Vancouver's Real Estate Market

[Hondaracer]

Roast puff, the opening id say yes depending on the structure, the weird island thing yes, you could probably pull that out on your own

The other thing looks like it may be a laminated post of multiple 2x8 etc. So that may be a point load which would require some engineering or may not be feasible. Just my 0.2 from quick glance at the pics

[donk.]

Originally Posted by Manic!

But it's not even close to the same quality or size.



There is like a 6 foot difference in width between the 2 pictures.

The brochure photos always show top floor units, with most expensive layouts, views, etc.
Then someone buys a 500sqft unit on the 4th floor, and complains that the balcony is 1/5th the size, the interior does not match the 1200sqft brochure photo, and for some reason there is no view. "never even looked at the prebuilt layout drawings for the specific unit"

If you think your getting whats in the brochure photos, you need a reality check

Camon, all of you eat mcdonalds, you know the photos never match the actual product
Like someone else said, those photos are just to shit on the developer

[carsncars]

Originally Posted by donk.

The brochure photos always show top floor units, with most expensive layouts, views, etc.
Then someone buys a 500sqft unit on the 4th floor, and complains that the balcony is 1/5th the size, the interior does not match the 1200sqft brochure photo, and for some reason there is no view. "never even looked at the prebuilt layout drawings for the specific unit"

My impression was that the particular comparison being made was for the common area balcony (so a specific area). I.E. the marketing represented the common area balcony as being significantly bigger than what was delivered, which is a little different.

Not personally verified though, I don't have a copy of the original marketing material.

[westopher]

Lol at looking at all that shit and defending the developer.
Yeah some of that marketing shit you can say, come on, you know thats not what you're getting, but we're talking about a place where people spent 2k/sq ft and have finishings that match a fuckin 1957 low rent apartment in the west end. The parkade looks like the whole thing is a garbage room. And you know, 7cm of standing water on your floor isn't ideal, on top of all that.

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

Roast puff, the opening id say yes depending on the structure, the weird island thing yes, you could probably pull that out on your own

The other thing looks like it may be a laminated post of multiple 2x8 etc. So that may be a point load which would require some engineering or may not be feasible. Just my 0.2 from quick glance at the pics

Yeah the half wall thing is probably the easiest, the other two things are what I'm more concerned about. Hence why I'm trying to find an engineer to come take a look.

[underscore]

Originally Posted by roastpuff

One thing that I am not sure about is the ability to knock down some walls, and whether they are loadbearing or not.

From what I learned when I took out two walls, generally if there's nothing under it holding it up (if you have a basement or crawlspace under to check) or if there's nothing being held up above it (if you have an attic above it) then it's not load bearing. Also if it runs parallel to the joists above it shouldn't be load bearing so even if you don't have access a studfinder should help you out.

[twitchyzero]

no way i was defending the crappy build, just thought comparing to rendered images was funny
like pre-rendered trailers vs actual gameplay

[Hondaracer]

The elevators were also likely destroyed by residents, not the construction company.

But yes finishing etc and some of the exterior stuff should be a concern.

Ironically never heard any quality complaints out of Trump tower

[Eff-1]

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

what a trash article from a trash website

final product looks different than concept/vision marketing material? no one promised you shit

There's nothing trash about the article. It's all fact based on owner experiences.

[Eff-1]

In no way would I ever defend WB. Those photos paint a terrible picture.

But some of the responsibility here also falls to the strata council. If the building has a good council, some of those issues would be fixed.

That being said, I can imagine being on the council of that building would be a full time job on its own. But councils are volunteers and it's hard to find people who can give the time unless they are retired. With the amount of renters in that building (assuming from all the offshore owners) and less retired people (I'm just guessing the building's age of resident skews young), finding council members willing to take on that task would be a big challenge.

[JDMDreams]

So anyone know what would happen? Are the owners fucked? It seems like it's a building pipe that exploded and not like your toilet leaking or anything.

[CRS]

Originally Posted by JDMDreams

So anyone know what would happen? Are the owners fucked? It seems like it's a building pipe that exploded and not like your toilet leaking or anything.

Building insurance (via strata) should be covering it.

RIP the deductible and future cost for insurance though. Depending if the strata has enough of an emergency fund to cover the cost of the deductible, there may be a one-time special levy to cover the cost.

[Fafine]

Originally Posted by roastpuff

Hi guys, so after a rollercoaster 2 weeks, I am the prospective owner of a townhouse near SFU Hills! The amount of relief I got from having my offer accepted is immeasurable.

However, before I move in, I would like to do some renovations - mainly kitchen and bathroom. One thing that I am not sure about is the ability to knock down some walls, and whether they are loadbearing or not. Would you guys have a recommendation for engineer or someone qualified that can figure out what I can remove or not?

See the circled areas in what I want to take down if possible.



Also this vent hood was a choice, geez.

https://latera.ca/ are reasonable priced.
Let them know what you want done and email them the pictures.
They'll send you a proposal and price break down.

But also contact your strata and see what their process is.
If it's simple as having a stamp from the engineer then it's not that bad, but if they're require permits then it gets expensive and might be a while before you get move in.

[Traum]

Bear in mind that in this Westbank situation, even if there is a good strata, there is a limit of how much they can do when the developer is uncooperative.

