NORTH BEND B.C. — Just beyond Hope, the old highway narrows. Into the canyon, once past Spuzzum and through some tunnels, the route roller coasters, climbing hundreds of feet above the churning Fraser River, then plunging. Avalanche warnings, tight curves, oncoming tractor trailers: The city-boy driver is white-knuckled. The heart is pounding.
But it’s worth the two-hour journey from Vancouver because up ahead, just past Hell’s Gate, there is house hunter’s treasure, and perhaps the deal of a lifetime: A pair of century-old homes, each one on sale for a dollar.
Their price compares rather favourably to Vancouver, where similarly constructed two-storey wooden homes are routinely listed for $1-million. Location, location: This pair is nestled at the edge of an obscure whistle stop called North Bend, across the mighty Fraser from hardscrabble Boston Bar and beside Scuzzy Creek — yes, Scuzzy — where black bears and the odd cougar roam.
The houses were built by the Canadian Pacific Railway, back in the days of steam power. Generations of CPR workers and their families have lived in them. But railway life isn’t what it used to be. Hasn’t been for a long time. The two homes have been empty for decades.
Lloyd Forman is the local elected official and jack of all trades who came up with the idea to list the two houses — identical in size and design — at a buck apiece. “Why just have them sit there, empty?” he asked. “These are nice places.”
On Wednesday, the Fraser Valley Regional District, the local authority that controls the two properties, formally approved his plan. Mr. Forman’s telephone hasn’t stopped ringing. Prospective buyers — and the merely curious — from all over the province are popping up in North Bend.
Mr. Forman greets visitors and gives them the rundown. “The houses are solid, made from local first growth pine” he says. “They’ve got water, sewer, and cable TV hookup.” Right across the road is a nice outdoor pool, and beside that, a community hall. There’s also a tidy little museum.
Brian Hutchinson/National PostLloyd Forman is the district's local director who came up with the idea to sell two 100-year-old former railway houses in North Bend B.C. for $1 each.
Here’s the catch: The new owners must return the houses’ exteriors to their original, pre-First World War condition. “We’re looking for people with a love of heritage and who don’t mind some hard work,” says Mr. Forman. “We want the houses restored for their heritage value. The [deed] won’t be delivered until that job is finished.”
It’s a tall order. The two houses might have great bones and solid foundations, but they won’t win any beauty contests at the moment. Starting at the top: Their roofs are moss-covered and leaking, They need replacing. All of the windows are boarded up and there’s broken glass scattered everywhere. The wooden staircases and porches are crumbling. The green clapboard sidings are covered with hideous stucco. As one would expect, the interiors are shambolic. And spooky.
A lot of North Bend feels haunted, truth be told. Some homes in the village are neat and well-preserved, but others are run-down, with abandoned vehicles and other debris strewn around.
It seems like hard times, without much economic activity in the region anymore. Mr. Forman’s family business is logging, and while that’s still a going concern, he’s losing friends and neighbours. An ordained minister, he used to marry the locals. Now he buries them.
Brian Hutchinson/National PostRailway life isn’t what it used to be in North Bend, B.C. Hasn’t been for a long time.
“In this area, all the way from Alexandra Bridge [to the west] over to Jackass Mountain, there’s 666 people left,” says Mr. Forman. “Six hundred and sixty six,” he repeats slowly. “A very mystical number.” The wind whips up, and I shudder. Mr. Forman takes his leave.
Another car pulls up. Two women hop out and make a beeline for the empty houses. “There used to be a picket fence right here,” says Glenna Clark, pointing to a cluster of bushes and some clumps of tall grass. “We used to play over there.”
Ms. Clark grew up in North Bend, about five decades ago. Her father was a CPR man. The family lived in another railway “section” house down the road; it has since been torn down. “I have some great memories of this place,” Ms. Clark says.
Laura, her daughter, lives near Vancouver, but she knows North Bend very well, including the two old CPR houses left standing. “I want one,” she declares.
Brian Hutchinson/National PostLaura Clark (L) and her mother Glenna examine one of two old CPR houses for sale in North Bend B.C. Glenna grew up in a CPR house down the road that was demolished many years ago.
They heard about the buck-a-house sale and drove almost 200 kilometres to inspect the two properties. Laura brought the flashlights. “Come on,” she urges her mother. “Let’s go have a look inside.”
The two women climb up a rickety staircase and disappear through an entrance to one of the homes. You can hear their excited chatter, the odd shriek of laughter. Soon they poke their heads out an open window. “I really want one,” Laura says.
Restoring the exterior to Mr. Forman’s satisfaction would take months of hard work, and a lot more than a dollar. “I don’t have a lot of cash, but I have passion,” says Laura. And imagine the possibilities, she says: A summer cottage, a weekend getaway, a trip back in time.
Just out of view, closer to the river, a freight train rolled by; we could hear it. Then the horn sounded, and Glenna Clark smiled ear to ear.
National Post
• Email: bhutchinson@nationalpost.com | Twitter:
Brian Hutchinson/National PostThe interior of one of the old CPR houses for sale in North Bend, B.C., for for $1 each. Buyers must commit to restoring the exteriors.
Brian Hutchinson/National PostThe two former railway houses for sale in North Bend, B.C. “Why just have them sit there, empty? These are nice places.”
Brian Hutchinson/National PostThe picturesque bridge to North Bend, B.C.
