Western Expresso

[DavefromSt.Vital]

If vid accidentally boarded a northbound 11 bus in front of the Concert Hall at the same time that rrskylar intentionally boarded a southbound 11 bus at Henderson and Munroe, at what point...

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by DavefromSt.Vital

If vid accidentally boarded a northbound 11 bus in front of the Concert Hall at the same time that rrskylar intentionally boarded a southbound 11 bus at Henderson and Munroe, at what point...

Sorry Dave old skylar hasn't boarded a bus since way back in university days, last public transit I took was the crappy ATS at O'Hare and now I'm good for another twenty years!

[Kinguni]

Originally Posted by vid

Did the 45 stop there in 2012? I might have been on the 45???

I love how this is now a big, complex discussion of "Which bus did vid accidentally take to Elmwood??"

LOL! It got there in a round about way prior to construction of the current bridges.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by vid

Did the 45 stop there in 2012? I might have been on the 45???

I love how this is now a big, complex discussion of "Which bus did vid accidentally take to Elmwood??"

I think the interest in your bus itinerary was due to a slow news day

[esquire]

Quick question for anyone who might have some experience with this.

I'm interested in building a home, basically a very contemporary infill type of design in a central neighbourhood. I live in one right now but I'd like something a bit more suited to a growing family (i.e., bigger, with more yard space)... I bought it a couple of years after it was built so I didn't have any involvement in the design/construction process.

I thought about contacting one of the local firms that specializes in this kind of thing like House5 or Design-Built, but I have to admit I'm a little clueless as to how the process works. Are you expected to buy the land first and then approach the company, or should they be involved right at the outset? Are there any other companies worth considering for something like this?

I'd be grateful for any insight, PMs also welcome.

[drew]

Originally Posted by esquire

Quick question for anyone who might have some experience with this.

I'm interested in building a home, basically a very contemporary infill type of design in a central neighbourhood. I live in one right now but I'd like something a bit more suited to a growing family (i.e., bigger, with more yard space)... I bought it a couple of years after it was built so I didn't have any involvement in the design/construction process.

I thought about contacting one of the local firms that specializes in this kind of thing like House5 or Design-Built, but I have to admit I'm a little clueless as to how the process works. Are you expected to buy the land first and then approach the company, or should they be involved right at the outset? Are there any other companies worth considering for something like this?

I'd be grateful for any insight, PMs also welcome.

When you say "central" neighbourhood - where are you thinking? I only ask as older central neighbourhoods and yard space usually don't equate, especially if you want a garage.

Also, if you are looking for infill, it's probably only possible to find the property first (because infill lots are hard to find), and then start talking to home builders. Also, infill lots are not generally tied to a particular builder, so you are free to shop around.

This is mostly because there are so many variables at play depending where the house it, size of the lot (especially width), etc. that will change the end design of your house.

[esquire]

^ I live in Riverview and my current backyard is nonexistent, e.g. a deck and a parking space. I've seen a fair number of homes go up in my area on wider lots that have at least a bit of a backyard, so something like that is what we're after. If we take that route we're definitely not expecting a backyard big enough for a huge pool, garden and patio and all that, just a bit more than what we have now.

Ideally we'd stay in the same area or another neighbourhood similar to it, basically a streetcar suburb within a mile of downtown.

We were planning to buy a house but we figured we owed it to ourselves to at least explore the possibility of building since we've enjoyed our current home so much... of course, the tricky thing about getting the property first is that we would have no idea how much the house would cost to build which turns budgeting into an exercise in guesswork. Having a number attached to building a house we like would give us a pretty firm idea as to how much we could afford to spend on the land. Somehow this process seems more complicated for infill vs. new subdivisions...

[bomberjet]

You can probably talk to a builder and tell them what you're wanting to do. They can give you some ideas of what it would cost for a house on this type of lot. Maybe a couple different sizes and shapes. Then you have an idea when you're trying to find a lot, instead of going in blind. Too risky that way, for me anyways.

[drew]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ I live in Riverview and my current backyard is nonexistent, e.g. a deck and a parking space. I've seen a fair number of homes go up in my area on wider lots that have at least a bit of a backyard, so something like that is what we're after. If we take that route we're definitely not expecting a backyard big enough for a huge pool, garden and patio and all that, just a bit more than what we have now.

Ideally we'd stay in the same area or another neighbourhood similar to it, basically a streetcar suburb within a mile of downtown.

