Vancouver house types and what works
Vancouver Specials (built roughly 1965–1985) in Sunset, Renfrew-Collingwood, Killarney and Marpole usually have a gas furnace on the main floor and a ground-level suite. A ducted heat pump upstairs plus a ductless head for the suite, or a multi-split for both, is typical.
Character and craftsman houses in Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, Grandview-Woodland and Riley Park often have old ductwork or hot water radiators. Ductless heads avoid opening plaster walls.
Laneway houses are small and tight, so one compact ductless system often heats and cools the whole home.
Townhouses and condos need strata approval - see our condo and townhouse page.
Plan your Vancouver install around the City's rules
We'll pick the outdoor unit location that keeps you in the outright option and quote it in writing.
The one-unit-per-yard rule
The City allows one exterior heat pump unit per yard as an outright installation. If you have a house and a suite, or a house and a laneway home, it often makes sense to plan both together - one multi-split outdoor unit can serve several indoor heads.