6 replies to this topic

[ARealKickInTheAscot]

Reading about the regulations around garden suites and having to pass the builder's exam. Does the same apply for self-building, say a garage with electrical and water/sewer?

[TallGuy]

You shouldn't rely on forum members to provide you with complete information. I've never waited on hold long with the CoV permitting department: 250.361.0344

 

What I can tell you is that if you plan on running water and sewer to your garage, you may have to upgrade the existing lines to your house, depending on fixture numbers and the existing service size, or run a new service from the street to your garage.

 

Judging from the brief look I took at the CoV's website, you will need inspection and approval to garner letters of assurance from registered professionals. In your case this will require an architect, structural engineer (likely), electrical engineer, and a mechanical engineer. Before getting there you will need design drawings that comply with BC Building Code and locals bylaws (setbacks, limiting distances, etc).

[Mike K.]

I would go straight to BC Housing and sidestep the City of Victoria if looking for specific answers regarding the exam from another organization.

 

The City of Victoria introduced its garden suite policy changes but failed to acknowledge that despite their big effort to cut red tape, the new exam would more or less erode any efficiencies they introduced. That to me is pretty telling, in that the municipality is not necessarily qualified to opine on BC Housing's exam or policies.

[ARealKickInTheAscot]

Yeah I would definitely go through the city prior to commencing. Just wanted to get a rough idea beforehand. Thanks!

[ARealKickInTheAscot]

I don't think I'd be taking the exam, just wondering if that applied to all out-buildings with electrical/sewer or just specifically garden suites.

Edited by ARealKickInTheAscot, 21 July 2017 - 12:28 PM.

[TallGuy]

I would go straight to BC Housing and sidestep the City of Victoria if looking for specific answers regarding the exam from an organization.

 

The City of Victoria introduced its garden suite policy changes but failed to acknowledge that despite their big effort to cut red tape, the new exam would more or less erode any efficiencies they introduced. That to me is pretty telling, in that the municipality is not necessarily qualified to opine on BC Housing's exam or policies.

I think the issue is that the necessity of the HPO overrules the municipality's authority (provincial vs local), and the legislators at city hall had no knowledge of the existence of the HPO before implementing the secondary suite plan.

 

I think this issue has to go to a higher level.

[Mike K.]

I'd wager they had knowledge of the plan well ahead of the release, and when asked about it by Marko Juras as part of an article published on Citified, they had the following to say: "In a statement written to Juras by the City of Victoria, the City confirms that owner-builders must either present a certificate from BC Housing identifying their successful completion of the owner-builder exam at the outset of the application process, or present the certificate prior to the City of Victoria issuing the building permit." [link]

 

My hunch is that they started work on the garden suite program before the summer of 2016 exam requirement was put in place, so when time came to promote their new red tape cutting garden suite measure this spring, and positioning it as a big part of solving the housing crisis (eye roll), they chose to sidestep that all important detail.