Building a house in Vancouver.

siuyudim

a random thought came up in family discussion, this thought has come up several times in the past and i have finally taken my parents (the idea) seriously today.

currently....i live in an old run-down house in east vancouver.
the plan is to kill it and rebuild a new house on the same property..

i know there will be a lot of time, effort, stress, and paperwork involved... but the end result will be a much more comfortable atmosphere for my family. any LYK here been there, done that?

siuyudim

布小熊, how long is VERY long? i'm hoping it will be done in approx. 6 months.. but i also heard the hardest part is obtaining a permit. there's a small apartment that my mom rents out, if we do go ahead with the plan, we will live there.

question, can a new house be built for around $300,000? i will need a general contractor, an architect, lawyer, building materials, moving costs, new furniture and appliances... what else do i need to know?

siuyudim

we like the location we are in, it's convenient for public transportation and we've been living here for over 15-16 years.

siuyudim

thanks baubau... my lot is a 33' x 122'. i am hoping to build it so a portion of the house can be for rent...like 2 suites with separate entries. this will help us pay back what's borrowed for the house, and eventually income for my parents when they retire.

Lik...i think if we go ahead with the plan, it will take us 6 months to pack. u've seen my place la, rebuilding is totally necessary. realistically, how long do u think it will take?

siuyudim

thanks for all your comments....i have a dumb question.. what is the first step? find a general contractor? obtain a permit? like i said...it's a thought and we are clueless.

siuyudim

@baubau: I am thinking of 2 suites in the basement alone with 2 separate entrances. 7-8 months is okay, the hardest part for us will be all the packing and moving. Does the city decide how many floors we're allowed to have? I'm hoping for 3 floors as there are 5 of us.

@rockypath: thanks for the tip, if all goes as planned..we will have a lawyer to deal with the contractor, payments and whatever else.

@Yui and Sike: thanks for the PM, i have replied.

@tsumorichisato: since we are not building the house for the purpose of selling, we don't mind spending more for nicer material.

@fibbi: i never thought of this project being fun, it is more of a necessity. the necessity of improving the living condition for my family.  i can foresee all the headaches and arguments now.