One banister away...

Well the Globe and Mail article couldn't have happened at a better time. Sandwiched between breaking news and analysis on the Vancouver riots was the story of our little home. We had well over 100 people tour the house. Many of you are our neighbours and others came from as far away as Victoria and Port Moody. Some of you were considering building a laneway home yourselves, others looking into models of co-ownership and even one family with almost an identical story to ours. Thank you for coming by. We felt very honoured to share our space with you.

Now on to the last final obstacle - the final inspection. This one involves inviting a building inspector into the home to ensure that everything is up to code.  On our side of things, the one thing standing in our way was the banister railings. We needed one for the stairs to the crawlspace and up to the second floor. For those considering installing one themselves here are few things you need to know:

•  A handrail is generally required if there are four or more stairs.
• The handrail should be at least an inch and a quarter in diameter with a maximum of two and a quarter. 
• The height should be between thirty four and thirty eight inches and in the case of Vancouver - aim for 36inches. Measure consistently from the stair nosing upward. This will help to ensure that you get the right angle.
• Find the studs before you try to hang it!
• Make sure you've already put a final coat of paint on the wall where you'll be mounting the banister. There is nothing harder than doing touch-ups around the brackets. 

If all goes well, we'll be able to move in...hopefully by the weekend.