KCA

Browning

Kyra Clarkson Architect Inc. in collaboration with Joe Lobko Architect Inc.

Project Type: New Construction
Completed: Summer 2024

Project Team: Kyra Clarkson, Innes Shelley

Contractor: Collaborative Ventures Inc.
Engineer: Blackwell Structural Engineers

Photographs by Steven Evans

Situated in Toronto’s Playter Estates neighbourhood, this laneway suite demonstrates how small urban housing can support long-term living while strengthening family continuity. We developed the project in close collaboration with our clients, who approached us after observing the construction of a nearby laneway house we had previously designed. One of the homeowners, himself an architect, envisioned a flexible building that could operate first as a rental unit and later as the couple’s downsized home, allowing them to remain in the neighbourhood while transferring the primary house to their daughter.

The 1,100 square foot suite unfolds across two carefully organized levels. We prioritized daylight and spatial clarity within the compact footprint: a double height window draws light deep into the interior and frames views of sky and mature trees, while skylights brighten the kitchen and bathrooms without compromising privacy. A partially open wood screen maintains visual connection between floors. A ground floor bathroom with shower is tucked efficiently beneath the stair, allowing for future single-level living, and ensuring the house can adapt as the needs of the family evolve.

Positioned within the deep garden of a century old home, the suite preserves mature trees and creates two distinct outdoor spaces – one for the main house and one for the new house. Providing distinct outdoor spaces for the two dwellings on the lot resolves a common problem with accessory dwelling units: awkward shared outdoor spaces. The large windows in the newly-built suite face this secondary garden, such that each unit has privacy from each other.