North Vancouver Modern

2009-10-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Well, It's been ages since I've updated this thing. My Dad and I have been working pretty much seven days a week since April working on the exterior and interior finishing. Other than baseboards and interior doors, the duplex is nearly finished. I've done some planting at the front and sides, but will need to leave the rest of it until the car port gets built. That probably won't happen until spring. Also, we were finally granted occupancy by the City. Now to get all the fussy bits finished and I can hopefully get it rented quickly.

Drywall is Going Up!

2009-03-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

Insulation and vapour barrier are complete and the drywall crews started late last week. I imagine they'll spend the next couple of days finishing up hanging the drywall and will get right into mudding and taping.

This is the living room of the garden suite, viewed from the kitchen.

Here is the kitchen of the garden suite viewed from the living room/entry.

This is the bedroom of the garden suite.

This is the main floor of the duplex facing 23rd Street.

Looking up stairs to second floor.

View from top of stairs at second floor.

Second floor master bedroom.

Second floor second bedroom.

Penthouse looking South-West.

Penthouse looking South-East.

Moving Right Along

2009-02-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

Since Christmas, work has been going full tilt on the rough plumbing and electrical. Gas lines have also been run, so now we're waiting for the utility companies to connect us.

We've also had the stucco contractor applying the building paper, flashings and rainscreen strapping. Once drywall is installed, the stucco can proceed. The cedar siding will proceed as soon as we've had a chance to review bids.

Here are a few pictures showing the exterior progress. The first is viewed from the back lane.

West Elevation looking towards 23rd Street. The entry to the rear unit is visible to the left.

The East elevation looking towards 23rd Street.

The North elevation.

South elevation viewed from 23rd Street.

South elevation viewing the front court area in front of the suite.

Penthouse at roof deck looking North.

Interior shot of the rear unit Living Room, showing the fireplace.

I think that once the stucco and cedar are up, it'll really look good. Hopefully, we'll have the exterior work done by the middle of March. It will depend on when the utilities get hooked up and we can start drying out the interior. Once the wood reaches a moisture content of less than 19%, vapour barrier and drywall can go up. Once the drywall is up, stucco can proceed.

It's Boxing Day!

2008-12-26T15:51:00.001-08:00

There's not a lot to see right now. Rough plumbing and electrical is being done, so there is no real change in appearance to the exterior of the house. We've had over a foot of snow, so getting around the site is a little difficult. Rather than house pictures, here's a festive seasonal shot of the trailer:

2008-11-17T19:47:00.000-08:00

The first layer of the SBS roof has been put down. You can see the red primer on the parapet. The membrane has been lapped up over the parapet and we are waiting for the granular cap sheet to be applied.

This is the South elevation of the Third Floor Garden Room.

Main floor of the South side of the duplex looing West towards the entry.

Front elevation viewed from 23rd Street.

Rear elevation viewed from the lane.

Plumbing rough-ins are nearly complete and we expect them to be completed and inspected tomorrow.

Roof and Third Floor Added

2008-10-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

Viewed from 23rd Street, you can just see the Third Floor Garde Room framing above the roof deck. Balcony framing is also done.

A closer view of the front elevation. You can see a better view of the roof deck framing.

A view looking straight up at the roof deck framing.

The rear (North) elevation looking Eastward showing the balcony framing as well as the overhang of the roof deck. Ther will be a 2'-6" overhang.

The rear (North) elevation looking down the East side of the house.

The rear (North) elevation looking Westward.

Second Floor Framing

2008-10-09T20:42:00.001-07:00

The framers spent a few days getting the second floor fraing into place. The roof deck and third floor garden rooms will hopefully be done next week. The following photo is the house looking North from across 23rd street.

This is the rear of the house looking South from the back yard.

This is the view looking out the Second Floor, South-West bedroom. You can see Lion's gate Bridge.

This is the view looking out the Second Floor, North-West bedroom. When it isn't cloudy you can see more of the North Shore mountains.

Up it Goes!

2008-09-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

Framing of the first floor exterior and interior walls started yesterday. Other than some minor issues with window heights, it is going pretty well. Second floor joists and decking will begin tomorrow. The first shot is viewed from the back yard.

This is the view from the front yard/courtyard.

The West side looking to the rear of the house.

