Friday, March 19, 2010
Under the House

There is no data in the Building Permit book as to when this house at 877 Clements Avenue was built. However since the Building Permit book usually includes only those houses built between 1912 and 1957 this is not surprising. Other homes of this style in North Vancouver started to be built in the 1960's. A search of the records at the North Vancouver District Hall by Elaine Oakes confirmed this.  She found a 1965 building permit for construction costs of $15,000 granted to Braithwaite Construction, the owner/contractor.
The builders use the topography of the area with its hills and steeps slopes in the features of the houses.  In the case of this house, the slope in front of the house is cut away on the right hand side to provide a carport and parking area.   Hence, the garage  is "under the house". This type of garage with its entrance directly into the house is a real plus in the rain forest that is North Vancouver. The slope in the front of the house is planted with a "rockery", a garden area using rocks as well as plants and flowers usually at its best in the spring.  The lower window on the left is to the "downstairs" where there is often a family room.  The living room is usually above it.  In this type of house plan two bedrooms are on the right hand side of the front door where the high windows are.  The kitchen would be in the back looking out onto the backyard.The front doors lead to what is known as a "cathedral" entrance.  This means there is a high ceiling inside at the front door level.  Then on one side one set of stairs go to the downstairs and on the other side another set of stairs to to the upstairs.  


In 1971 Donald H. and his wife Judy D. Bell owned the house.  Donald was an employee at William's Color Photo Finishing. (In this year 2010 of digital photography that business has gone by the boards.)  T. Acton Kilby and his wife Geraldine lived in the house by 1980 and into the 1990's.  T. Acton worked at Valleyview Hospital during this time.  But by 1995 T. Acton was a consultant for B.C. Health Association and Geraldine was employed at the North Vancouver Union Board of Health.  G.M. Kilby is listed in the year 2000 phone book as still living in the house at the 877 Clements Avenue.

Thank you: To Elaine Oakes for searching the District Hall records.
Demolition: Permit applied for in February 2010.
Photo: Taken in February 2010  by SW.
Reference: The Building Permits District of North Vancouver book compiled by J. R. Faulkner  is available at the North Vancouver Archives in the Community History Centre in the old 1920's Lynn Valley Elementary School at 3203 Institute Rd., near the corner of Lynn Valley Rd. and Mountain Highway.