4570 replies to this topic

[Ismo07]

Huh, I didn't realize VCC had a parkade.  That'll take the stress out of having to go downtown for my shot.  

 

Entry is where the old bus station was...  Most expensive parkade generally so....  VIHA covering first hour there I believe.

[Victoria Watcher]

Huh, I didn't realize VCC had a parkade.  

 

it's kept low profile as it's full of cougars.

 

Cougar Caught In Victoria's Empress Hotel

https://archive.seat...04&slug=1479237

 

 

 

A cougar that wildlife officials had tracked for days was captured in the parking garage of the Empress Hotel.

 

″It must have heard about our safari package,″ said Deirdre Campbell, a spokeswoman for the landmark hotel.

________________

 

″This cougar coming into the city was like you being placed on another planet,″ Smirl said. ″It can’t cope.″

 

https://apnews.com/a...4fd31743922d7e6

 

 

 

 

 

that seems a bit extreme.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 21 May 2021 - 01:44 PM.

[Barrrister]

My simple solution for the parkaide issue is that I have stopped shopping or eating at restaurants in Victoria. All the druggies on the streets have definitely changed the appeal of Victoria to my wife and I. 

[spanky123]

A good article in the G&M today on housing prices which reflects what we have been saying here. https://www.theglobe...bonkers-and-it/

 

Housing prices are skyrocketing due to poor policy choices at all levels of Government yet their is no political will (or economic flexibility left) to do anything about it.

[Mike K.]

Certainly not when the cost to build a house has risen $100,000 since December.

[Victoria Watcher]

Certainly not when the cost to build a house has risen $100,000 since December.

 

????

 

On lumber alone, the cost of building a 2,600-square-foot home has risen by about $40,000, Ms. Wastell said.

 

https://www.theglobe...duct-shortages/

 

Curtis Mercer, the head of K & P Contracting Ltd. in St. John’s, said costs are up roughly $20,000 for a 1,200-square-foot home. Because of price changes, he’s amending his contracts three or four times before they reach buyers.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 24 May 2021 - 11:48 AM.

[Mike K.]

You think only lumber has increased in price? Victoria is also not St. John's.

[Victoria Watcher]

the first one is just lumber. the second one is everything. they both come to $40,000 for ~ 2,500 sq. ft. but you say it’s 2.5x worse than that.

not sure.

[Mike K.]

Talking to a builder on Friday, that is what he said, $100,000. I'm going to take the builder's word.

[Mike K.]

I just phoned this builder. He said his lumber cost has increased by $54,000 on the home he’s currently building, about 2,500 square feet on the West Shore. Window costs are higher, plumbing costs are higher, finishing costs are higher, labour costs are higher, landscaping costs are higher, fuel is up 30% compared to the fall and this is on top of land costs which surged since the fall. He says he’s no longer pricing homes for sale until they’re done.

So say what you will about government action or inaction, when you can’t deliver a suburban home for under $800k as a starting point with land that you acquired last year, it doesn’t matter what government does if we are to maintain the boundaries we’ve set for ourselves and pretend only one lifestyle is the correct one.

[Dexter]

No one is quoting build costs now. It’s cost plus all the way.

[Mike K.]

The latest townhome project to launch on the West Shore is priced at $900k - $1.1M at Sooke Road and Veterans, hardly the sort of location where tow years ago you'd image a $1.1M townhome to be located.

 

Compare that to The Reeve, which sold-out in mid-2020 with pricing in the $730-800k range. That gives you an idea of where build costs are today, and they continue to climb as each supplier accounts for delays and rising costs.

[Barrrister]

And the Feds will tell you with a straight face (followed by a wink and a nod) that inflation is under 3%

[Mike K.]

Right.

 

And don't forget the GST and PST on top 

[Ismo07]

Talking to a builder on Friday, that is what he said, $100,000. I'm going to take the builder's word.

 

Windows now are very limited in sourcing, also obviously very expensive.  They can't make enough windows in North America...

[sebberry]

We all know the entire continent's glass supply ended up in this house on Dallas Road.  And smashed storefront windows in Victoria.

 

 

 

[sebberry]

On the plus side, they saved a bucket load on wood costs

[Mike K.]

Windows now are very limited in sourcing, also obviously very expensive. They can't make enough windows in North America...

Yes, it’s a bit of a problem. Friends in the glass industry are unable to keep up with demand, for sure.

[Mike K.]

Here it is.

To what extent will Canadians work from home once the COVID-19 pandemic is over? The answer to this question, says Statistics Canada, has potentially significant implications for future traffic congestion, public transit use, greenhouse gas emissions, demand for office space in city centres and for housing in suburbs, and the dynamism (or lack thereof) of retail trade stores and restaurants located in downtown areas.

According to Statistics Canada’s 2021 workforce survey, 80% of workers normally working outside of the home but who were working from home during the survey period would like to work at least half of their hours from home once the pandemic is over. 41% would prefer working about half of their hours at home and the other half outside the home, while 39% would prefer working most of their hours at home. The remaining 20% would prefer working mostly or all of their hours outside the home.

You can read more on these survey results here: https://www150.statc...e/00001-eng.htm

[Mike K.]

“One sector that will struggle for a long time will be core urban area commercial real estate,” Jimmy Jean, chief economist at Desjardins Securities Inc., said by email. “Fewer people on any given day in core urban areas will also obviously have implications for small businesses located in these areas.” - https://apple.news/A...kS_6wmChKkz2VWQ