Maillardville

Maillardville is the oldest neighbourhood in Coquitlam and the oldest French-Canadian settlement in western Canada, founded in 1909. That history is still legible in the street pattern, in the architecture and in the civic life around Place Maillardville, and it makes this the part of the city with the strongest sense of having been somewhere before it was a suburb.

It is also actively redeveloping, which means Maillardville today is a genuine mix of heritage character, post-war housing and new infill, at a price level generally below the hillside neighbourhoods.

The housing

Pre-war and post-war detached homes form the historic core, alongside older low-rise apartment stock and a growing share of new townhouse and apartment infill. Compared with the rest of Coquitlam, Maillardville is relatively condominium-weighted, which makes it one of the more attainable entry points into the city.

What to check before you buy here

• Buried oil tanks. Homes from the pre-1960s era were often oil-heated. A decommissioned or undiscovered tank is an environmental and cost question, not a cosmetic one. This is the oldest housing stock in Coquitlam, so treat it as a standing question rather than an unlikely one.
• Knob-and-tube wiring and original galvanised supply lines. Both are common in genuinely old stock and both are insurer and renovation issues. Budget for a thorough inspection, not a cursory one.
• Heritage status, if any. Protection varies from none to designated. It affects what you may change and how. Establish it in writing before you plan a renovation.
• Aluminum branch wiring. Common in Canadian homes built from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s, and a standing insurer question.
• What the redevelopment framework allows on your block. Maillardville is changing. Whether that is an opportunity or a risk depends on which side of it your property sits.

Thinking about buying or selling in Maillardville?

Kristy Mattiazzo works throughout Coquitlam and the Tri-Cities. Get in touch to talk through whether this is the right pocket for you, or to find out what your home here is worth in the current market.

For the full picture of how Kristy works with buyers and sellers across the city — her process, her staging background and the questions she gets asked most — see her Coquitlam Realtor page.