How one Vancouver family plans to live under three roofs on one property

Alison Lee’s parents own a big house in Shaughnessy, a neighbourhood in Vancouver, where she and her siblings grew up. Ms. Lee lives in a bungalow in Oakridge with her husband and kids, and her brother lives downtown in a condo with his kids. The family plans to sell off their properties and converge in a multiunit strata property they are planning to build on a large lot they purchased in Kerrisdale. The Lee family decided a side-by-side duplex and a coach house will suit their needs, but they are still in the design stage. They will apply to the city to build the three legally separate units as a multiple conversion dwelling (MCD), so that Ms. Lee, her parents and her brother have their own homes but a shared outdoor courtyard where the family will gather.

“My brother is in a condo. My parents are in a house that’s much too large for them. And my husband and I are in quite a small house that’s a bit too small for our family,” said Ms. Lee.