Finding it difficult ...
 

... to get info / opinion on the Victoria Neighbourhoods/ surrounding towns.

Don't know why it’s not been forthcoming (people in the Cowichan really rave about where they live and share that opinion readily - thanks to all who have) but any info / opinion closer into to Victoria if more difficult to come by and would therefore be much appreciated.

We are out in August for a reccie and obviously don't have enough time to look everywhere and would like to 'whittle the list down' so that we can do some more in-depth research on schools, house prices etc. before we come so that we can focus our limited time on the most probable / realistic options ...

Just looking for a bit of a steer really :cool:

So that all said, do any of you have any first hand experience / opinion on the following list of Victoria neighbourhoods, as far as I understand them; Oaklands, Fernwood, Jubilee, Rockland, Gonzales, Fairfield, James Bay, Harris Green, North Park, Hillside-Quadra, Burnside and Victoria West.

Equally on the Saanich Peninsula / Western Communities municipalities of North Saanich, Sidney (sounds nice) Central Sannich, Highlands, Saanich, View Royal, Oakbay, Victoria (we covered that I think) Esquimalt, Langford, Colwood (again thanks for your comments) Metchosin and Sooke - or indeed the towns / communities that they contain?

My Nirvana list (for what it's worth) in no particular order :confused:

1. Pretty / Attractive / Older / Heritage style town centre - though would probably live happily in a clean modern / attractive new build town ... yeah I know Canada is not the Cotswolds but I'm not a huge fan of ugly fluorescent strip streets if I can avoid them ... but again who is:o -
2. Real sense of community (not too large - used to living in <10,000 pop towns)
3. Decent primary schools (kids are 7, 4 and 18 months) linked to decent secondary schools
4. Local amenities / shops i.e. with a town centre as opposed to just a 'sleeper community.'
5. Access to nature (trails / beaches) and outdoor activities ... though I guess that’s a bit of given in BC:thumbsup:
6. Commutable to Victoria - anything up to an hour in rush hour (though again that’s flexible.)

Obviously I know some neighbourhoods will simply be a) too expensive / exclusive (I guess we're middle of the road in the UK ...though ask me again next month :( b) some too rough (for young kids) but hopefully some might be 'just right' as Goldilocks said?

Thanks

Andy & Sal

Re: Finding it difficult ...
 

Hiya,

My colleague lives in Langford, and likes it there. He commutes by bus, 40 mins or so, to Victoria centre, but traffic heavy. He's Canadian. The traffic crawls, but perhaps not in the M1 sense.....! but commute times are an issue like any city.

Housing cost is the biggie, for Victoria, his townhome was 350k +
if Oakbay, or other closer, desirable locations, then more. Another colleague in Oakbay, 600,000 for a modest house, ouch!

But I don't actaully live in Victoria, so won't pretend to be an authority. We're in Nanaimo, certainly cheaper, closer to skiing, Vancouver ferry handy, etc. 90 mins from Victoria. (Some brave souls, commute that).

Victoria is a great city to run around....just did the 10k race!

Anyway, All the Best.

Re: Finding it difficult ...
 

Happylandings,

I have a mate who just did the London Marathon ... personally I'm trying to find the time to do any sort of exercise but then again given your surroundings maybe your a little more motivated (or maybe I'm just a lazy g*t:) ... it's about 9 degrees C in Liverpool today:(

Thanks for the reply - what constitutes a 'townhouse' i.e. in terms of the UK(if you know) i.e. is it a semi-detached with 2 / 3 bedrooms etc???

Also I had another post from Bananahammock who's husband does the daily commute from Nanaimo to Victoria and recon's its takes about 1 hr to the 'south end of Malahat' (not sure what that means) and then 40 minutes to crawl into 'downtown.'

PS What woudl the equivolent house as your colleague cost in Nanaimo - just for comparisons sake?

Cheers

Re: Finding it difficult ...
 

