Older Homes, Modern Comfort

Maillardville is where Coquitlam's story starts, and you can see it in the houses. Postwar bungalows and older family homes share streets with newer duplexes and townhouses, and inside many of them the heating, plumbing and wiring have been patched and added to over the years. Owners here often come to us with a mix of goals: keep the character of the house, but get rid of the cold rooms, the tired furnace or the panel that trips every time the kettle and the heater run together.

Rep-Air Heating and Cooling is a locally owned contractor based in Mission. We like working on older homes because the right upgrade can make such a noticeable difference, and we take the time to explain what is worth doing now and what can wait.

Home Services in Maillardville

Heating

Some older Maillardville homes still have hot water boilers, while others moved to forced-air furnaces along the way. We service both.

Cooling

Air conditioner repair

Heat Pumps & Mini-Splits

Ductless mini-splits are often the cleanest fit for older homes without ductwork, since they need only a small opening in the wall. Homes with existing ducts can look at a central heat pump.

Water Heaters & Plumbing

Older gas piping is worth checking when you add a new appliance, such as a range, a fireplace or a tankless water heater.

Indoor Air Quality

Furnace filter upgrades

Electrical

Older homes were wired for far fewer appliances than most families run today. A panel upgrade is often the first step before adding a heat pump or EV charger.

A Mill Town's Houses and What They Need Today

Maillardville began in 1909, when a group of French Canadian workers arrived by rail to work at Fraser Mills on the Fraser River. A second group followed in 1910, and the settlement was named for Father Edmond Maillard, a young Oblate priest. Our Lady of Lourdes church dates from those early years, and the area became the largest francophone community west of Manitoba. Growth picked up after the Second World War, following construction of the Lougheed Highway in 1953.

That history explains a lot about the homes. Some of the housing stock goes back many decades, and much of it has been renovated more than once. Every renovation leaves its mark: a basement finished without extra heat, an addition tied into ducts that were never sized for it, or a kitchen remodel that added circuits to an already busy panel.

The neighbourhood is also changing. The City updated the Maillardville Neighbourhood Plan in 2014 to guide growth over the next two decades, with a revived main street along Brunette Avenue, more housing choice in a walkable setting and protection for heritage buildings. That means more duplexes, townhouses and infill homes will keep arriving next to the older houses.

Maillardville also sits on higher ground than much of the city's south end. The City has noted that the area is one of the higher-elevation neighbourhoods where its Snow Angels volunteers are most needed after snowfall. Here is how all of that plays out for home systems:

Start with what is in the walls. Before a new heat pump or charger goes in, we check the panel capacity, the gas piping and the venting, since older homes can surprise you.
Mix and match systems. A home with a boiler on the main floor and a cold basement suite may be better served by keeping the boiler and adding a mini-split, rather than replacing everything.
Respect the house. On heritage-style homes we look for equipment locations and line-set routes that keep the front of the house looking the way it should.
New infill, new expectations. Newer townhouses and duplexes usually arrive with modern equipment, and they mainly need regular maintenance.

Working With Rep-Air in Maillardville

Justin McIntyre owns and runs Rep-Air. He is a Red Seal HVACR technician and Class B gasfitter with more than 15 years in the trade, which helps when an older gas system needs attention. We take calls Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and are closed on weekends.

Service calls carry a $189 service fee, waived when you go ahead with the quoted work, and estimates on new or replacement systems are free. We install Daikin and Haier equipment. Financeit financing can help with larger upgrades, and current offers are listed on our promotions and rebates page. Every FortisBC or CleanBC rebate you qualify for will be applied to the quote by us. We will also help you through every step of the application process.

Let's Look at Your Home

Get in touch to book a weekday visit, or request a free estimate on a new heating or cooling system. For the rest of the city, visit our Coquitlam service area page, or see neighbouring Austin Heights.

Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical in Maillardville, BC