Three mid-century homes from Metro Vancouver finished a barge journey to Haida Gwaii on Oct. 2 and will be converted for subsidized housing.
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Three mid-century homes from Metro Vancouver docked in Haida Gwaii after finishing a multi-day journey via barge up the B.C. coast on Oct. 2.
The Old Masset Village Council said it will convert each of the three homes into triplex units that will be used to provide subsidized housing.
Old Masset chief councillor Donald Edgar said the council is trying to move people into homes more quickly, adding that some families have large numbers of people living in one small house.
Edgar said the homes were originally expected to be too old for reuse, but after visiting the properties in Coquitlam he determined they were still in good shape and could be repurposed instead of sent to landfill.
Renewal Development CEO Glyn Lewis, whose company facilitated the shipping process, said he began his business about six years ago due to the waste he saw from demolitions across Metro Vancouver.
Lewis said he estimates about 2,700 single-family homes are demolished each year in the region, and that about 700 of them are still in good condition and could be relocated and repurposed.
He described the relocation approach as wasteful to skip in terms of heritage and character, materials, embodied carbon and cost, noting he believes some developers pay tens of thousands of dollars to tear down houses.
The homes were originally associated with sites in Coquitlam, including two houses from a land assembly on Appian Way where Anthem Properties needed to tear down eleven homes for a higher-density development, and a third house from another development site on Madore Avenue.
Before shipping, the homes required work to match Old Massett’s coastal conditions, including upgrades to metal roofs and hardy siding.
Lewis said the homes were shipped from Coquitlam down the Fraser River to a barge site, loaded onto a barge, secured with steel beams, and then towed for a three-day journey to Haida Gwaii.
Once in Haida Gwaii, Edgar said the village council will build foundations and the two lower units before placing the repurposed homes on top.
Edgar said the council plans to test the three rescued homes first, before potentially bringing up 17 more units, and said building homes in Haida Gwaii is expensive.
He added that the council expects subsidizing rent to help, as rent is rising, and Renewal Development estimated the rescued-homes approach is about 20 to 40 per cent cheaper than building new or bringing in modular housing.
Renewal Development’s Lewis said the company also handled demolition for the remaining homes that were not suitable for reuse due to their condition or size.
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