Testimonials

Unabashed words of praise from SMALLWORKS' customers!

Vivian and Doug —

"Wow, what a great crew to work with and what a jewel of a home Smallworks built us. We couldn’t be happier! Our initial search to find a company we trusted to build us a laneway house was a long and difficult journey. And then we met Jake. His knowledge of the industry coupled with his ability to build a quality home convinced us to hire Smallworks. From the pre-construction process to the final completion of our home customer satisfaction was top priority, without question, and it continues after we received our house keys. We have worked with many contractors and builders over the twenty years that we have lived in the Dunbar area, and, without question, our laneway home construction has been the most streamlined and satisfying process by far.

Our desire to build a beautiful home began with Jake but it’s the Smallworks team that turned our ideas into reality. Kate’s exceptional ability to design and communicate possibilities and Brent’s hands-on dedication to meet our expectations became the cornerstone of our successful project. While Smallworks buffered us from the daily stresses of permits, inspectors, and other necessities, the team remained committed to keeping us informed about the different stages of construction and decision-points. Inevitable challenges that accompany the twists and turns of any construction project were handled in a transparent and most professional manner. And we have received numerous compliments from neighbours and friends, including an architect and an engineer, during and after construction.

We highly recommend the Smallworks team, and we won’t hesitate to hire them for our next laneway project. "

>> View Vivian and Doug's Edwardian House

Margaret, Shaun and Jean —

"Our aim was to keep an expanding family together in the neighbourhood where our children grew up. We began our search at Smallworks and actually went no further. Jake and Michael were able to show us exactly what we wanted. The ever patient Kate guided us through the ropes and was there to answer every question. Brent became a fixture overseeing the activity in our back yard which was left tidy at the end of each day. In four months from breaking ground, our lanehouse was ready. The result by far exceeded our expectations. Although the original decision was somewhat scary, the process turned out to be painless and the decision one of the best we have ever made."

>> View Margaret, Shaun and Jean's Arts and Crafts House

Brendon and Akua —

"SMALLWORKS – We picked you because we liked you as people. Yes, we loved your homes, and yes we were impressed by your knowledge of environmental design. But really Brendon and I chose your company because we enjoyed your company. Now as all good business relationships go, we were not without our differences, but on a project so complex and complicated we feel lucky to wrap up our contract not only with a beautiful home but a warm friendship. Kate and Jake – you are superstars, patiently guiding us through this home building process accommodating our novice questions and applauding our early successes. You are changing the landscape of the city. . .or the better. Brent, Brian and John – from building to our bank accounts, you kept this project rolling."

>> View Akua and Brendon's West Coast Loft

Douglas Welch and Elizabeth Ball —

"SMALLWORKS looked after all aspects of our beautiful laneway house, including design, permits, construction and finishing. We are very pleased with the results of their dedicated work. SMALLWORKS immediately understood what we wanted in a design appropriate for our neighbourhood and delivered a laneway house that was a top favorite on the Heritage Vancouver Laneway House tour. We are delighted to recommend SMALLWORKS' services."

>> View Doug and Elizabeth's Arts and Crafts House

Allan —

"We contacted SMALLWORKS back in 2007 expressing interest in what was then referred to as 'backyard cottages' after reading an article in the Vancouver Sun: The Urban Cottage.

Then we had to wait a couple of years due to fact that the city had to setup the Eco-density Charter but in the meantime there was the 2009 BC Home & Garden show that served to whet our desire of having a laneway house. Walking through SMALLWORKS' '09 model home cemented the fact that if the eco-density charter went through, SMALLWORKS would be our 1st choice as builders.

Dealing with the company as a whole has been a very pleasant experience, from initial contact to the various follow ups, to finally sitting down with the designer to customize our laneway house, all the way to the end product. SMALLWORKS provided excellent service and listened to concerns and made changes accordingly or directed us to services that we could use.

Now about the house itself, we chose the open loft design as we love the light, open, airy feel it gives the space, and with windows pretty much on all four sides natural light floods into the space. Having been in the space for the past 6 months my only regret is that I really should have thought about storage space a little bit more. That being said it is MY space and I love it!

