Fun Facts about Vancouver’s Detached Houses
We Vancouverites are quite lucky to have a swath of solid, interesting publications that comment on our news, politics, history, environment, real estate and more. Vancouver has an interesting history with regards to house style and construction, so I wanted to point you to a couple different resources that you might find interesting if you’re on the look out for some information!
Sparkling Stucco
This blog post idea was inspired by this recent post in Scout Magazine by Christine Hagemoan: YOU SHOULD KNOW About the Bottle Dash Houses that Still Glitter in the Vancouver Sun. Scout Magazine is the finest source for all things revolving around restaurants, art and social activities in Vancouver, with interesting tidbits about Vancouver’s history and current trends.
It’s an interesting piece about the sparkly, rock solid stucco you see in older East Van houses, and answered my question as to why I’ve seen some older East Van House with (beautiful) original wood siding covered in stucco. If you’re looking to buy a reno project in East Van, it’s a great read!
Vancouver Specials
In honour of one of our recent sales of a Vancouver Special in Collingwood, I wanted to share this video that features our own Rob Zwick offering some information about Vancouver Specials and the renovation process behind them.
Vancouver Specials are known to be great renovation projects for a number of reasons. They were built really solid back in the 1970’s and 1980’s, which is a bonus for any contractor as you can have some confidence in the house (assuming it had been well maintained). The floor plans offer the ability to large and fluid create open living spaces with the kitchen. The lower level is above ground which makes for great in law suites or mortgage helpers, and they often have an attached garage.
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you are looking to buy or sell a Vancouver Special in East Van – we have the knowledge and renovation experience to support both Buyers and Sellers.
Vancouver Architectural Styles
The Vancouver Heritage Foundation is a blessing to all history buffs looking to preserve history in our fine (and still young!) city. This organization offers a vast amount of knowledge when it comes to buildings and places that matter in Vancouver’s history. One of my favourite things is their “Vancouver House Styles” website, which gives detailed descriptions of classic houses in our city including what to look for in the interior and exterior, and an idea of when it would have been built.
If you’re looking to maintain a character house in the city, you can apply to grants offered by the Vancouver Heritage Society relating tot he costs of conservation and renovation.
