Important Home Information

After almost two decades, a program to remove thousands of toxic oil tanks from North Shore  properties has had little success, leaving homeowners -- and the environment -- at serious risk. Residential underground storage tanks, large metal containers that were once used to hold heating oil, are buried next to thousands of houses in North and West Vancouver. The tanks, many of which were designed to last only 25 years, are inclined to leak toxic oil products into the surrounding soil. Municipalities have been encouraging their removal since 1989, when the province included their disposal in the fire code. But after 20 years, only a fraction of the containers have been taken out. That means the ground around many North Vancouver properties is growing more toxic every year, and the costs are now being felt by the environment and by homeowners. The oil, a carcinogen, sits on top of water, eventually coming to the surface. It can contaminate households by being tracked in on shoes; and it can migrate into neighboring properties and into watercourses.

A corroded tank, usually buried eight feet deep, can also become a dangerous sinkhole. Most tanks were installed between the 1920s and 1960s. When people switched to natural gas, most doing so by the 1970s, many simply abandoned the old tanks. In the absence of proper installation records some property owners do not even know they are there.

Now homeowners are starting to feel the sting of the public's inaction. Increasingly, removal of the tanks is being required at the time homes are sold and when insurance is renewed. Taking a non-leaking tank out costs around $3,000, including the environmental assessment. But for a leaking tank, the cost can be much higher. Cleanup jobs range from $15,000 to $30,000. In bad cases the price can be higher still. For more information on the consequences of unremdiated oil tanks, click here. 

If you think you have an oil tank on your property, please contact a qualified environmental consultant.
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Something about home inspectors.

It is estimated that there are over 450,000 homes in Canada that are wired with aluminum wiring. How do you find out what type of wiring has been installed in your home? Well, if you weren't told when the sale was made, you can probably check the wiring yourself. Click here for more information and resources.

The building envelope includes all the building components that separate the indoors from the outdoors. Building envelopes include are the exterior walls, foundations, roof, windows and doors. The performance of the building envelope is impacted by a number of sub-systems, such as heating, cooling and ventilating equipment, plumbing and electrical systems. The interaction of the sub-systems with the components of the building envelope, as well as certain activities of the occupants, can effect the performance of the building envelope. Click here for more information.

The Homeowner Protection Act requires all new homes built in BC to be built by a Licensed Residential Builder (LRB) and covered by home warranty insurance or have a approved exemption. Before a new home can be legally offered for sale, a developer (owner) must be a licensed residential builder. For more information, click here.  

More than 1 million Canadians heat their home at least partly with wood. For these households, wood is an important energy source, one that requires their active participation. Considering the many advantages for those living at the urban fringe and beyond, wood heating is worth doing right. If you heat with wood now or are considering the use of wood fuel for home heating, this book is for you .Wood as a home energy source differs in important ways from all the other options. Heating with wood can be challenging because of the physical demands involved. Special knowledge and skills are needed to successfully use this hands-on home heating option.

CMHC Efficient Wood Heating
CMHC Guide to Wood Heating 

If you have, or are thinking about creating, a secondary suite - please take some time to familiarize yourself with rules and regulations pertaining to their construction, insurance, and renting. 

City of North Vancouver Secondary Suite Permit
District of North Vancouver Secondary Suite Regulations