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend SMALLWORKS as THE laneway house builder."

>> View Allan's Loft-Style Laneway House

Lydia and Chris —

"When we decided to replace a rusting old tin garage with a garden and potting shed a few years ago we needed a specialist builder -- one willing to do a small project. We had already seen artist’s studios built by SMALLWORKS and talked to their happy customers. Then we saw one of their heritage renos during the Heritage Home tour. That clinched it. Soon we were into design consultations and manufacture with them. We wanted something very specific and they accommodated us willingly. Amazingly, they promised to deliver and set up the entire building in one day. Sure enough, the flat bed and crane arrived one Saturday morning and by that evening the structure was in place. Finishing, painting and finessing took only a month and the results were exactly what we had envisioned. Our “shed” looks like a tiny cottage at the end of our garden.


SMALLWORKS delivered on every promise. They were on time, used recycled materials whenever possible, stuck to the contract price and were cheerful and helpful throughout. They even installed an old brass ship’s porthole as a window for us. Seeing them work with SFU, BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver to create energy efficient small homes seems like a natural step in SMALLWORKS’ evolution. We’re very glad we got to know them and always recommend them gladly to others."

Julian —

"We are delighted with our new laneway house from SMALLWORKS. Every aspect of the project went extremely well, including the first assessment of whether the project was viable or not within the finances we had available; the needs assessment and project planning; the design process; the permit process and dealing with organizations like architects, hydro, the city, gas etc; the final fixed-price costings; the incorporation of the ‘extras’ we wanted done on the rest of our property at the same time; the selection of fixtures, fittings and decorative elements; and then of course the site preparation and build. The house was delivered bang on budget, with the only differences being items we decided to add as we went along; and only a couple of weeks late which, bearing in the mind the excessive rain we had this winter is a minor miracle in itself ! We also found the process much easier than we had imagined. Our project manager, assigned on day one, worked with us every step of the way in the design and build phase, and made decisions on design and decoration simple. The other aspect we appreciated was that we were shielded from all the 3rd parties like contractors, engineers and inspectors; expert site management took care of those issues which could drive you insane if trying to do it yourself. Payment and invoicing was clear, and we knew right from the start what our payment schedule would look like, allowing us to plan the funding to minimize our own interest costs.

The final product exceeded our expectations, it was very hard to imagine what it would look like from the drawings, but the design of the Edwardian house is really neat, and with its open interior, feels much larger than its 500 square feet. Build quality is excellent, we are particularly pleased with the cabinetry and flooring, while the heating and ventilation systems promise to achieve efficiency and low running costs.

I would certainly recommend SMALLWORKS to anyone looking to build a laneway house in Vancouver. Nice work, Jake and the rest of the SMALLWORKS team!"

>> View Julian's Edwardian Lane House

Brad Janzen —

"I am very happy to offer Jake Fry and his team at SMALLWORKS the highest praise in their construction of my Laneway House in Vancouver. My craftsman style LWH was the first one built by SMALLWORKS and one of the first (if not the first) to be completed under Vancouver’s new Laneway House guidelines.

SMALLWORKS is truly a one stop, turn-key operation for building a Laneway House. They worked hard to take care of us every step along the way from planning and finance to millwork and finishing. Being one of the first LWH’s to be built under the new LWH program, there was the occasional surprise from the City of Vancouver and various other external stakeholders as the kinks in the new program were ironed out. Jake and his crew were always on point and worked hard to not only anticipate these potential problems but also to solve them as efficiently as possible.

I would also like to mention that SMALLWORKS was very budget savvy. The design team and Jake himself were excellent at presenting me with a variety of options to tailor the entire project to work within our budget. Once we signed off on the project, the cost never changed and I never had to worry about hidden surprises.

Hats off to Jake and everyone at SMALLWORKS for championing the the LWH cause in Vancouver and raising the bar in terms of customer service, professionalism, and commitment to quality. If SMALLWORKS were an auto-maker, it would be a well-designed and slick German auto factory."

>> View Brad Janzen's Carriage House