Research Proposal - Final Draft

Are Laneway Houses the Most Affordable Type of Low Housing in

Downtown Kamloops?

By: Teralynn Ledger

Summary statement of proposed project

This project will outline the result that building a series of affordable laneway homes in downtown Kamloops will have on the density of the area. This research will determine whether building laneway houses will be beneficial or detrimental to the effort of building more affordable homes to increase the density in the downtown core. To determine whether or not small houses will counteract the effect that the lack of low income housing has on urban areas a series of topics will be researched. By looking into the topics of low income housing, apartment living, and basement suites the importance of building affordable laneway houses will be discovered. The laneway house may not be the only option to increase density in this area but it may be the most feasible option at this point in time.

Purpose

This purpose of this research is to discover if building affordable laneway houses on already existing lots could greatly increase the amount of affordable housing in residential areas. This research will benefit architecture students because if affordable laneway houses are a feasible option then they can start designing more laneway houses and try to apply for jobs at companies that build small houses. Thompson Rivers University will be benefitted by this research since building more affordable houses may cause more families, university students, and seniors to move to Kamloops which will in turn benefit the economy and the University. These families may have children or teenagers that will stay in Kamloops for University which is going to directly benefit TRU. The senior citizens could use the laneway house as a different retirement option than moving into a home. The general public will also be benefitted by these affordable laneway houses since there will be more low income housing options available in residential areas. This research may benefit the quality of life in Kamloops and since there has been very little research on this topic already it is important to begin looking into solutions to any housing problems that may exist.

Goals and objectives of the project

The main goal of this project is to discover the benefits that may come from building affordable laneway houses. Preliminary research states that building affordable laneway houses will create a possible reduction in construction costs when compared to the construction costs that would come from building more apartment buildings downtown. Comparing the data found through a variety of sources will form a clear understanding of whether or not building laneway houses is a more feasible option than apartments for a new type of low income housing. This research will discover if building laneway houses is the best way to increase the number of low income houses in residential areas while not greatly disturbing the density of the area.

Methodology and analytical approach

There are many steps that need to be followed in order to find out if constructing laneway houses is an affordable option with regards to building in residential areas. The first step will be to research laneway houses and the budget used to construct them, and then compare this cost to that of an apartment in the area. The second step will be to research the benefits of low income houses in residential areas, and then compare this research to research done on the use of apartments as low income housing downtown. Then the conclusions from the research done in the first two steps will be compared in order to find out if laneway houses are a more affordable type of low income housing than apartment buildings. The next step will be to collect original data from the construction of a laneway house in Kamloops. This data will then be compared with the data previously gathered about an apartment building downtown in order to prove whether or not this is a feasible option. Information on the construction of this laneway house will be found by conducting different meetings with the builder, James Boak, and the architect, Dale Parkes. The architect, Dale Parkes, is also the instructor of the research course. The connection with him will add to this applied research project since working with him will assist in the collection of original data that could then be used by other architects or industry professionals. The steps taken to complete this project will be thorough and conducive to the research required to discover whether the construction of affordable laneway houses is the best form of low income housing to be built into the downtown core of Kamloops.

Previous studies or related information

There have been some previous studies done on small houses and low income houses; however, there is a knowledge gap that could be filled with a project that looks at the affordability of laneway houses compared to apartments. In order to fill this gap, there must first be research done on the already existing studies. There have been studies done on small houses and how “small spaces are easier and more economical to run” (Wilhide, 2007, p.6). Not only are small houses more affordable to build in the construction stage, they can also be built under budget; therefore, they may also have a more manageable mortgage than that of a larger house (Wilhide, 2007). Implementing this affordable small space idea into a plan to build affordable laneway houses to be used as low income housing is a great way to discover their affordability. There have also been studies done on low income houses and the different ways that can be used to make affordable houses that look expensive, this is done by implementing a variety of architectural features to the overall house design (Low-Income Housing Goes Upscale, 2004). Architects have the ability to design low income laneway houses that look upscale while they are also designed to be economically priced. These affordable laneway houses can be made to look and feel as luxurious as some apartment buildings, making the quality of life equal in both types of housing. This report will be unique since it is going to meld the research previously done on each of these topics into one report containing the comparative research.

Plans for dissemination of work

The progression of this research report will be outlined in a blog. By updating this blog with new research, as the project moves along, it will allow for others to read and comment on the updated research. These comments and suggestions will help shape this research project into a well-rounded project. Sharing the work with others, along with reading the research done by others, is an imperative step in shaping the overall quality of the report. This research will produce a report that has the potential to become a published research report. The data enclosed in this report could be used by architects or city planners to implement more low income housing options into residential areas. This research report could be a major breakthrough in the world or architectural design and the low income housing market.

References Cited

Bridsall, D. (1986). The Small House (Book). Library Journal, 111(13), 137.

Chapin, R. (2011). Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating Small Scale Community in a Large Scale World. Newtown, Connecticut: Taunton Press.

de Valle, C. (2005). Compact Houses. New York: Universe Publishing.

Fain, G. (2010). Life in the Back Lane. Canadian Architect, 55(4), 22-26.

Fogel, S. J., Smith, M. T., & Williamson, A. R. (2008). A Decent Home for Every Family?

Housing Policy Initiatives Since the 1980s. Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare, 35(1), 175-196.

Horrigan, A. (1997). Affordable by design. (Cover story). E: The Environmental Magazine, 8(4),

28.

Low-Income Housing Goes Upscale. (2004). Journal of Housing & Community Development, 61(4), 13.

Molnar, F. E. (2001). Lofts. Massachusetts: Rockport Publishers, Inc.

Nettleton, S. (2007). The Simple Home: The Luxury of Enough. Newtown, Connecticut: Taunton Press.

Trulove, J. G. (2005). Living Big in Small Apartments. New York: Harper Design

Walker, L. (1993). The Tiny Book of Tiny Houses. Woodstock, New York: Overlook Press.

Wilhide, E. (2008). Small Spaces. London: Jacqui Small.

Ziegler, M. (2009). Tiny Houses. New York: Rizzoli.

Contribution of the project to my academic goals and objectives

The idea for this project came from a course that I took in first year. In this course I designed a laneway house for a contest within the course involving a client who wishes to build this house in Kamloops chooses one of the designs submitted.  The design that he chose was the laneway house that I designed, so I am now working with the client, the builder, and my teacher, Dale Parkes, in order to see the project through to completion. Now that I am a second year in the Architectural & Engineering Technology Program, I am going to be writing a research project in which I will be applying my research by following this house project from the building permit stage until final completion. I will then be comparing the real life data collected by researching this laneway house to the information gathered from research on previously completed studies. Implementing this real life data into my report will help me achieve my academic goal of becoming a designer who specializes in laneway houses and other small and affordable homes. This project will allow me to reach this goal, while gaining experience in the field of laneway house and low income housing design. Learning about affordable laneway houses will make me an asset to any architecture firm that specializes in either sustainable design or laneway houses. This project will not only assist me in achieving my future goals but it will also help the construction industry by filling the knowledge gap that surrounds building laneway houses that will be used as affordable housing alternatives.

Budget

Period of project: February 2013 until January 2014, a total research period of 42 weeks

Travel expenses

~ fuel costs of driving to and from the office, meetings, and construction site at a cost of $0.50/km for the estimated 300km driven during the project period

~ the total cost for travel expenses that is $150

Printing of the report

~ the report will need to be professionally printed at a rate of $1.00/page with an estimated total of 50 pages to be printed for the report

~ the total cost for printing of the report is $50

Total Budget

~ the grand total for the research project is $200