In a prevoius apartment, the HVAC in the common area was deemed to be defective due to installation errors, and it took the threat of a lawsuit before the developer took up responsibility for it. But even that took over a year to resolve. In another apartment that I first bought in pre-sale, the KONE elevators repeatedly failed, and despite the best efforts from the strata council, the developer and KONE were basically pointing fingers at each other for a very long time. A number of other issues with that building either turned into the developer denying responsibilities, dragging its feet on the repairs, or keep doing little but inadequate repairs or claiming that stuff is fixed when it isn't (because it will break down again quite soon after this "repair".)

Originally Posted by Eff-1

But some of the responsibility here also falls to the strata council. If the building has a good council, some of those issues would be fixed.

That being said, I can imagine being on the council of that building would be a full time job on its own. But councils are volunteers and it's hard to find people who can give the time unless they are retired. With the amount of renters in that building (assuming from all the offshore owners) and less retired people (I'm just guessing the building's age of resident skews young), finding council members willing to take on that task would be a big challenge.

[SSM_DC5]

Originally Posted by roastpuff

Hi guys, so after a rollercoaster 2 weeks, I am the prospective owner of a townhouse near SFU Hills! The amount of relief I got from having my offer accepted is immeasurable.

However, before I move in, I would like to do some renovations - mainly kitchen and bathroom. One thing that I am not sure about is the ability to knock down some walls, and whether they are loadbearing or not. Would you guys have a recommendation for engineer or someone qualified that can figure out what I can remove or not?

See the circled areas in what I want to take down if possible.



Also this vent hood was a choice, geez.

[img]... [/img]

Congratulations!

Is that glass thing a pocket door?
That island pony wall thing, any electrical outlets on the other side?
For the wall on the left, is there another angle to look at it?

[Eff-1]

Originally Posted by Traum

Bear in mind that in this Westbank situation, even if there is a good strata, there is a limit of how much they can do when the developer is uncooperative.

In a previous apartment, the HVAC in the common area was deemed to be defective due to installation errors, and it took the threat of a lawsuit before the developer took up responsibility for it. But even that took over a year to resolve. In another apartment that I first bought in pre-sale, the KONE elevators repeatedly failed, and despite the best efforts from the strata council, the developer and KONE were basically pointing fingers at each other for a very long time. A number of other issues with that building either turned into the developer denying responsibilities, dragging its feet on the repairs, or keep doing little but inadequate repairs or claiming that stuff is fixed when it isn't (because it will break down again quite soon after this "repair".)

I agree, when it comes to construction deficiencies, there may not be much the council can do if the developer isn't playing ball.

I was thinking more like the poor garbage rooms, the sad looking library, or the concierge not having space for packages. Sure, the developer designs and builds the garbage room, but it's up to the Council to make it function to a level the residents are happy with, including signage, organization, cleanliness, etc.

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by SSM_DC5

Congratulations!

Is that glass thing a pocket door?
That island pony wall thing, any electrical outlets on the other side?
For the wall on the left, is there another angle to look at it?

The glass (plastic) thing is 3 sliding doors, which feel extremely cheap and flimsy. There's three staggered tracks on the top and bottom.

The island knee wall thingy, no electrical but it has an air return register.

The wood wall on the left, I forgot to take some better pictures of it. Will try to do so at the house inspection which is scheduled for Tuesday.

Some pics from the listing:

[SSM_DC5]

Originally Posted by roastpuff

The glass (plastic) thing is 3 sliding doors, which feel extremely cheap and flimsy. There's three staggered tracks on the top and bottom.

The island knee wall thingy, no electrical but it has an air return register.

The wood wall on the left, I forgot to take some better pictures of it. Will try to do so at the house inspection which is scheduled for Tuesday.

Some pics from the listing:

[IMG]... [/IMG]
[IMG]... [/IMG]

I'm only YouTube certified..... But, I'm going to guess that the plastic door is completely removable without issues, just need to refinish it with some drywall and maybe do something with the floor if there is a track there too.
For the pony wall, the return will cause a problem because it needs to go somewhere.... Will probably know all the options after opening the wall up, such as, can the ducting be cut back and the return stops on an adjacent wall, or does it go directly into the floor, which means you put the return on the floor and you step on it every time you walk by? My guess is it's directly into the floor and that's why they built that wall up.

Some of my current reno's have been a headache due to the things I find after opening the walls.

[The_AK]

Vancouver House giving me some serious The Raid feels

[whitev70r]

Vancouver House sh*t show ... damn, price of condo does not mean quality! Some residents will have to move out for months. Elevator not working past 30th floor ... so you walk it?

Severe flood damages nine floors of condos at Vancouver House (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vanc...looding-damage

Twitter

[quasi]

Originally Posted by whitev70r

Vancouver House sh*t show ... damn, price of condo does not mean quality! Some residents will have to move out for months. Elevator not working past 30th floor ... so you walk it?


https://twitter.com/iamkennethchan/s...26366410117120

https://twitter.com/iamkennethchan/s...26366410117120

Looks like my bathroom/bedroom last month when my toilet feed blew.

[yray]

What's baffling is why Canadian condos bathrooms don't have drains on the floor.

[68style]

^ cuz drains stink when they get older and nobody hoses down their bathrooms here haha

[Hondaracer]

When you spend 1.5 mill on a condo you don’t want a drain in the middle of the floor like some Shanghai slum

You’d expect you wouldn’t need it.. lol

[snowball]

Originally Posted by yray

What's baffling is why Canadian condos bathrooms don't have drains on the floor.

As good as this would be for insurance, floor drains are a great place to be infested by drain flies, fruit flies, and silverfish. The things I've seen in older buildings...