Queen Elizabeth Park Modern Duplex

The Extra Special “Vancouver Special”?

The property owner of a 1946 bungalow in Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park neighbourhood approached our Averra team to help them enhance their property.

The goal – The perfect home for themselves while at the same time provide additional housing and rental income.
We worked closely to assess their personal needs and explored options of how to optimize their overall FSR (floor space ratio). The new building configuration to provide the homeowner with customization to suit their needs; while providing functional, attractive and quality built homes for future tenants.

The 50 x 115 RS-1 lot with a 1940’s 2-bedrooms and 1-bathroom bungalow of 1,900 sq ft of living space was redeveloped into a 4,000 sq ft side-by-side duplex each with their own secondary suite.

The plans were conceived in collaboration with one of our preferred Vancouver Home Designers, Alex Glegg.

Queen Elizabeth Park Modern Duplex is a unique and striking custom side-by-side duplex with a shallow pitched roof line which is reminiscent to the traditional Vancouver Special architectural style unique to Vancouver.

Fun Fact: Over 10,000 Vancouver Specials were built throughout the city between the1960’s 1980’s. Their popularity stemmed from the practical design which optimized livable space.

This project has had numerous inquiries and complements from community members that have seen how these new homes blend so well within the existing neighbourhood.

Could this be the genesis of Vancouver Special 2.0 duplex?

THE RESIDENCES

Queen Elizabeth Park Modern Duplex is essentially side-by-side duplex, plus two lower level one-bedroom suites.

It is a fresh and bold duplex project which created four exceptional homes in the place of one tired bungalow.

Sounds simple, yet this project has so much more depth.

The front exterior is not the typical symmetrical middle split side-by-side duplex. It has been skillfully designed to be asymmetrical and mixes a bold window configuration with metal detail, vertical burnt wood siding and stucco.

Behind the scenes, much of the interior halves are a mirror image with some very crafty customization to optimize the homeowners’ residence.

Interior selections were done with Melanie Finkleman of Hazel and Brown Design Co. who thoughtfully worked with the client to embrace the custom needs of the owner while creating classic, durable and pragmatic choices for the spaces that would be rented.

Homeowners’ primary residence is a half-duplex which is approximately 2,700 sq ft.

On the top floor there are 2-bedrooms each with their own ensuite, plus an office and laundry.

Large windows and skylights with vaulted ceilings make all spaces bright and welcoming.

The main floor has a spacious open concept design. The kitchen, dining room and living room are all on this floor. The living room extends out to the west facing deck through a triple slider glass door system are on the main floor. Plus, there is also a bright foyer entry and a large powder room.

The upper level has two large bedrooms each with their own ensuite bathroom. There is also a bright office with contemporary double glass doors, overhead skylight and south facing window. In addition, laundry is conveniently located on this level.

A few custom luxurious, high quality customized lighting, fixtures, flooring cabinetry and appliances for the homeowners’ residence include:

-- Jenn-Air appliances supplied by Trail Appliances
-- Oak Daybreak Wide Plank Hardwood by Centurion Hardwood
-- Lighting fixtures from Cedar and Moss and Hudson Valley
-- Tiles from Creekside Tile, Ames and Ann Sacks
-- Opes free-standing round soaker tub by Valley Acrylic

Rental Half Duplex Residence:

This home is a three-bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms and provides approximately 2,700 sq ft of living space.

Similar to the homeowners’ layout, the main floor has a bright entry with and office space, kitchen, dining room, living room plus powder room.

All three bedrooms are on the top floor plus two bathrooms and laundry.

Two Lower Level 1-Bedroom Suites:
Two side-by-side, 1-bedroom suites are on the lower level of this residence.

They each have their own private entry with covered exterior porch and offer residents an open concept kitchen, living room and dining room area in addition to the private bedroom and bathroom.

Select Collaborators Include:
Home Designer | Alex Glegg Design
Interior Design | Hazel & Brown Interiors
Builder | Averra Developments
Structural Engineer | Allester Engineering
Environmental | Alara
Millwork | Momentum
Plumbing | CRO Plumbing and Heating
Electrical | Castle Electric
Photography | Francis Lai

The Neighbourhood:

Riley Park neighbourhood and Queen Elizabeth Park are thriving hubs in the heart of Vancouver. Just a few blocks east or west residents have Main Street and Cambie Street which offer boundless options of restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, grocers and local centric speciality shops.

Some favourites include:

Walrus Design Inc | Contemporary Lifestyle Boutique
Rain or Shine Ice Cream | Fresh Pure Ingredient Ice Cream
Published on Main | Upscale Local and Sustainable Dining
Anh and Chi | Delicious, Good Value Vietnamese Lunch and Dinner
Matchstick Riley Park | Café and Roastery
Vij’s | Vancouver’s Famous and Delectable Indian Dining

Alternatively, directly south is the exciting new Oakridge Park development which is promising to be a crossroad of dance, music, film, festivals, art, architecture, fashion, design, landscape, nature, horticulture, botany, gastronomy, literature, diversity, gaming, technology, travel and much more.

In addition, this lovely property is less than 200 meters from the city’s Queen Elizabeth Park which is 125 meters above sea level and boasts the highest point in Vancouver. This lovely destination offers spectacular views of the park, city and mountains on the North Shore as well as gorgeous landscaping featuring a collection of exotic and native trees and plans. This park also offers tennis and pickleball courts, lawn bowling and a pitch and putt course.