Renovating a House to suit two families
The Globe and Mail recently profiled a pretty fantastic Vancouver Special Renovation, and I thought it would be worthwhile to share here. The home was previously a fairly typical Vancouver Special where a family was raised, but as the parents got older and the their daughter wanted to stay close to home, the family decided to renovate the house into a duplex style property offering a home for both parents and their daughter (and her growing family).
Major Vancouver Special Renovations
After a year of construction, an added third level and major changes to the layout of the property, they have created a clean, modern, free flowing duplex style home that offers a nice space for both generations of their family. This massive project needed the help of a creative thinking architect: One Seed Architecture and Interiors. Their documentation of the project can be found here: Multigenerational Vancouver Special
Take a look at the Globe and Mail Article about this massive Vancouver Special Renovation here: A Special Arrangement – Maya and Derrick Yue have rejigged their Vancouver Special into separate homes for multiple generations
Vancouver Specials are known to be solid houses, built well, with interesting floor plans that offer a lot of creativity when it comes to layouts. The basement levels are above ground, which make them ideal separate suites (only because they’re nicer to live in!), and the upper level often has a lot of flexibility in ho much of the basement is dedicated to a suite versus the main house. The upper level floor plan often offers an open living space with room for a large kitchen and, on occasion, vaulted ceilings. There are quite a few minor differences between Vancouver Specials, so give us a call if you’re looking for a certain style, or would like to know more.
