I see that David Philip just posted this in the forum – A music video for that oh-so-Vancouver scene: the leaky condo.
From the video description on YouTube:
This just might be the world’s first Leaky Condominium Music Video. Repairing a leaky condo building can take months and months and months. So why not set it to music! Take it away, Rossini! Starring Jacob Breen.
Like that battery-marketing bunny, the leaky condo crisis keeps going and going.
Owners in a 71-unit building in Cloverdale say their builder repaired some leak problems a few years ago. At the time, the work was covered by warranty.
But recent testing found moisture in the building’s walls, and homeowners learned that they would be hit with a bill of about $45,000.
For some owners, that was too much to handle, and they just walked away. Eight owners have yet to come up with the necessary cash.
“They’re going to be foreclosing. I have until the end of December to come up with any monies,” owner Shirley Hall said. “I guess I have to walk away from it.”
The building was built in the 90s, at the height of the leaky condo crisis. For 11 years, the province gave interest-free loans to those facing massive repair bills.
A 2008 report done for the government said that after 2012, anywhere from 14,000 to 24,000 leaky condos would still near repairs, and that the demand for loans would be high until 2017.
..but as you all know, that interest free leaky condo repair loan program has been axed. Housing minister Rich Coleman suggests taking out equity to pay for repairs saying “Even seniors can get reverse mortgages — they’re pretty economical”.
Hat-tip to Bizznitch for the link.
You’ve seen them all over Vancouver, from green mesh covered buildings in fairview to plastic shrouded condo towers downtown. But what’s it like to actually live in leaky condo thats being repaired?
A renter in Yaletown has started blogging about life in the green mesh: The Leaky Condo Chronicles is an interesting read about the inconvenience and frustration of living in an active repair zone:
Buzzing, vibrating, grinding noise jolted me awake at 8 AM. It’s really too bad that earplugs can’t block out the vibrations — they’re worse than the noise…
I think today is worse than ever before. They’re grinding down the concrete of the balcony right next door to us.
Mondays tend to be particularly bad anyway, probably because weekends are so nice and quiet, but I do think it’s true — it can’t get any worse than this — can it? Can it?
I need to run away.
You can find more misery at leakycondolife.blogspot.com
Another condo repair shot for the gallery, this one sent in by ‘anon’ who includes the following note:
This townhouse is on the corner of 7th and Vine in Kitsilano. This is a shot of repairs happening at the back and on seventh avenue. Currently the front of the building on Vine street looks much clearer, not sure if they’ve already done repairs there or if they’re still upcoming. This building also has addresses at 2302, 2304, 2306, 2308, 2310 & 2312 Vine Street.
Send your tarp and scaffolding covered condo repair photos in to vancouvercondo.info@gmail.com for inclusion in the photo gallery.
This unit in the building located at 960 west sixth avenue looks a bit like its got a shower cap on.. As if its just gotten out of the bath and is getting ready for a night on the town.
Send your tarp and scaffolding covered condo repair photos in to vancouvercondo.info@gmail.com for inclusion in the photo gallery.
The fairview slopes has its fair share of leaky condos judging by the number of photos sent in. This shot from the batch that kingleaky sent in a few weeks ago is located at 948 West 7th Avenue, right in the heart of Fairview.
Send your tarp and scaffolding covered condo repair photos in to vancouvercondo.info@gmail.com for inclusion in the photo gallery.
update: here’s an additional close-up shot sent in by Doug R:
This is the backside of a development on west 7th ave, the ‘Casarosa’. Once the scaffolding and green netting is removed this is the side that will have the good view of downtown (unless that mushroom studios building in front is developed into something taller).
Photo credit to ‘kingleaky’. Send your tarp and scaffolding covered condo repair photos in to vancouvercondo.info@gmail.com for inclusion in the photo gallery.
Ah, the Granville Island Village. This condo development is looking a little shy, hiding from the rain this winter under a clean white sheet of plastic sheeting. This development is across the street from the previous post and was also submitted by ‘king leaky’.
Got a shot of a condo undergoing repairs? Send it in for the condo repair gallery to vancouvercondo.info@gmail.com
‘king leaky’ sent in a batch of condo repair pictures from Fairview, a neighborhood particularly hard hit by the leaky condo debacle. I’ll be posting the others over the next couple of weeks, This first one is located at 1350 west sixth avenue and looks sort of majestic with its soaring scaffolding.
Ahoy there! This building at 1201 Lameys Mill Road has great views out to false creek near Granville Island and a somewhat nautical / pirate theme to the way its scaffolding and tarpaulins drape. Going by the name ‘Alder Bay Place’ these condos use a mix of traditional Vancouver green mesh and white tarps.
send your leaky tarp covered condo pictures for the repair photo album to: vancouvercondo.info@gmail.com
