^tell your wife that and see what happens

How many of you / or know someone in a townhouse with a garage and do car work in it?

Im guessing car work is allowed except for sundays due to noise/"construction" bylaws, and probably somewhat varies strata to strata.

To take it one step further, anyone know someone that has a lift in their townhome?
I would guess strata would deny it unless you use one of those "portable" lifts, but those only get you 1-2ft off the ground. Height would probably be an issue too as most townhouse parkade dont have much clearance.

Yes there will be karens and kevins that bitch about it but i dont really care about that as long as strata allows it. (Noise)

Our townhouse had a garage that was part of the strata lot (e.g. on the title). As the garage was part of the strata lot, it was not the strata corporation's responsibility to maintain the space, so basically, specific bylaws could not apply to the owner's use of the garage. If I wanted to put a lift in there, I could have, so long as it did not have an impact to my neighbours (e.g. a free standing lift). I frequently did maintenance on my vehicles in the garage and no one had concerns. Driveways are a different thing as they are typically "limited common property", so your strata would then have an interest in how you use that driveway (i.e. jacking vehicles on a frequent basis will reduce the lifespan of the concrete pad).

Something to watch out for is townhouses that have the garages registered as "limited common property", like a balcony space in an apartment. That presents a situation when strata bylaws are more likely to apply to how you use the garage (i.e. no car maintenance or adjustments, as you would typically see in apartment buildings with parking garages).

In my experience it’s best to have the driveway as part of the strata because people do all sorts of stupid shit with them in townhome developments. Park broken down cars. Pile garbage there etc.

It's amazing what happens when you don't clamp down in stratas, I have been watching the ebb and flow in my building for 13 years now and anytime either the caretaker or management company lets their guard down for even 1 month, trash piles up, stalls fill up with junk, patios turn to chaos, visitors parking is full of owners every night, garbage room is an apocalyptic wasteland... then they get back on the ball and fine everyone and it's sparkling again until the next time they get preoccupied.

So many people are literally non-stop shitbags any chance they get. I feel so stress free the last few months when I see all this shit happening in my building thinking that I won't have to be a part of communal living as soon as I sell.

This was the back half of my tandom townhouse garage in PoCo we just sold in December. I did a lot more than just car work. All depends on the neighbours, strata and the relationship you have with them. I’m sure I could have gotten away with a free standing 4 post lift. If you have to bolt it down “technically” you would have to get approval I believe. It would also raise more question from passerbys of the other stuff I was doing that would not fly in most strata’s. Lol.
https://i.ibb.co/nMKT4Hq/IMG-4888.png

If the townhouse complex shares an underground parkade (more and more common these days) then there almost always a bylaw that prohibits doing any kind of mechanical work in the parkade. I believe it's for insurance purposes that a bylaw like that exists.

If the complex has individual garages and driveways, and those are LCP (limited common property) then they could also have a bylaw like that if they wanted.

If the garage or driveway is part of the Strata Lot (i.e. on title) then a strata could still have a bylaw to govern that area if they wanted. The fact it's on the title doesn't mean the strata can't touch it. For example, we have bylaws that say people can't smoke inside their unit. The fact it's happening inside their unit/strata lot is irrelevant. These bylaws are usually the hardest to get passed at an AGM for obvious reasons.

lol last time I was working on my car the head of the strata walked over and just chatted about the car while I was doing plugs and coils.
It just depends on the place. I've got a super chill strata thankfully. We all just want people not to fuck with our shit. Don't blow cigarette smoke in through our windows and clean up your shit and we're all good.
I think older places tend to have older members on the strata and more crotchety long term owners that think they have more of a right to be there than the newcomers. Not as a rule, but certainly as a trend from my experiences and those I know.

