Relocation services for British Columbia, Canada

BC house styles

When you are looking at housing descriptions, you will find there are many differences to Britain. One being that there are no houses made of “bricks and mortar”. Most of the houses are mainly wood construction, with concrete basements and brick or rock “veneers” for decoration. High rises such as condominiums are still made of concrete, though you may find that older low rise condos are still constructed of wood.

Main types of house styles:

Post and Beam

This is a style of house where the roof is composed of planks which are secured to beams, supported by posts. Often the beams are exposed inside. These houses often have huge windows, especially if they are built to take advantage of a view.

Tudor

A variation of the post and beam, where the beams are stained (like a real tudor house) and plaster or stucco is used in between. Think Stratford on Avon.

Heritage

A house built in the style of the pioneer age. This type of house can have large covered verandas and steep rooflines. A variation, Craftsman style, is also popular.

West Coast Contemporary

Love ’em or hate ’em, you can’t miss them. Angular roofs, broken rectangular walls and come in a huge variety of sizes and styles.

Ranch

This is a one storey house, usually older and on a large lot. Sometimes the ranch has a basement that is not visible from the front as it is under the ground. These can sometimes be referred to as “walk-out basements”.

Vancouver Special

This style of house was built during the 70’s and is a house on a narrow lot usually found in the city of Vancouver. www.vancouverspecial.com is a website dedicated to preserving this style of house, which is often prey to development.

Western Platform Frame

This is the most common style of house in BC. A frame house built on a concrete foundation, often with a basement. Roof tiles are often cedar shake or asphalt.

Townhouses

These are similar to the styles to Britain and tend to be built in small communities, around recreational spaces. Tall and narrow, they often have the garage underneath the house.

Duplexes

These are two family homes. The building is detached, but each family occupies its own half. Duplexes may be side by side, as in the illustration, or one above the other.

Apartments

These are often called “suites”. In BC some houses have suites underneath (in the basement) which are rented out as “mortgage helpers”. These come in 2 types – legal and illegal. Legal suites are registered with the council, and hence are included in your property tax. If you buy a house with an illegal suite, it is possible that the council will catch you and you will be stopped from renting the suite. You will also have your property tax increased.

Condominiums

Commonly called “Condos”, these are seen in downtown Vancouver and in resorts or new area developments. These are a peculiarly North American invention, where the high rise building is divided into strata lots. Each owner buys the “free hold” of their apartment and contributes to the upkeep of the common areas. Many new condos have great facilities for the owners such as gyms, swimming pools, meeting rooms etc. Strata developments have a whole slew of legislation which defines how they are run and used.

In addition to these main styles there are lots of architecturally designed homes and individual styles. Chalet styles are popular at ski resorts and log cabins at recreational resorts.