We were planning to buy a house but we figured we owed it to ourselves to at least explore the possibility of building since we've enjoyed our current home so much... of course, the tricky thing about getting the property first is that we would have no idea how much the house would cost to build which turns budgeting into an exercise in guesswork. Having a number attached to building a house we like would give us a pretty firm idea as to how much we could afford to spend on the land. Somehow this process seems more complicated for infill vs. new subdivisions...

It's definitely more complicated, and more expensive.

The problem with getting your hopes up on a particular style of house before you get the property is that the size of the lot, especially in older areas, really affects what you can do.

For example, lots in River Heights are generally 40'x120' or 50'x120. Lots in Wolseley range from 30', 33', 40', and rarely 50' but only 100' deep. River View probably has lots of a similar narrow width, not sure of the depth.

Distance on the side of your house to the property line dictates window openings, outside finishes, and sometimes even exterior wall construction.

I agree with bomberjet that it's a good idea to talk to a builder for some basic budget realities, but until you get your lot, you cannot design your house.

[esquire]

^ My current lot is about 25 x 100, and the house swallows up most of it. In the newer (e.g. 1950s and 60s vintage) parts of the area the lots get a fair bit bigger, typically in the range of 40 or 50 x 120, with some being noticeably bigger or smaller.

Of course, finding one of those 50 x 120 type lots at a price that makes new construction feasible is the big challenge.

[TimeFadesAway]

Originally Posted by drew

For example, lots in River Heights are generally 40'x120' or 50'x120. Lots in Wolseley range from 30', 33', 40', and rarely 50' but only 100' deep. River View probably has lots of a similar narrow width, not sure of the depth.

Part of St. Boniface have quite deep lots. A friend of mine lives on Ritchot, and while the lot is narrow, it's depth makes for a pretty big backyard.

Originally Posted by drew

Distance on the side of your house to the property line dictates window openings, outside finishes, and sometimes even exterior wall construction.

I agree with bomberjet that it's a good idea to talk to a builder for some basic budget realities, but until you get your lot, you cannot design your house.

Totally. A builder should be able to give you a ballpark figure based on lot sizes you identify, and that should help your budgeting somewhat, but you are talking about an error range of 50K+

[drew]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ My current lot is about 25 x 100, and the house swallows up most of it. In the newer (e.g. 1950s and 60s vintage) parts of the area the lots get a fair bit bigger, typically in the range of 40 or 50 x 120, with some being noticeably bigger or smaller.

Of course, finding one of those 50 x 120 type lots at a price that makes new construction feasible is the big challenge.

City bylaws for distance from lot lines is usually 4-feet, but can go down to 10% of lot width. So your current lot would allow you a maximum house width of 20-feet in theory.

I understand you can get variances down to 2-foot distance from the property line, but you are also beholden to how far your neighbour is from their property line, how many and what size of windows he has, etc.

It's a complicated process, especially with a narrow lot.

[esquire]

^ Oh yeah, I have no intention of building on a 25 foot lot, as that would really be no different than my current setup. It would have to be at least a 40 foot for us to even consider it. There are a few building projects either under way or completed in my area (a couple on Bartlet Avenue, most notably) with new builds on those types of lots... that's the sort of thing we'd be most interested in doing.

[bomberjet]

Does anybody know if the City has some sort of confidential city council meetings? Where the information is not posted on the City Clerks website? I know there were a couple items (sorry, super secret I guess) to be discussed at yesterday's council meeting. But the details are not included with the Clerks agenda.

[esquire]

^ I would imagine that is part of the in camera (i.e. secret) portion of the meeting. So the meeting itself is on the public record, but the in camera portions are kept under wraps.

[bomberjet]

Ah, weird. So by in camera, that means they actually record it on video and its not just some odd legal term?

[esquire]

^ It's actually a latin legal term, it doesn't mean camera in the photographic sense but literally "in chambers", which essentially means in private. I used to wonder the same thing... I thought in camera implied some sort of recording!

[bomberjet]

^Haha, thanks. Makes sense. I assume that's where all the proposed developments and secret stuff goes down. Such as the recent variance for the SkyCity property. Nothing shows up in any document searches. But obviously stuff is happening.

[cllew]

Certain types of variances don't get a hearing unless there are objections. Neighbor of mine build a large garage 2 years ago and while it was posted there was no hearing as such.

Same as one of my friends brother in laws when he wanted to put a front porch on his house on Kimberly by the Safeway. Posted but no hearing.

I can't recall the wording on both postings, but something to the effect it would be approved by the Property and Planning division if no complaints.

[bomberjet]

Hmmm. So you're saying I should go protest the SkyCity variance to see if I can catch a glimpse of the latest renders?! haha