The West side looking to the front of the house.

Basement Framing is Underway

2008-09-15T17:22:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken a few days ago and show the framing has started in the basement. This first photo is looking towards 23rd Street from what will be the bedroom of the basement suite. The living room is to the right of this.

This photo is the living room mentioned above. Again, this is loking South towards 23rd.

This is looking South along the West foundation.

Overall view looking South towards 23rd Street.

North-West corner of the site.

Looking South from adjacent the trailer.

Looking North from what will eventually be the front yard.

Looking South from the basement of the rear unit.

Foundations

2008-08-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

Concrete was poured on Monday, August 18 and the forms stripped a couple of days later. There was a bit of a bulge that the contractor came and ground out. Time that could have been spent applying the waterproofing. The weather was great for it. The company putting in the waterproofing and drainage mat was supposed to do the work yesterday, but things were wet in the morning when they arrived. Shame they didn't stick around, as the day turned out great. Nothing but rain is forecast now, so things are at a bit of a standstill.

Formwork

2008-08-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

For the past week, a crew of men have been putting together the formwork for the basement footings and foundations. Inspections should happen tomorrow once they finish up securing some of the horizontal rebar. Concrete is scheduled to be poured on Monday.

These shots are viewed from the back (North) of the property. The opening at the end will contain the French doors which will open onto the garden court.

The following shots are from the front (South) end of the property. The recess in the end is for the window wells to bring light into the basement of the North unit.

There's a Ginormous Hole in My Yard!

2008-07-31T16:14:00.000-07:00

Excavation started earlier in the week. A few more loads will be removed tomorrow and we'll be where we need to be for formwork to start. The garage and trailer look like they are precariously perched right on the edge, but there is about 5 feet from the rear of the trailer before a 10 foot vertical drop.

2008-07-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

A demolition and building permit were finally issued last week! The process is slow and painfull, to say the least. Why permits for a duplex should take so long is beyond me. It would seem the simple act of having a suite in one of the units threw a spanner in the works for the folks at city hall. Odd, considering the current administration is actively promoting secondary suites and affordable housing, you'd think they would have the policy and procedures in place to move this sort of application through the system quickly and efficiently. It's a shame that they can't operate with the same efficiency as we do in the private sector.

Politics aside, my home of the last 4+ years was demolished yesterday morning. It took very little time before it was reduced to a mound of rubble, ready to be hauled to the land fill. This Monday will see the remaining rubble removed and excavation will begin in preparation for footings and foundation formwork.

It would seem that there is no turning back now!

Waiting...

2008-04-14T06:37:00.000-07:00

Waiting for a building permit is akin to what a child feels the night before Christmas morning. I've been through the process dozens of times for clients, but when it's your own project it becomes a different animal altogether. The drawings had a preliminary review during the rezoning process, so it should be a relatively quick process for the City to complete their final reviews and issue the permit. Still, waiting is the tough part. I'll be glad when this process is over.

Packing up posessions has already begun. I've cleaned out the garage to be filled with boxes and furniture. I think there may be room for the cabinets and appliances that I'm saving to put in the rental apartment. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to get away with not renting any storage.

There won't be a heck of a lot to write about until the construction starts. In the meantime, here is a drawing of what the streetside elevation will look like.

And so it begins...

2008-04-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

After a seemingly endless amount of work and time, we have received fourth and final reading approving our rezoning application to redevelop our property in Central Lonsdale. The little cottage pictured will be demolished and replaced with a modern, three-unit development. One unit will house my parents, one will be for me and my two dogs and the third will be rented out.

The current house is aproximately 1,000 square feet in size on one floor. The new devlopment will be just over 2700 square feet, not including the basement. This will provide a floor space ratio (FSR) of 0.66. Under the Official Community Plan (OCP), Level 4 Medium Density is permitted for the entire block and allows an FSR of up to 1.0.

The building permit has been applied for and an early May construction start is anticipated. Preparing for demolition is my main focus at the moment. I'm potting up all of my perennials, shrubs and vines in preparation and will set them aside for planting when construction is complete.

During construction I'll be living in my 1972 Airstream Tradewind. Me and two Labrador retrievers in a 25 foot trailer for close to a year should be an interesting experience and will no doubt become a frequent source of fodder for this blog.