Many people with Vancouver-dwelling grandparents will see one specific type of squashed house design: always two floors, one short balcony in front, boring gable roof, and no dormers - the epitome of cheap and sterile. The sides will have windows, no facades or anything fancy, just flat walls with holes cut into them. The back or front yard will have some sort of balcony or stair descending into a yard or parking area. 

If your grandparents live along Victoria St. or other select neighborhoods, and are perhaps Chinese or European immigrants that arrived before the '80s, then they have probably lived in or owned the so-called "Vancouver Special," a cheap and mass-produced house that was primarily built during the '60s, '70s and '80s.

These houses maximize floor space and utilized a loophole in Vancouver housing regulations that allowed for more room. Since the first floor was "sunken" into the ground, that meant that it counted as a basement and therefore did not get restricted by floor space limits. This, along with its boxy design, made it a perfectly large house that many immigrants could stay in for long periods of time and have families in, without needing to move or seek more space. Their simple, albeit downright ugly, design meant easy repairs, and easy maintenance, along with easy building, making them a prime choice for a starter home. 

It was only after Vancouver tightened regulations that Vancouver Specials ceased to be built. Many complained of them being an eyesore, and it marked low-income neighborhoods which people avoided. Part of the housing crisis in Vancouver can be traced back to these new regulations implemented to stop the building of Vancouver Specials, as these regulations stopped the building of many starter homes and affordable housing that people with low income would utilize to enter the housing market. This is also combined with post-WWII housing subsidies drying up means that most affordable housing in the Lower Mainland area still dates back to the '70s, actively degenerating, putting further pressure on the rental market.

Nowadays, Vancouver Specials are expensive, being located in areas that have long since moved away from being low-income to being higher-income neighborhoods. They are prized for maximizing space, while also allowing for garages and yards, something which can't often be found with cheaper condos or townhouses. Even still, many of the original immigrants and the low-income owners of the Vancouver Specials remain in their homes, because they aren't able to afford houses with as much space or as much of a prime location in Vancouver. Others stay for nostalgia. Try to appreciate a Vancouver Special the next time you walk in one, as well as all it has done for grandparents of Vancouver.