not sure of the cause.
a couple months ago I had a chat with the tenant.
To the right of it there is a 40 foot motorhome and also a little workshop that he can get cars into parked less than a foot from that shop. that may easily have become a fire access issue but it didn't get damaged.
He said he was living in the motorhome and using the house as well. maybe he had others living there too , not sure. He is a retired mechanic filling in with little repairs in the shop.
at least that guy still has a bed to sleep in but I wont be surprised if the fire department forces his motorhome out.
at the time of the fire I saw smoke from the chimney but it had spread to the roof structure and was pretty engulfed.
they broke the window and door and doused it with a hose then sent a brave fireman with gear in to check for people , he returned after maybe 5 minutes in there and they cheered since he evidently found no one inside. the fire quickly spread to the addition there is also an addition behind that you can just see. it went too. it took a while to get the water up into the roof structure and flames were coming out all over the roofline. I couldn't believe how much water they sprayed in and some bubbles so I guess a foam as well. that tree is close but they kept the roof wet. You cant' see in the pic but that lot also has big fir trees that tower everything.
I dont know what was inside. I think they used the fireplace sometimes. I spoke to a neighbor who thought it was occupied by vagrants but the guy I spoke to was all there. 10 years ago there were a lot of prostitutes nearby but they changed the laws and harassed them away and there are very few ladies of the night at least so visible now. I think he was just getting by and using the structures.
in the front of that lot there is a nice old house , probably 1920 or so. it isn't restored but original. the rest is an old building quite large with several businesses. an old Chinese cafe, vape shop hair supplies and an old house parts place. none of them are exactly booming. Its all one property.
I think I already saw a plan that showed the big old house staying and a 5 story apartment sort of surrounding the old house but it was possibly a plan for another lot. The lot is big so I think the owner is just holding and probably close to letting it go into a new development, probably making lots on the land value.
across the lane from the little house there is a house about 1924 that they just tore down, built new to the max, also with 800 sq ft garage. I asked the builder how much for a garage like that? he said about 50K roughly.. the house was probably about 200K I figure. a building lot is a million. that lot must be 1/2 acre or so.
I'd love to build a garage but I dont know.. maybe a laneway house would make more sense as that would provide income.
I'm pondering the idea of contracting out the plan, cement work and framing up to close up , just sheathing done and windows, then finishing the rest myself. I think I could handle it once i had the big structural stuff done by a crew of pro's.
Maybe it could be a garage with a design that can be converted later to a rental unit. I'm thinking that over wondering if I really want the mortgage to go up or if I'm best to just let the next owner see the potential. my house is nearto the main street so the back yard is roughly 70 x 54, plenty big for a laneway house with about 900 sq ft footprint.
blocks away they are buying up nice houses, they amalgamate lots then go build big condos. thats the trend here now. a mile away it's big towers. they just approved a 55 story one. my area is residential but 5 storys are being built after rezoning. I could easily get a knock at the door with an offer way over value. someone close was offered that. he tried to hold out and they were going to build condos on either side anyway so his house would be surrounded with tennants. he caved and took the money.
all the ramshackle ones or ones with 60 foot lots they can subdivide are bought up pretty much. a lot of the ones are built around 1924 and nicely maintained. many lifted up a story. they gut them and use the stick frame again sometimes. maybe its because they cant actually get a demo permit due to heritage. Ive heard of them saving one wall and calling it a "reno" sometimes they move the houses around to different lots. there is one where they moved the hosues built a parkade then plunked the houses right back on top. I liked that better than the teardowns. they are just recycled stick frames but they at least have some design.
of course I appreciate the old houses like mine with some originality but can't stop progress. I just plunk along maintaining it, too scared of the debt. no teams of contractors. I pay the mortgage and keep my feet just above water. put in a little sweat equity as I can without too much risk. recycle as much as I can. stay out of trouble. 1930's mentality
