Much-maligned 'Vancouver Special' celebrates style revival

Vancouver's Tim and Tracy Paterson are opening the doors to their reinvented 'Vancouver Special' house, which features a more open concept and added skylights to create a bright, ultra-modern living space. April 18, 2015. (Robert Collins/CTV)

Concrete foundations. Two floors. Flat front. Low pitched roof. Boxy. Really boxy. It can only be the Vancouver Special.

Unique to the Lower Mainland, the Vancouver Special is the city’s questionable architectural gift the world. Despite being consistently maligned since they emerged in the mid-1960s, the humble Vancouver Special is currently enjoying a cultural and critical revival. Not because of what is was, but because of what it can be.

“Vancouverites have considered Vancouver Specials to be an architectural atrocity for decades,” admits Rebecca Bishop, Programming Manager for the Vancouver Heritage Foundation. “They were built quickly and economically, not with character in mind. They’re lacking in beautiful features, but we found that there are tons of examples where people have found ways to make them more contemporary and attractive. There are 10,000 or more of these homes across the city now. So we thought it was a great opportunity to explore the idea of conservation of existing buildings rather than demolishing them.”

That creative reinvention of the Vancouver Special will celebrated this Saturday as the Vancouver Heritage Foundation hosts the seventh annual Vancouver Special House Tour, where five bold homeowners will throw open their Special’s doors to let the public take guided tours to see the possibilities within. One of those homes belongs to Tim and Tracy Paterson.

“These houses are part of the city’s heritage,” says Tracy. “We want to keep them alive so they don’t get torn down. We’ve lived in three of them now. They’re great modern spaces. You can do so much with them.”

The Patersons have shown the huge potential the Vancouver Special’s blank canvas presents, removing walls and adding skylights to create a bright, ultra-modern living space.

The interior of the Paterson's home is not what you'd expect in the typical Vancouver Special. (Robert Collins/CTV)

“Vancouver Specials were always functional but didn’t have much pizzazz,” explains Tim, a professional contractor and carpenter. “But you can make them better and customize them to your needs.”

For homebuyers looking to make a solid investment in Vancouver’s frantic property market, that ease of renovation, along with a change in city bylaws, makes these historic houses a great option.

“We’ve seen bidding wars on some Vancouver Specials,” says Bishop. “They maximized the square footage that was allowable on a lot at the time of construction, which exceeds what’s now allowed for slab-on-grade construction. So the cost of a rebuild will be higher than the cost of a renovation if you want the same square footage. Renovating Vancouver Specials is economical because they’re simply and really well constructed, and so easy to adapt.”

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation are expecting up to 400 people to explore a slice of the city’s architectural history this Saturday. Tickets are available at the Tour Information Booth (open from noon) at the corner of East 22nd Avenue and Prince Edward Park or online. The Tour runs from 1pm-5pm.

For more information visit the Heritage Foundation's website.