Millennium Builder houses most often have stucco siding. They may also have sections of the façade, usually a lower storey or bay, picked out in brick or stone. Millennium Builders from the 1980s may also have glass block ornamentation in place of select windows. Roofs are usually asphalt shingles.
Form
Millennium Builder styles are boxy, 2-storey houses with shallow-pitched hipped roofs, usually covered in tile. On some, a 2-storey bay will project from one side. Usually the main floor is set near ground level. Windows may be topped with fanlights. Cladding is stucco, although sometimes decorative brick is added to a wall or storey. On the large lots of the Westside, the complexity of indoor space requirements, such as dual kitchens, family rooms, media rooms, as well as a desire for vaulted interior spaces, sometimes creates ungainly façades reflecting the plethora of rooms inside.
Background
Millennium Builder styles appeared in Vancouver starting in 1985. Like the earlier Vancouver Special, they are designed to maximize square footage within the constraints of lot size. The same bylaw that contributed to the Special’s development led to the emergence of Millennium Builder homes. They tend to have a boxy shape from the street, although they vary in details depending on their age. Some have features inspired by historical Revival styles, such as classical columns or Tudor half-timbering.
A later variant of the Millennium Builder is the Millennium Contemporary. This version was partially a response to the backlash against the larger Millennium Builder homes. Millennium Contemporary buildings have on strongly geometric forms.
Details
- Low-pitched hip roofs
- Boxy shape
- No front porch
- Stucco siding
- Decorative brick or stone features
- Double front door
- Large casement windows
- Often decorative pediments over windows