Homes Listed as 1.5 Storey with Basement in Vancouver

Check What a 1.5 Storey with Basement Really Gives You

1.5 Storey with Basement homes trade on what the upper half-floor and the lower level can legally be used for, so check headroom and permits on the MLS® listing before you book a showing.

The upper half-storey is where these houses win or lose. Under a sloped roof the usable area is whatever sits above the point where the ceiling reaches standing height, and the number quoted rarely reflects that. Walk the upper floor yourself, note where you have to stoop, and ask the listing agent whether the dormers were added with a permit.

The lower level is the second variable. Many were dug out long after the house was built, and headroom, egress windows and moisture control decide whether it counts as living area or as storage. Ask the municipality for the permit history rather than trusting a spacious description, and have your inspector check the perimeter drainage and any sump.

Compare Older Neighbourhoods Before You Write an Offer

This form concentrates in the pre-war parts of Vancouver real estate: Renfrew and Hastings on the east side, Mount Pleasant and Fairview in the centre, Kitsilano and Shaughnessy on the west, and pockets of the West End. Out through the Fraser Valley the same shape appears on older Chilliwack streets. Prices across those neighbourhoods differ far more than the houses do, so compare inside one neighbourhood rather than across the region.

Because the stock is old, budget for the systems rather than the finishes. Knob-and-tube wiring, a clay perimeter drain, a single-pane sunroom and an undersized panel are all common at this age, and any one of them can change your insurance quote. Ask for the age of the roof, the furnace and the electrical service in writing.

Then check the lot. Many of these houses sit on land now zoned for more than one dwelling, and a laneway or infill option changes what the property is worth to you. Pull the zoning and any development permit history for the address, and check listing data from Greater Vancouver REALTORS®, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board or the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board for what comparable houses for sale include.