from Hacker News

Vancouver Special

by basicallydan on 12/5/22, 7:57 AM with 55 comments

  • by cperciva on 12/6/22, 1:49 PM

    A few details not mentioned in the article:

    1. The Vancouver Special originated as a way to evade zoning regulations. The lower floor is 18" below grade which qualified it as a "basement" not counting towards floor area ratio calculations.

    2. Once the design became widespread, the building permitting process was streamlined -- there was no need for a detailed review of plans if they were identical to previously approved homes.

    3. These were fundamentally "cheap and fast" housing, and have a poor reputation not so much for their conformity as for the poor quality construction.

    4. As a cost saving measure, Vancouver Specials often came with "unfinished basements". An entire generation of Vancouver homeowners learned to install drywall -- and often electrical and plumbing -- which further contributes to the poor quality of the construction.

  • by Patrick_Devine on 12/6/22, 5:09 PM

    The concept of a cheap, post-war house that you can finish out yourself is great... for certain places. There isn't really room in Vancouver for them any more, as [Vancouverism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouverism) has taken over much of the city (i.e. low podium of 2-4 floors with a slender 100m tower).

    Vancouver's biggest problem right now is housing affordability, and "the missing middle" (i.e. 20-30m high buildings). There isn't really very much housing stock in between single family homes and 30 story buildings, and getting those larger high rises built is expensive, and time consuming.

  • by Tokkemon on 12/6/22, 5:41 PM

    I grew up in a prewar house in EastVan but the neighborhood had a lot of these houses around it, usually filled with East Asian or Indian immigrants. Taking the Skytrain was so fun as a kid. It was certainly a unique experience. The big culture shock for me was moving to New York and having to deal with large five-floor walkups in Queens, but the diversity was just the same. And the subway was so much bigger.

    Truth be told, while I have a lot of nostalgia of the Vancouver of the 90s, I've since been back to visit and if given the choice, I would pick living in New York every time.

  • by huhtenberg on 12/6/22, 6:23 PM

    Here's a modern reno of one of these that made it look nothing like the original even though it's the same blueprint -

    https://www.darcyjones.com/430-house

  • by nikanj on 12/6/22, 11:40 AM

    Back when you could simply build homes in Vancouver, without a literal decade of red tape spent in appeals, reviews and permit queues

  • by papandada on 12/6/22, 12:41 PM

    I'm shocked by the memories that photo has unlocked. Early 90s road trip with my parents to their friends' living in Vancouver. Sleepless nights in the summer heat and humidity with no AC. All while reading Cliff Stoll's classic The Cuckoo's Egg.

  • by _whiteCaps_ on 12/6/22, 4:40 PM

    https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.2695545,-123.0402209,3a,75y,3...

    My kids like to play count the Vancouver Special when we drive down 1st Ave.

  • by Tiktaalik on 12/6/22, 7:56 PM

    More detail about the originator of this architectural style

    His ‘Revenge’ on Architects Was the Vancouver Special

    https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2019/12/17/Vancouver-Special-Reve...

  • by kridsdale1 on 12/6/22, 6:57 PM

    When I was a uni student in Vancouver in 2005, “The Vancouver Special” meant a tall young white man with a much shorter Chinese girlfriend.

    Most people in my circles (UBC engineering and humanities) agreed with this appellation. I wonder if it’s still used.