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?

baubau

I don't think the City allows for more than 2 suites at a single family dwelling.  In terms of level - depending on the type of zoning you are in (typically RS-1), you are allowed to construct 2 1/2 storey - the first storey being the main level, not more than 2m above grade.  There is a height restriction at each zoning as well, so it depends on a lot of parameters:  site grading, site zoning, etc. in order to determine what suits best for you and your family.

PM me if you are interested to find out more details~

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.

fibbi

My house was also custom built about 10 years ago. To be honest with you I wouldn't choose to do the same thing again (even if I have the $). You may think it's fun to customize the house but when it comes to the final decision, everything has to "match" (at least the colour scheme) and it's so much "headache". Just think of interior design from scratch. From the type of window, the molding, to small things like door knot! Yes the contractor will give you his recommendation but you are the one to make final decision. It's not an easy process.

tsumorichisato

It's hard to tell you how much is costs, cuz it's really based on what materials you are using, what layout (how custom made you want), and also the location of your house. Yes, where you live also affects the cost. Somebody mentioned from $150-250 per sq ft, ya , that would be the price range I said so.

We have our house built a year ago , it's a long long process, but as you said end result is superb.

sike

Hey, I'm in exactly the same situation, same size too if i didn't remember wrong.
PM me with info too

I'm a bit more ahead, we found the contractor already and discussed briefly.
the price is around $290000 for 122 long lot, since that guy just build a $320000 house for a $140 lot.  He said 2 months for permit/paper work, 6 months for building.  It's a quiet season right at this moment, so it's generally quicker.  But as HST is introduced, everyone is going to start rebuilding soon.

Yui

I have pm you with some additional information, please check it out.

rockypath

1# siuyudim

One of my relative build his own house 6-7 years ago. He also lives in Vancouver east. He was able to build the house less than $300K. However, the house was not a custom-made. The contractor gave him a few ready-made drawings and he just picked the one he like and the contractor just made a few modification to fit his lot.

First, I don't like the lay-out of the house. Second, the house began to have problems after 5 years. Therefore, you must arrange some kind of warrenty with the house builder/contractor. It always looks nice once it is finished, but you don't want to have  the troubles later on. And most importnatly, a trustworthy and responsible contractor is a must.

布小熊

I think other lyks have better idea than me. I was busy with school back then and paid little attention to the process. My parents hired a contractor and he did all the coordination. I think it took more than 6 months. But my parents were not in a rush to finish it. My dad did the drawing from scratch and got someone to modified it to the standard before submitting it  for the building permit (if I remember correctly).

fibbi

A reliable contractor is a must! Otherwise lots of headache afterwards...

The contractor probably has connection with some drafting personnel, you may buy ready-made "drawing" or draw from scratch. Of course it costs more to draw from scratch la.
I think it takes about 7-10 months for building a house. Better to start the process in early spring (apply permit, get the drawing done) then start building in summer that would be the best.

Besides getting permit may delay the prccess, some building material (like tile, granite, wallpaper etc..) if you want special one it takes long time to order...