Why do we design premium homes?

When designing luxury homes for our clients, there are a few aspects that our designers treasure during the process. The VictorEric designers love the ability to provide beautiful spaces for ultimate upscale living and to create a divine escape from the pressures of their busy working lifestyles.

Most clients request for hardwood flooring throughout, high ceilings in the living spaces, crown moulding, drop ceilings, shadow-box moulding, multiple fireplaces, luxurious soaking tubs and marble counters. But after hundreds of completed homes we know that no two clients are the same and that why we create only custom homes.

At VictorEric we can provide a truly integrated design and build process. We look at each client, their lifestyles as well as their wants and needs. We than design a solution that is best fit for their lifestyle. As your budget increases, so do the options, which you’ll find expressed in each of these quality homes we have already completed.

 Although you will be spending more when building a premium homes but there is high potential for huge rewards. The demand for bigger has shifted to demand for better. Quality is a key purchase factor along with taste and design aesthetic.

“Our clients get our full attention to detail from start to finish and can be ensured a stress free process.  Our designs will focus on lifestyle, uniqueness, artisanship, quality and future profitability.” – VictorEric

ICF Sustainability for Our Next Project!

We are building a new home the Saran Residence in Vancouver with energy efficient building materials in mind.

Exterior West 36th, ICF Walls

For this home we are using Quad-Lock insulated concrete forms for walls. Unlike wood which suffers the elements leading to rot, decay, and mould or termite infestation, concrete doesn’t rot or corrode.

Interior West 36th, ICF Walls, VictorEricInterior West 36th, ICF Walls, VictorEric

Using ICF walls this family will reduce their utility bills (both heating and cooling costs) and combined with a proper air exchange system will offer the most clean indoor environment available.

What do you think about sustainable building solutions for your next project?

For more photos, visit our Facebook Page and follow this project from start to finish.

A New Gem in Mount Pleasant, Collection 45 Condos

After Friday’s team lunch (my first Friday Lunch) I noticed a new development in the area, Collection 45. Always being a fan of the Mount Pleasant community I decided to visit their website over the weekend. I was quickly impressed with the unique architectural design of the building and was soon wishing I was able to purchase a home in the ‘architectural sculpture’.

Collection 45, Mount Pleasant

Collection 45 is a 6-level  condo development in the heart of the vibrant Mount Pleasant community, located on 8th avenue and Main Street. But what is especially astonishing about this development is the unique two-level ‘scissor’ suites. The two levels in these suites are connected by a staircase that stretches up and over the main-floor corridor, maximizing space and giving you a townhouse in the sky kind of feel. Each two-bedroom suite expands from the north to the south side of the building maximizing beautiful downtown/mountain views and natural lighting.2 level Scissor Suites

This very unique architectural design is going to be a great addition to the community. The west facing suites are set back for better views and lighting. The building also includes strategic solar shading on both the west and south side of the building. Also the building was designed in an interesting folding nature to soften the height of the new structure to not overpower existing developments.

I can’t wait to see the finished development!

Colection 45, BuildingFeatures:

  • A 20-foot landscaped breezeway runs alongside the building, inviting passers-by to experience the architecture from all angles.
  • Innovative solar shading on the south and west facades keeps residents comfortable year round.
  • Rooftop green space providing stunning views of Downtown Vancouver
  • Five retail and office units contribute to the neighbourhood’s vibrant creative character and rich mix of small businesses.
  • European-inspired design blends modern appliances and cabinetry with the room’s contours and contemporary decor.
  • Matte lacquer cabinetry is paired with modern wall-mounted faucets in the bathroom
  • Prices between $319,000-$720,000

 

New Urban Outfitters Keeps Some Original Architecture

A new Urban Outfitters will be opening on W. 4th on May 10th. It is located where the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce used to be (originally constructed in 1912).

According to Vancity Buzz, the building  ”maintains the integrity of the existing structure” and has kept some of the original materials.

Knowing that the building has kept some elements from the original structure makes me want to check out the store. I think this building is a part of Vancouver history and love that, even though it’s gone through some renovations, the history of this building is not completely lost.

Photo from Vancity Buzz.

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2012/05/urban-outfitters-west-4th-kitsilano-store-opens-may-10-2012/

DTES Project – Good or Bad?

The Sequel 138 project has received support from Vancouver city council and the development permit board. This is a controversial mixed-income project geared at balancing the Downtown Eastside with low and middle-income earners. Opponents are accusing them of gentrifying the area and would like to keep it strictly low-income.

I’m not sure what to think of this project. On one hand, it would be nice to see the DTES cleaned up, but on the other hand, I can understand the worries of the opposers.

I used to go to Chinatown every weekend with my mom when I was young. I remember it being very busy and vibrant. Now, it is a shadow of its former self. I think it would be nice to see that area bustling and full of life again.

Read more at: http://www.vancouversun.com/Downtown+Eastside+project+wins+development+permit+board+support/6511885/story.html

Wooden Skyscrapers?

With the world moving towards greener options for almost everything, we  could be looking at more and more buildings of wood instead of cement and steel.

