Not much to say for me these days, so I thought I'd drag out the curb thang agin.
I wrote about this place back in November. This is what became of the funky little cob house, and the de facto park that had grown on the lot over the last 20 years, or more. The place is done now, and doesn't look too bad (the fences and ladders are gone. At least it "fits" into it's surroundings.
I wonder if that chimney is for a wood-burning fireplace (I thought that that was not allowed in the city any more), or is just an architectural "feature".
I don't know if these homes are full of suites, or not, but the front place looks quite big. I don't like strata though. Why not just subdivide the lot?
You will see the tiny cob house that used to be there below. I think that it would have been very cool if the developer had built something along that line - just much bigger. Building materials are cheap, and it is very flame resistant to boot. It reminds me of some of Gaudi's buildings in Barcelona.
11 comments:
The developer, incidentally, forced several long-term tenants out of the buildings that used to be there by gaming the system, for example with trumped-up renovation notices. Last I heard, it was still in appeals. The fellow is a right tit.
"The fellow is a right tit."
The original was - no doubt. I don't know anything about the developer who finished it off.
The whole thing is a sordid saga.
Looks like a duplex to me.
As far as fake heritage architecture goes, this isn't too bad. Mostly because they didn't tack on a bunch of pointless gables everywhere. The windows on the 2nd floor are a bit small for my taste, but at least they look like they might actually be double-hung windows, which would be the correct style for this house. The brick chimney is likely fake.
I recall poking around the cob house during my walks in the neighbourhood...and the lovely garden is was hidden in...a bit of Eden in East Van. The replacement isn't bad looking but now all the greenary is gone.
My post is RE: Soliptist's post, but he does not accept anon comments.
With regards to Canadian banks possibly going under, am I right to assume that BMO is the riskiest one?
In that case, hypothetically speaking, what if they went belly-up? I know that CDIC covers one's butt up to $100k. What about the rest of a customer's money? Let's say I have $500k there?
So, the cautious people sit out this crazy RE market, waiting to pounce until prices get realistic again. Meanwhile, all that hard-earned cash could disappear in a minute, right?
There's no escape.....might as well dump it all into a tangible asset like a money-losing house????
The new place isn't awful, but it's not like Vancouver has a lot of character architecture to spare. Is there some sort of prohibition against interesting architecture in this town?
Anon: the CDIC covers 100k per bank, not per person. Its very easy to find five banks to split up your $500k if you're concerned.
I would have other concerns if I had $500K just sitting in a bank.
I don't think that would be the best use of that money.
I wouldn't put it on a house right now but I sure wouldn't have it just sitting in a bank.
"the CDIC covers 100k per bank"
Actually, it is 100k per account, so you just need to have 100k max in each account. The accounts can be at the same bank. CDIC has a web site that explains the rules. Credit unions don't insure through CDIC, but they have a parallel insurance scheme that protects their depositors. Really there is no chance any of the big banks will go under. Our banking laws in Canada are a lot stricter than in the USA. Sme of the big banks like CIBC have exposure in collateral debt instruments in the USA, but they can take the hit and survive.
As for the cob house, it was really nice, but the new place will house more people. If supply goes up, prices come down, right?
anybody know of a 1 bedrroom place in vancouver/burnaby that rents for under a grand and allows a dog? my friends in a tight spot and has to move aug 1st.
I wish your friend luck. My gf is in a similar situation (except she doesn't have to move) and has been looking with no luck for months.
I have lived a couple blocks away from the place for the last few years. I think the new homes are much nicer than the ones previously on the lot. The empty lot was more of a private park, not really used by anyone except that adjacent neighbors. All in all I would have preferred if they would have built an apartment/condo building on the site (To further increase density).
Post a Comment