12-year-old Coquitlam house to be relocated to Sunshine Coast (PHOTOS)

Preparations for the relocation of the structure at 637 Aspen Street, Coquitlam. (Nickel Bros.)

Another existing structure in Metro Vancouver is on the move to a new location for its preservation and reuse this week.

Early in August, a 1912-built schoolhouse in Kitsilano was moved by vehicle on the road and then on a barge, before being transported again by vehicle to its new location on the Squamish First Nation’s reserve in North Vancouver.

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Once again, for the second time this month, another vehicle and barge operation will be carried out to relocate a structure from Coquitlam to Powell River on the northern Sunshine Coast.

But unlike the Kitsilano schoolhouse project, the Coquitlam relocation is a young structure — a 2011-built, two-storey, single-family house.

The house is currently located at 637 Aspen Street — a location about a 10-minute walk southeast from SkyTrain Burquitlam Station.

637 Aspen Street Coquitlam house relocation

Existing location of the house at 637 Aspen Street, Coquitlam. (Google Maps)

Previous condition:

Previous condition of the house at 637 Aspen Street, Coquitlam, before the relocation preparations. (Taylan Altiok)

Relocation preparations:

Preparations for the relocation of the structure at 637 Aspen Street, Coquitlam. (Nickel Bros.)

In recent weeks, preparations have been made to ready the house for its big move, including detaching the structure from its basement foundations, and removing its pitched roof, some minor interior components, and a portion of the backyard-facing frontage, where there was an attached structure to provide a covering for an outdoor patio.

The move on the road within Metro Vancouver, a distance of about over five km, will be conducted over two nights.

Tonight, Monday, August 28, the first leg of the move on the road will start at 10 pm. By 4 am to 5 am, it will reach its daytime stopover site near the intersection of Floyd Avenue and Blue Mountain Street.

The slow procession on the road will resume at 10 pm on Tuesday, August 29, and it should reach the Fraser River barge loading site of 2 King Edwards Street by 4 to 5 am. This loading site is at Fraser Mills, near IKEA in southern Coquitlam.

Previous condition of the house at 637 Aspen Street, Coquitlam, before the relocation preparations. (Google Maps)

Previous condition of the house at 637 Aspen Street, Coquitlam, before the relocation preparations. (Taylan Altiok)

At the Coquitlam location, the house had a total floor area of about 5,100 sq ft, including 2,121 sq ft for the first level, 1,427 sq ft for the second level, and 1,535 sq ft for the finished basement level. The custom-designed house has eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms.

It is estimated the reuse of the young structure in Powell River will result in 75% in structural construction cost savings for the new owner, compared to building a brand new structure from scratch.

According to BC Assessment’s latest honour roll, the fully intact structure previously had an assessed value of $1.151 million.

The reuse of the structure prevents unnecessary landfill waste, and preserves about 200,000 kg of embodied carbon from entering the atmosphere.

Previous condition of the house at 637 Aspen Street, Coquitlam, before the relocation preparations. (Taylan Altiok)

The relocation operation is being conducted by BC-Nickel Bros., which specializes in heavy transport, specifically the movement of structures by vehicle and barge.

This house at 637 Aspen Street is being moved to make way for Foster Living’s 49-unit townhouse project on the site. Construction on The Grove, the name of the townhouse project, is expected to begin in Fall 2023.

Earlier this summer, Nickel Bros. relocated four other houses on Foster Living’s five-lot townhouse land assembly at 637-641 Aspen Street and 574-582 Foster Avenue. The other four houses were considerably older and smaller — all bungalows built in the 1950s or 1960s.

The young house at 637 Aspen Street has already been sold to its new owner in Powell River. While the sale price was not disclosed, previous marketing materials show Nickel Bros. was looking for offers over $190,000.

Artistic rendering of The Grove at 637-641 Aspen Street and 574-582 Foster Avenue, Coquitlam. (Foster Living)

Nickel Bros. is currently listing the other four existing structures for sale, with the base sale price including the structure with a local delivery and installation. The final prices may vary based on final location, site accessibility, utility line work, and/or barging requirements.

From the land assembly, the 1957-built bungalow previously found at 639 Aspen Street is listed for $81,600. It has a floor area of 1,120 sq ft with three bedrooms and one bathroom.

The 1958-built bungalow previously found at 641 Aspen Street is listed for $81,600. Its floor area is 1,120 sq ft with three bedrooms and one bathroom.

The bungalow previously located at 574 Foster Avenue is listed for $82,500, with a floor area of 1,080 sq ft containing two bedrooms and one bathroom. It was built in 1960.

Also built in 1960, the bungalow previously located at 582 Foster Avenue has a floor area of 1,120 sq ft with three bedrooms and one bathroom. It is listed for $83,200.

According to BC Assessment, each of these four structures carry an assessed value of $10,000.

The company has temporarily stored these structures in the region.

Bungalow previously found at 639 Aspen Street, Coquitlam. (Nickel Bros.)

Bungalow previously found at 641 Aspen Street, Coquitlam. (Nickel Bros.)

Bungalow previously found at 574 Foster Avenue, Coquitlam. (Nickel Bros.)

Bungalow previously found at 582 Foster Avenue, Coquitlam. (Nickel Bros.)

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