In a CNN article (http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/15/tech/eco-wood-skyscrapers/index.html), Architect Michael Green says that modern wood materials have been around for 20 years, but until recently it was used primarily in niche markets or low-rise buildings. Today, more architects and builders are looking to wood materials because they’re more eco-conscious.

If the wood is sourced in sustainably managed forests, they are more eco-friendly than using manufacturing concrete and steel.

I love this current trend and hope that we will continue on this path.

 

 

The Specials and Their Big Come-Back!

It’s like the Michael Jackson of houses, who says old-school Specials can’t come back big and glam?

Vancouver Specials were introduced in the Vancouver area in the 1960′s when new Canadians favoured an efficient way to buy their new first home. Usually the Specials have features like a balcone across the front of the house on the second floor, low-pitched roofs, brick/stone finishes, kitchens on both levels, self-sustained bottom floor with seperate bedrooms. The floor plan is very similar in all the Specials, and they are very simple and practical, leading to popularity in the old days for the new Canadians can lower their costs to rent out the second floor.  In the 1990′s they were criticized as “monster homes” as they ruined the aesthetics of the neighbourhoods with its dull and unpretty look. Style and viewline were obvious not the Specials’ priority.


Vancouver Special – before Renovation

The boxiness and spaciousness marks the versatility of the Specials, and thus creative designers and homeowners saw them as a “perfect candidate for architectural makeovers”-Adele Weder, Globe and Mail, Sept 10, 2010.  Architect Stephanie Robb transformed her own home in the East end from a double-suite Special into a single-family modernized home, and won  a Lieutenant-Governer’s Award for Architecture.

Many people are interested in a makeover for their Specials due to its new recognition and popularity. The volume and simple floor plans allows the designers and homeowners a lot of creative space for renovation.


Same Special – after Renovation!

VictorEric has done one of these transformations. Some new and stylish features include an expanded kitchen with marble-top island, opening dining area with backdoor into the rear patio allowing a lot of light into the house, and fireplace at the ensuite tub to add modernism to home.

For the full project portfolio on Vancouver Special Renovation please go to link:http://victoreric.com/renovations/barjaktarovic

Showing appreciation for the new design and the conservation of old buildings, the Vancouver Heritage Foundation holds annual Vancouver Special Tours in town. This year the event takes place on Saturday September 24th. Details: http://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/projects/vancouver_special.html 

Go get them old-school Specials!

For more information and articles on the topic:
Article frm Metro News
Article on canada.com
Library of Images

‘The remaking of a stadium’ — an exclusive look inside BC Place

VANCOUVER — The transformation of BC Place, one of British Columbia’s iconic pieces of architecture, is barely half-complete.

From the outside, the grey lidless bowl with its trademark marshmallow roof now a distant memory sits in the middle of a jumble of construction material, looking like a worn crown with only half its spires.

Inside, the bowl is organized confusion as workers do a series of delicate dances, avoiding swinging masts and the ubiquitous forklifts that carry and shove and stack the materials meant to transform an ugly 27-year-old duckling into a new swan.

But an image is shaping up for Vancouverites of what their beloved stadium will look like when construction that includes retractable-roof is finished next summer as it gets ready to host the 99th Canadian Football League Grey Cup.

On Friday The Vancouver Sun and Global TV were given the first tour of the construction zone by PavCo officials who are more than halfway through the $563 million refit of the stadium

Please click here for the full article

Written by: Jeff Lee
Date: October 24, 2010

Patkau Architects wins design competition

MILL RUN, Pa.

Patkau Architects of Vancouver has won the first ever design competition for on-site cottages near Fallingwater, considered Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterwork.

Patkau designed six small, efficient and sustainable cottages to blend into the site.

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy will build the cottages on the grounds of the 2,024-hectare Bear Run Nature Reserve, which surrounds Fallingwater.

Patkau also shared a 2010 Governor General’s Medal in Architecture this year.

Please click for the article

Posted by: Canadian Press
Date: May 28, 2010

Architecture for Humanity explores creative uses of shipping containers for housing

With a will to end homelessness in Vancouver, Architecture for Humanity is holding a charrette this Saturday (April 17) where six groups of designers will compete to create a viable housing option out of shipping containers (aka Intermodal Steel Building Units).

Although this would serve as only a temporary measure to curb the growth of homelessness in the city, Linus Lam, the executive director of Architecture for Humanity and organizer of Saturday’s Quick Homes Superchallenge (being held at InterUrban Gallery at 1 East Hastings Street) explained to the Straight that the idea is a sensible one.

“Vancouver being a trading post, there are actually a lot of these shipping containers around that are vacant,” he told the Straight by phone. “They are not being used because, for shipping purposes, they have a certain lifespan.”

Of course, any endeavour with a goal as ambitious as ending homelessness is not without its challenges. The most pressing, according to Lam, is getting the public excited about the idea. Janice Abbott, the executive director of Atira, a nonprofit society dedicated to helping vulnerable women, can relate to that notion. She spoke at the charrette’s lecture Thursday about housing in an economy that lacks government funding…

Please click here for more

Posted by Erin Steele
April 16, 2010