^ my place was older. I think the key to what I got away with (honestly looked like Frankenstein’s workshop half the time with the welding and grinding) was just getting to know the elderly neighbours (the ones who would care), being personable. Helping out where able. Just be a good person. Keeping the exterior of your place in good order. I only made noise during daylight hours(ish). I say a lady down the way eying up my car one day when I had been idling for ages figuring out some tuning…. My exhaust echoed like crazy in the complex. It was basicly a big cave of a complex. I ended up making some exhaust inserts which I used to get in and out of the complex (basiclly a plug I put in the exhaust pipes with a bunch of holes drilled in it and a bunch of steel wool packed in, worked way better then expected). I was doing nothing wrong previous, but man if you can appease some of the Pain in the ass neighbours, you’ll be so much further ahead. I was chatting with our strata president and casually
Mentioned I made inserts. She could care less, but atleast knew I was trying and anyone who complained probably wouldn’t get an inch never mind a mile.

sending this as a quote to my coworker tomorrow who recently moved out of his strata and into a house... and thank god.

It's not surprising the best way to get away with stuff is make people like you. The popularity contest doesn't end when high school ends.
I really like most of my neighbours. Other than one dude with a shitty fart tuned m4, who is really just no worse than being annoying and a couple morons that like to put their trash furniture outside the garbage room with a "free" sign to absolve them of any responsibility, I find everyone in this large complex super easy to get along with.
I think north van has a bit of a different vibe because it's way less party time than when I lived in kits. People tend to be on edge less because it's not as overwhelming with the crowds and noise and all the other shit.
I hope the new strata is decent, but seems like a similar demographic so far, and I'll get on the council and start swinging dick and baking cookies if I have to.

i'm on my strata - we work hard to keep on top of things. It's really not a hardship. If anything, it's the older people (some original in your 25 year old building) that are the most trouble. Def some entitlement - and insane horrible boomer email manners.

Flipside. I never have to lift a finger to maintain this place. I have no desire to live somewhere that I have to spend time on maintaining. If I never have to mow a lawn again, Ill be thrilled.

Costs: we're getting a new roof right now. Cost me 15 grand. My parents house got a new roof a few years ago - cost them 50+ grand. I'd rather share costs than eat them all.

Car work - yes that sucks. I'm fortunate to have another place I can work on my stuff and enjoy this hobby. I do absolutely miss our old rental house and its double garage.

Bottom line - despite the "gains" we've made on our condo over the past 7 years, the delta remains huge to go to detached. I've accepted that I never will - it would destroy our lifestyle. Even if we did, we'd have to live our neighborhood to do it - just not worth it.

Damn. Wish someone said this sooner. Would have kept up my party circle and people pleasing [emoji88]

I noticed this recently. I haven't really spent much time in North Van, with an exception for the Seymour area and now in Lonsdale. I gotta say, walking around Lonsdale is really nice. It gives me Gastown/Yaletown vibes (as someone who doesn't frequent DT), without the smell of piss everywhere, and a much safer feeling.

I haven't enjoyed walking to most places in the last few years, but walking around in Lonsdale was really refreshing and pleasant.



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my coworker moved out of a strata in north van so YMMV, no so much leaving trash around and being unfriendly, but more like morons who let their kids have water fights around your car in your driveway leaving blown up water balloons all over your car and overall shitty "it's a free country" attitudes.

OH KIDS WILL BE KIDS

ITS NOT A BIG DEALLL

or you wanting them to be in the backyard, but also just you doing all the yard work :okay:

reminds me of dave chappelle's joke: even if he did... know what i mean?? /shrug

http://www.tiktok.com/@chiefgreenscr...405230?lang=en

What the heck kind of roof did they get that cost 50k? Or is their place just obscenely huge?

Nah that’s about the going rate now. My old Neighbor at my previous house redid his roof last year. His house is 2400sqfr on a 6k lot and it cost him 40k

^ I guess inflation ... I used to hear $30K as a price point for new roofs but that was like 5-7 yrs ago.

not huge - but the old roof (cedar shakes) had totally failed and all the sub roof was destroyed also.

didn't go shakes this time.

roofers are expensive AF - our condo roof is going to be over a million (80 units). Couldn't get the old roof off without destroying the subroof (no slip layer was installed 25 years ago) so they're putting a new roof overtop.

I went from cedar shake to regular shingles so new sheeting underneath as well and it was $10k. That was about 10 years ago now and my place is only about 1000sqft of "roof" but that's still a crazy increase in price.

Damn... and I thought my new (asphalt shingles) roof from like 2 - 3 years ago was not cheap at ~$15k?

we did a 10000sf roof on our commercial property 4 years ago and i think that was only about 30-40k