Barrhaven is the suburb I show more than any other. It is where a family budget between $500K and $850K buys the most house, and it is where a lot of my first-time buyers land once they have priced the neighbourhoods they grew up wanting.
It is also the suburb buyers most often treat as one place. It is five. A 1970s bungalow near Jockvale Road and a three-storey townhouse in Half Moon Bay are different purchases with different problems, and they happen to share a postal prefix.
The five Barrhavens
| Built | What you get | In the range | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Barrhaven | 1970s and 80s | North of Strandherd, around Jockvale and Larkin. Bungalows and split-levels on big lots, mature trees, no fees, and some work to do. | Low to middle |
| Longfields and Davidson Heights | 1990s to 2000s | Singles and townhomes close to the Transitway, the rec complex and the schools. The most walkable pocket. | Middle |
| Chapman Mills | 2000s | Townhomes and singles packed tight, two minutes from every store you need. Small yards. | Low to middle |
| Stonebridge | 2000s to now | The biggest houses in Barrhaven, around the golf course. | High |
| Half Moon Bay | Newest, still building | The south-west corner. New everything, and the longest drive to everything. | Middle to high |
If a listing says Barrhaven and nothing else, ask which of these it is in. The answer changes what the house costs to own, how long the commute is, and what it will resell for.
The commute, honestly
Most Barrhaven households drive, and the drive is the trade-off. Woodroffe, Prince of Wales and Fallowfield all get you downtown in about 30 minutes off-peak and 45 or more in rush hour. Strandherd and Greenbank are the local pinch points, and the roundabouts on Longfields do not help as much as they were meant to.
The bus is better than people expect. Routes run on their own roadway from Barrhaven Centre and Fallowfield up to Tunney's Pasture, where you step onto the train. Door to downtown is 40 to 50 minutes. The train itself is not coming to Barrhaven any time soon. It is planned on paper and not funded, so I would not pay extra for a house because of it.
Fallowfield station is a small perk. VIA Rail stops there, so a Toronto or Montreal trip starts ten minutes from your door instead of at the downtown station.
The fee people miss
A lot of Barrhaven townhomes built after about 2005 sit on a parcel of tied land, which means a monthly fee for the shared lane, the visitor parking or the snow clearing. It is usually small, $60 to $150, and it is usually fine. It is also a surprise on offer night if nobody told you, and it changes what the lender counts against you. I check it on every townhouse before we write. If the term is new to you, I wrote up what a parcel of tied land is.
Who is happy here
- Families who want a yard, a garage, a school within walking distance, and a Costco run that takes fifteen minutes. That is most of Barrhaven and it delivers.
- First-time buyers who have priced Westboro and the Glebe and come back down to earth. A townhouse here costs what a one-bedroom condo costs downtown.
- Public service and military households on a timeline. Barrhaven is easy to get settled in quickly. Everything is new enough that nothing needs explaining.
Who is not
If you want a main street you can walk to, with a coffee shop and a butcher, Barrhaven does not have one. It has plazas. Good plazas, with everything in them, and you will drive to them. Buyers who moved here from Hintonburg or Old Ottawa South tell me that is the thing they miss, and it is the thing that eventually sends some of them back.
I would also think twice if two people in the house commute downtown every day. One Barrhaven commute is fine. Two, five days a week, wears on people.
Before you fall for a listing
- Drive the street at 8 a.m. and again at 5 p.m. Distance from Strandherd matters more than distance from downtown.
- Ask what is still being built nearby. In Half Moon Bay and the south end of Stonebridge, the empty field behind the house is not staying empty.
- On anything from the 1970s and 80s, budget for the roof, the windows and the furnace before you fall in love with the lot.
- On anything new, read up on how a new build purchase works. Deposits, adjustments and the warranty all run differently.
Selling in Barrhaven
Barrhaven sells well because there is always a family looking for exactly what you have. The catch is that there are usually three other houses like yours on the market the same week, so pricing against the pocket rather than against Barrhaven as a whole is most of the job. Ask for a real number.
I have sold a lot of homes in Barrhaven and I like the place. I am also honest with buyers about who it suits. If you are not sure whether that is you, the quickest way to find out is to tell me your budget and how you get to work, and I will tell you which pocket to look at first.
Questions I get about Barrhaven
Is Barrhaven a good place to live?
For families, yes, and I say that as someone who has helped a lot of them move there. Schools, parks and shopping are all close and all newer than most of the city. The trade-off is that you drive for nearly everything, and downtown is 30 to 45 minutes away.
How much does a house cost in Barrhaven?
Most homes sell between $500K and $850K. Townhomes sit at the bottom of that range, older bungalows and 1990s singles in the middle, and Stonebridge singles at the top. Ranges move with the market, so ask me for a current picture.
How far is Barrhaven from downtown Ottawa?
About 20 kilometres. Plan on 30 minutes by car off-peak, 45 or more in rush hour, and 40 to 50 minutes by bus and train through Tunney's Pasture.
Is there LRT in Barrhaven?
Not yet. Buses run on their own roadway to the train at Tunney's Pasture. A rail extension to Barrhaven is planned but not funded, so there is no date.
Thinking about Barrhaven?
Tell me your budget and your commute. I will tell you which pocket to start in.