efficiency is an economic measure and can be a design feature .

With the stairs located at/near near the middle of the house, the rooms can "flow" around it.

Found this carriage house:

https://drummondhouseplans.com/plan/mercer-contemporary-1003126

What about the rearranged kitchen?

My sketch is a concept for a building not yet built, it has no dimensions. Its intent is to express an abstract idea, it has no physical existence to be measured.

@cpartist - haha yes I think our next version will look a lot different! We've had some great feedback on this thread and its given me lots to consider, I have a few ideas now about the kitchen and dining layout, and will making some updates for sure.

@kayla please post updates!