A detached house is usually referred to as a single family home (SFH) or a detached property. A townhouse is more difficult to explain, is generally a complex of homes that are often in a row - and often referred to as attached properties. Townhomes vary a lot and I would say they are typically bigger than an average british semi. They are great value and can be a good alternative to buying a house proper.

Duplex is 2 homes stuck together - like a semi I suppose - but usually a lot bigger than in the uk.

Re: Finding it difficult ...
 

Just making sure I have this right?

UK Detached = Single Family Home / Detached Property?
UK Terraced = Townhouse / Attached Property?
UK Semi-Detached = Duplex?

Duplex sounds like a good option (never really had a thing for being detached ... probably because I coudln't afford it in the UK) but can you get 4 bed Duplex's i.e. we are currently in a 3 bed semi and things are getting tight with three kids:)

Andy

Re: Finding it difficult ...
 

Most duplexes will be three bed, but with basement development a fourth or even fifth bedroom could possibly be added.

Re: Finding it difficult ...
 

Steve,

What about loft / attic conversions? That's obviously been big over here for a while ... I know its a generalisation but do Duplex's lend themselves to that sort of alteration or is the picth of the roof etc. all wrong??

Andy

Re: Finding it difficult ...
 

Fernwood, Jubilee, Fairfield - nice, average, old (for Canada)

Hillside/Quadra - Newer, avereage (Check out Gordon Head too)

Rockland, Gonzales - High end, old (for Canada)

Saanich Peninsula - Ruralish

Esquimalt - some good areas, some not.

Vic west - kind of industrial

James Bay - okay

Western Communities to me feels like your in the middle of nowhere but you are closer to the great outdoors.

Personally I'd avoid Sooke.

If you can afford it, I'd say somewhere in Oak Bay. But since you say middle of the road in the UK, and newer isn't a bad thing, then Gordon Head isn't bad.

I never found Victoria to have a sense of community.

Any school should do unless you are thinking private

Victoria isn't really that big (that is to say you can get to a town centre pretty quickly from anywhere) but avoid the Saanich Peninsula or Western Communities if you want the town centre in your back yard.

Choose the Saanich Peninsula or Western communities if you want this.

I lived on the Saanich Peninsula and the milk run bus route only took an hour. If you like the car, 20 minutes maybe? Although that was 10 years ago and times change.

Re: Finding it difficult ...
 

Sorry Andy I'm not a builder I couldn't possibly answer that question.:(

Re: Finding it difficult ...
 

Very rare in Canada. The standard methods of roof construction means there is little room for an attic. You would need lots of extensive (and therefore expensive) custom construction work, even if you can get a building permit.

As Steve_P says, developing the basement is the way to go.

Re: Finding it difficult ...
 

Problem might be finding a home with a basement on the Island, an awful lot of homes are either built on slab or built on a crawl space due to the underlying bedrock.:(

Re: Finding it difficult ...
 

Pretty much, but envisioning a typical brit terraced as a townhouse will lead one astray. Houses here are a lot bigger than the uk. My buddy just bought a townhouse in north van with 1900 square feet - a typical 2 bed brit terraced home would be around 900 square feet.

http://www.vancouverislanddreamhomes...g_1659082.html

Re: Finding it difficult ...
 

A Duplex is more a single family home (or similar) that has been split into 2 or more residences.

A Semi-detached would be called a "Side-by-Side" in Manitoba.

Re: Finding it difficult ...
 

Not strictly true in Alberta.

A duplex can have no more (or less) than two suites, after that it becomes a Trlplex (3), quadplex (4) and then any variation on townhouse, rowhouse, lowrise etc. ;)

Re: Finding it difficult ...
 

A duplex in Alberta is a semi-detached.

Same general floor plan both sides separated by a supposedly soundproof wall.

Example of a 50'/60's typical duplex in Calgary.
http://www.calgarymike.com/images/ho...les/duplex.jpg

An example of new build two storey duplex, modern vernacular appears to be "Attached" at least for this one. ;) http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetail...ertyId=8200349

My son and his fiancé are currently building one similar to the two storey one.