a David Cook photo
The old house at 2281 SW Marine Dr. Vancouver, BC Canada
was quite a mess.  It had been boarded up and vandalized beyond repair during the five years before it was spotted by Patrick Simpson as an ideal site to build the first ever User Friendly Demonstration Home.
The photo above shows what was to be seen after an initial cleanup.  This was the front entrance from the driveway on South West Marine Dr.   The neighbours in this prestigeous West Side area of posh homes must have been mortified that such an eyesore was now visible from the street.

a David Cook photo

The view of the backyard and an addition to the original house wasn't any better.   Definitely not habitable even with major re-construction.  It was rotting.   Vandals had even carried away all the plumbing fixtures from inside the home.   The roof was about to crumble and fall.

a David Cook photo
The lot is situated on the corner of South West Marine Dr. and 54th Ave.  Arriving at the corner on 54th Street the original home looked neglected but after the clean up crew took away all the overgrown brush and shrubs it appeared in the photo above as barely presentable.