House demolitions in Vancouver could increase by 35% over 10 years
With new area plans, rezonings, and other policies encouraging denser neighbourhoods and increased housing, Vancouver may see a notable rise in building demolitions over the next decade.
A new report by local builder Renewal Development and green building design consultancy firm Light House estimates there could be a 35 per cent increase in demolitions in the city as a result of a combination of the new strategies and policies by the municipal and provincial governments.
Over a decade-long period between 2012 and 2023, a total of 7,109 single-family houses were demolished for higher-density developments.
- You might also like:
- Opinion: Old houses should be relocated and reused, not sent to landfills
- Builder urges recycling of nearly 1,200 houses in Broadway Plan that could be redeveloped
- Over 40% of Metro Vancouver residents prefer single-family houses: survey
The number of houses demolished reached about 600 in 2023, and a similar number was expected for 2024.
There could be a sustained year-over-year increase in house demolitions over the next 10 years, with the number jumping to roughly 750 in 2025 and reaching approximately 1,300 in 2035. This would far exceed the previous 10-year high of about 900 houses demolished in 2015, during the peak of the pre-pandemic hot real estate market cycle.
Renewal Development/Light House
They estimate 20 per cent of the houses demolished are in “good to excellent” condition and can be relocated or repurposed, while another 40 per cent to 60 per cent of these houses can be deconstructed, with the materials salvaged and reused in construction and other applications.
With such recycling and reuse practices, it is estimated that between 61,860 and 82,840 tonnes of demolition materials in Vancouver could be diverted from the landfill each year through 2035. This is based on the average 2,000 sq. ft. house generating about 100 metric tonnes of demolition debris.
“There is still so much life in many of these homes and we are just throwing them away,” said Renewal Development CEO Glyn Lewis in a statement.
Renewal Development is known for its projects of relocating small structures to other communities for reuse.
In 2023, Lewis’ project of relocating and repurposing the 1912-built Little Yellow School House from the redevelopment of Henry Hudson Elementary School in Kitsilano attracted significant public attention.
The process of removing the schoolhouse involved detaching the structure from the foundations and slowly moving the structure overnight on a trailer down Cornwall Avenue to reach Kitsilano Beach, where it was loaded onto a barge. Its new permanent location is on the Capilano reserve of the Squamish Nation on the North Shore, where it now serves as a learning centre for young Squamish children to learn their own language and culture.
Gil Yaron, the managing director of Circular Innovation for Light House, added, “Home relocation and deconstruction is a win-win for municipalities – stimulating local economic activity and helping achieve net zero carbon goals.”
In late 2024, Lewis also called on Vancouver’s municipal governments to incentivize builders to recycle houses in the Broadway Plan area that would otherwise be demolished.