Handyman in Kitsilano
Most traditional Kitsilano houses were built between 1910 and about 1930 on a basement raised 1.2 to 1.8 m above the ground, so the front door is reached by a wide wooden stair. The City's own design guidelines note that those stairs usually had no railings at first, and that railings were added over the years, often badly. A century of Vancouver rain on wide wooden treads and porches is exactly the work I specialise in.
Character houses and their front stairs
Kits Craftsman houses went up mostly in the 1910 to 1912 building boom, and you can still see whole groups of them between Macdonald and Stephens around 5th and 6th Avenue, plus a row of California Bungalows on 5th between Bayswater and Balaclava. They share the same bones. A raised main floor, a covered wooden porch with picket railings, and a broad set of steps down to the walk.
Those steps and porches hold water on every flat surface. I scrape back the old layers of paint, replace soft treads and porch boards with matching wood, tighten loose pickets and railings, and repaint so the house keeps its character instead of looking patched.
Suites, rentals and turnovers
During the Second World War many big houses on the slope above Kits Beach became rooming houses, and the City later allowed large old homes to be converted into multiple suites. Today 57 percent of Kitsilano households rent, and almost three quarters of homes are apartments.
That makes a lot of small jobs between tenants. Patching and painting walls, drywall repairs, new laminate in a suite, furniture assembly and fixing the shared outside stairs are all work I take on for owners and landlords. If you rent, ask your landlord before booking work on the building.
What needs a City of Vancouver permit
The City lists painting and non structural maintenance and minor repairs to the outside of your home among the jobs that need no permit. Replacing flooring is on the same list. Building or altering a deck, and structural repairs, do need a permit.
This matters because the City charges a work without permit penalty, typically double the permit fee, and the homeowner pays it even if a contractor said no permit was needed. If your stair or deck needs structural work rather than repair and paint, I will tell you so before we start.
Designated heritage houses
Kitsilano is not a heritage conservation area, so most character houses can be repaired and repainted without a heritage permit. A few individual houses are designated, including McKinnon House on West 5th Avenue and two houses on Stephens Street, and the City's Heritage By-law requires a heritage alteration permit to change the exterior of a designated building.
If your house is designated, check with the City before changing exterior colours or details.
Fences and yard cleanup
In Vancouver you can put up a fence without a permit if it is four feet or less along the front yard and six feet or less along the side and rear. I repair and replace wood fence sections within those heights.
The City green bin takes branches under 10 cm thick and 50 cm long, but not painted, stained or treated wood, soil or sod. When I clear a Kits yard or a side passage, I cut and sort everything so it fits the bin rules.
Services in Kitsilano
Neighbourhoods and places I cover in and around Kitsilano: Kitsilano, Kits Beach, West 4th Avenue, Vanier Park, Arbutus, Point Grey Road, Fairview, West Point Grey, Arbutus Ridge, Shaughnessy.
Common questions
Do I need a permit to repaint my Kitsilano porch and front stairs?
No. The City of Vancouver lists painting and non structural minor exterior repairs as work that needs no permit. Building or altering a deck, or structural repairs, do need one.
My house is old but is it heritage protected?
Kitsilano is not a heritage conservation area. Only individually designated houses need a heritage alteration permit for exterior changes. Being on the Heritage Register alone is a listing, not a designation.
Can you do suite turnover work between tenants?
Yes. Wall patching and painting, drywall repairs, laminate flooring, furniture assembly and fixing worn shared stairs are all common Kits jobs.
How high can my fence be in Kitsilano?
Without a permit, four feet or less along the front yard and six feet or less along the side and rear of a detached house or duplex.
Which parts of Kits do you cover?
All of Kitsilano, from Burrard Street to Alma and from English Bay to 16th Avenue, plus nearby Fairview, West Point Grey and Arbutus Ridge.
Nearby areas
Where these local facts come from
Have a job in Kitsilano?
Call or text Alex with a short description and a few photos. You will get an honest answer about what it needs and what it costs.