Smallworks Studios & Laneway Housing

The Owner of Smallworks, Jake Fry, his assistant, Robbie Slade and the whole team of architects and designers, did a wonderful job every step of the way. They were courteous and shared their knowledge with me to help build this beautiful lane way house that all my friends admire:)

We hired Smallworks February 2015 to build our laneway, after over a year they told us they submitted the drawings to the City for building permit. Continuously asking for updates, Smallworks repeatedly said that the drawings are with the City and that the delay is out of their control. In May 2017 we finally got in touch with the City engineer that was responsible for our permit application, and he told us that Smallworks never submitted the drawings for permit and that in fact they were closing our application since Smallworks did not submit final drawings. When we asked Smallworks to advise, they told us that they need more money before they can submit the drawings for review (I have few emails from them saying that the drawings were submitted). Considering Smallworks did not fulfil their contract obligations, we are asking for our $10k we paid for building permit design, but they will not even respond to our calls. Dishonest management.

Having all the planning done either on our site or in their office made the process simple, effective, and with minimal stress to us! From the initial request for info, to moving in, we were treated well and felt valued.

We hired Smallworks to build a single level laneway home and couldn't be happier! I found the entire staff to be friendly and professional, easy to work with and extremely detail oriented.Everything is perfect. No complaints whatsoever but if anything ever did go wrong I feel confident that help would be a phone call away. In fact, when I first moved in I couldn't figure out to turn on my oven, someone came over within the hour to help me. They really went above and beyond any expectations I had. Everyone that comes over is very impressed (and perhaps a little jealous lol) of my gorgeous little house and I am obsessed with it. I highly recommend Smallworks and if I could give a higher review than 5 stars I would!

Mixed reviews on Smallworks, and I'm providing them because I know that folks who are looking to hire them will want a balanced opinion. We brought them out to look at our standard East Van lot (110'x33'). We were in the market for only one type of plan, due to the purpose we had for the house (a place for us to work from home that wasn't in our actual house). We needed two bedrooms upstairs in order to make it work, and if that wasn't a possibility, then we didn't want to proceed. This was all made very clear in the site visit they made. As we had made extensive renovations to our house, we had our site map present during the meeting, and they took additional measurements. They wrote up the contract for the two bedroom style that we reviewed with them while they were there. We gave them something like $5,000 for a deposit. The next step was to have the designer draw up the plans and to start making decisions on fixtures, etc. A week or two later we heard back from them, and they said that they couldn't build a 2 bedroom after all, due to the size of the lot (which they already knew when they came). Unfortunately, it no longer matched our specs, and as this was a project for a specific purpose, we unfortunately had to decline to build it, as it wasn't what the contract was for. However, even though the contract was clear, and stated that it was for a 2 bedroom, they refused to refund our deposit - *even though they changed the contract*. We contacted them numerous times and asked for our deposit back, and they declined, saying their designers had already spent the $5,000 on designing the place they decided we would want instead (without consulting us). Given that they knew the lot size right off the bat, and they knew we had a requirement for those 2 bedrooms, this was about as close to 'bait and switch' as you can get. In the end, it was escalated all the way to the owner, where we were confident it would be resolved and our deposit returned amicably, but instead it was declined and we lost our money. So there are the ethics for you. In the end, their designers, from what we could see, were excellent, their process is quick (too quick if you look at this experience), but their ethics are lacking. Period. That was a cost of doing business to sign a contract, accept a deposit, and then change the project and keep the deposit when the customer said that wouldn't work. If you don't really care what you build (i.e. size, especially if you are just renting it out), I'm sure you'll have a great experience with that. If you have a specific project that needs to have a certain size or number of rooms, buyer beware, and don't give any money over until they have taken it away and confirmed that it can be done. Had that deposit been returned, our rating would be much higher, as otherwise they seemed great to work with.

I uses Small Works to build a laneway on my property in Vancouver. I was super happy with their service. Everything was upfront with no surprises on budget or timelines. The place is excellent and has received nothing but positive feedback. All the people who have visited have loved it. We were the first to try our particular design and it is working very well. As well the Small Works team was easy to work with on design and interior decorating and the floor crew were all respectful and helpful. I would recommend Small Works to anyone looking for a positive building experience leading to a great product.

Smallworks leads the way in British Columbia in showing what can be done to create additional living space without the requirement of additional land, and doing it in such a way architecturally, that is respectful of a neighborhood's history and character. There is much that goes on behind the scenes jurisdictionally and politically that most tenants or clients are unaware of, in deciding to initiate, build, and live in or rent in small housing. Jake paved those roads over a number of years of hard work. I have photographed many of his projects, lane-way housing, renovations, additions, and each of them become the next stage in the evolution of living on a smaller footprint. It's always a pleasure to work for someone with vision and a mission to build things with social responsibility.

I heard so many horror stories about building one's own home; none of that happened to me. From design to finish, the process was very smooth. The workmanship was excellent. They have eyes on details. They delivered exactly what they quoted me for. Their pricing is not cheap. But you get what you pay for: an exceptional quality home and is hassle free. I dealt with my builders before. Smallworks is the best.

We hired Smallworks to build us a 2 bedroom, single storey, 730 sq ft laneway house for us to live in. Highlight of the project was working with the Smallworks designers to customize our house. The entire team were easy to work with and professional. The trades, especially painters and cabinet makers, were meticulous. Budget and timing were on target (less than 18 weeks) and the site was always tidy. Highly recommended.

I interviewed three other builders (two specific to laneway houses and one general residential builder) before I met Jake, but as soon as he welcomed me to their office and took the time to walk me through the process I knew that Smallworks was right for me. I felt respected and valued, and felt confident that my input would be valued at every step along the way. I felt the opposite from one of the previous companies I explored. I read a few online reviews, and spoke to friends with connections in the industry, and all the evidence was there to reassure me that my initial impressions were correct. Throughout the process, they included me in every step, kept me informed of their progress, listened when I had questions, accommodated some changes I made at the last minute, and most importantly, they kept their promises. I was probably a bit difficult a couple of times, but Jake and his team were so respectful of my endless questions and fears as I've never made such a financial commitment before, and of course, it was my first time being involved in a project of this nature. They are experienced professionals, and it shows! If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't hesitate to hire Smallworks again.

Smallworks staff navigated through the city process to provide me with a charming laneway house where I hope to spend my retirement. In the meantime, everyone who has looked at or lived in the house has commented on the brightness of the second floor with natural light and great views through the extensive and well-placed windows. As the architect said, the house is designed like a yacht...everything is in its proper place and the space is useable to the maximum. Besides, the crew (aka Smallworks staff and subcontractors) are always responsive to every need!

I love my lane way house and I love the company! They provided me with a great home, that was built on time at the quoted price. The follow up was superb. Jake, the owner, is a sincere and committed business man that takes great pride in his commitments. I was very impressed with the level of service I recived from him and all his staff. They were all very professional, dedicated individuals that work together as a team to give the customer excellent service and very cleverly designed homes Thank you all at team Smallworks! Your the best!