What is the Peat Bog in Vancouver?

Peat bogs are a wetland terrain that is primarily composed of accumulated decaying plant material known as peat. Peat is slow-decomposing organic matter. It is moss that has built up over the years and is slowly decomposing. The environment it creates is highly acidic. Vancouver has quite a few peat bogs throughout the city. Everyone has seen it and driven through areas where masonry is cracked, none of the gates work and you can see the houses are unlevel. That’s par for the course for houses that are unsupported when they were built on peat. 

Building on Peat Bog – Techniques & Solutions for Vancouver

Depending on the type of peat and depth of peat (which you find out in consultation with a  geo-technical engineer), there are a few options.

Option 1 – Remove the peat

The first way to potentially deal with peat is to remove it. This only works if you have just a few feet of peat. You basically dig down until you find something strong enough to bear the weight of the house. The only caveat here is the water table. There is a chance that if you start pumping out the water you find as you dig it could upset the balance of land not only on your lot but on neighboring land with the potential to disrupt & sink your neighbors’ house. 

Option 2 – Helical Piles

Helical piles are the most economical and safest way to build on peat. 

A helical pile is a steel foundation support, resembling a large metal screw, that is drilled into the ground to provide stability for the home. A builder will drill a helical pile and screw it into the ground. A grid is then designed to support the entire weight of the house. The geo-tech will tell you how many piles are needed and how deep they need to be. Each pile must be able to hold a certain amount of weight to support the house. It can get complex, so you want to work with an experienced builder who is familiar with peat bogs.

One note is we haven’t been using helical piles for that long in Vancouver. We now have several different manufacturers; not all of them are the same. The metal needs to be treated and coated when you’re working with an acidic product like peat so again it is imperative to work with n experienced builder.

Building on Peat Bog: How much does it cost in Vancouver? 

Costs are always changing – especially with the inflation of the last few years – but it really depends on the land & the project. The simplest peat bog build adds about $40,000-50,000 on top of the cost of a regular build but sometimes it can add up to $500,000. The majority of builds are on the lower end of that scale from $50,000 to $500,000.

One of the main costs is the geo-technical engineers. They are not cheap but they take on a horrendous amount of risk. Their cost is warranted as a lot can go wrong. 

How much longer does it take to build a house on the peat bog in Vancouver?

Once you buy your home, and have your builder, you employ a geo-technical engineer. They will conduct testing to see how deep your piles need to go. The slab of your house in this case is almost a separate entity. It is fully structural and engineered.

Then you design your house based on the findings of the engineers & the required foundation. All of that work is done up front. It does add a bit of time, but it’s mostly organizing the drilling materials.

Can you have a basement in a house on the peat bog Vancouver?

We have built houses on the peat bog that have full basements where the basement is submerged in water in wintertime. The basements are fully waterproofed & that is very costly and complex. 

Usually there are no basements in new homes on the peat bog which makes it cheaper but you do lose that square footage.

When you build on bog land do you lose square footage? Other downsides?

Yes. Losing possible square footage is a big deal, especially in Vancouver. Plus you also have a lower lot value, which never really goes away. Even if it’s brought up to code, it will still be lower value than a house on solid ground. But if it’s a long term investment, why not? You’ve got to hold it to make it worth it.

A friend of mine lives on Trout Lake with a view of the park and we renovated their home a few years ago. The house has a huge footprint so we were able to jack up a few corners and remove the fireplace, which weighs down on the bog. But before then, the house was quite crooked. And that’s just part of that community.

Other Advice for People Considering Buying or Building on Peat Bog

• Peat doesn’t have to be scary. There are costs involved but it is possible and easy to build on. If you get it at the right price, there is nothing wrong with it. You will have a perfectly sound house in the end. And some of the best micro-neighbourhoods in Vancouver are on peat.

• There is a lot of misinformation around what it takes from a cost perspective to live on the bog safely. The helical piles are charged by the foot, so the costs can vary widely depending on the depth of the bog.

• If you are concerned about a property being on the peat bog, the first step is to consult the peat bog map Vancouver (above). You can also call the city of Vancouver for a more accurate analysis of the soil of the property. In the end, soil testing is the most accurate way to determine whether or not the property lies on the peat bog.

• Vancouver Peat Bog Map
• JDL Homes

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