$550,000 – 1,440 sq. ft. – Toronto Life
I transformed my garage into a 1,400-square-foot laneway suite. Now it’s my work sanctuary
In 2018, the city started allowing property owners to turn laneway structures into livable suites. David Shedd, now 57, wanted to build a guest house or a potential rental unit, so he submitted an application. Then the pandemic hit, which complicated the building process and altered his plans for the suite. Now, with most companies working remotely, he thinks it will be the perfect work-from-home retreat.
David: I grew up in southern Indiana. In 2001, I moved to Toronto and found a job in financial services. I still work for that company as the vice-president of sales. In 2013, I bought a three-bed, two–bath detached at St. Clair and Bathurst for $710,000, then spent about $350,000 fixing it up. The place had a two-car laneway garage where I parked one of my cars and stored my bicycles and kayaks.
$330,000 – Toronto Life
This guy built a $330,000 laneway house. Now he’s renting it out for $1,800 a month
Who: Grant Sadler, 49, founder of Smartified Home, which provides security, surveillance and smart home installation services
The history: In 2018, Sadler lived in a three-bed, one-bath rental at Broadview and Danforth, paying $2,400 a month. His three kids stayed with him part time. That summer, the city rolled out its laneway suite program, permitting laneway structures in residential zones in Toronto and East York. Sadler followed the news closely.
$200,000 – 495 sq. ft. – Globe and Mail
Toronto welcomes a new cohort of laneway homes
- One those items are ironed out, Mr. Fishman says he can estimate “pretty accurately” what the home will cost per square foot (the Danforth-Donlands project is around $200,000). “We’ve yet to go back to a client and ask for more money,” he finishes with a laugh.
$350,000 – 1,000 sq. ft. – Toronto Life
These retired teachers built a $350,000 laneway house. The tenant? Their 30-year-old daughter
Who: Jack Gelbloom, 66, retired music teacher; Jessica Goldstein, 70, retired college English teacher; and their daughter Lee Gelbloom, 30, gardener and contemporary dancer.
The history: Jack and Jessica met in 1987, and their daughter, Lee, was born a couple of years later. In 1994, the family purchased a four-bed, two-bath in Seaton Village for $250,000. Over the years, they did some renovations, including a $20,000 backyard landscaping project, which involved tearing down the existing garage.