VANCOUVER SPECIAL RENOVATION UPDATE | SIDEWALKS & DRAIN TILES

The renovation continues!  In Gary’s last update on his Vancouver Special renovation, he talked about receiving a Stop Work Order on his project, and even though he is still currently waiting for the City of Vancouver to approve his work permits, parts of the renovation were still able to continue.  This week,  Gary updates you on two finished projects in his backyard, including a brand new sidewalk and updated drain tiles!

Updating Your Drain Titles

During the renovation, Gary had the suspicion that the drain tiles on his property were either damaged or clogged.  Depending on what year your home was built in, the quality of your drain tiles may vary depending on the type of material it was made out of.  The older style of drain tile was made out of clay which has does have a lifespan and can cause leaks in basements, which can turn into a big, expensive project.  Thankfully the drain tiles on Gary’s property were made out of concrete.

Since the drain tiles were concrete, they were able to take out some of the tiles and discovered that they were in fact just clogged.  One of the reasons they ended up being clogged was due to the fact that the pipe attached to the property was a short concrete spout, which allowed dirt to get into the pipe and over many years clogged the pipe meaning water wasn’t passing through.  To prevent dirt from getting in and causing this from happening again in the future, Gary’s dad replaced all the spouts on the property with tall plastic spouts which will prevent any clogging, allowing the water to pass through properly.

Building New Sidewalks With Pavers

All the sidewalks at Gary’s Vancouver Special had to be replaced because they were leaning towards the house which can cause water to go towards the foundation, which is something you definitely don’t want, so the plan was to break down the old sidewalk and put in pavers.  Pavers are great for many reasons, not only are they easy to install because you don’t lay down concrete, but they also look great and are fairly inexpensive.  The process of putting these in is fairly simple.  To start you have to make sure you have a good bed for the pavers to lay on, this is done by leveling the ground and using a pounder to make sure the soil is packed tight, then putting a layer of gravel on top, followed by a landscaping fabric to prevent weeds from growing.

Gary’s sidewalk runs from the side of the house all the way to the back gate, where garbage and recycling bins will be, to make an easy walkway through the garden and will be finished off with landscaping rock gravel to keep the sides nice and clean.

Make sure you stay tuned for more updates as we continue following Gary’s journey, as he takes steps towards fulfilling his lifelong dream of owning a Vancouver Special and making it truly feel like home!  If you are interested in working with our team to find your perfect home, connect with us for a free consultation!