Is it at all foreseen by liturgical books to celebrate any particular office as a votive one? It is possible with Mass, but never heard this about the Divine Office. The only formulary of the Divine Office that can be sung as a votive office (i.e., independently of the calendar) is the Office of the Dead. There is also the so-called Vigil of Relics (on the night before the traditional dedication of a church, Matins and Lauds of the Saints whose relics are to be buried into the altar).

Thanks for the a good answer, which suggests that it is possible. Than comes the next question, which is if it was permitted before 1970, and or before 1870, which is a harder question to answer. In otherwords does that answer comport with consistent historical practice.

It seems to me that it might be better if a "votive" office of vespers for st joseph, not replace the lenten propers of office. In other words better to have two vespers, so to speak, the same as how the vespers of Little office of the Blessed V. Mary was celebrated additionally to regular vespers of the day.

However for a handful of lay people who simply want to commerate their patronal saint of their local parish, i guess this is probably irrelevant. I suppose I might go along with the idea, but I'd hate to think of myself as a hypocrit.

In the byzantine rite they dont seem to have votive vespers, but alternative liturgical hymns of praise called paraklesis and akathists. On some level those make a bit more sense to me. I reckon that the closest equivalents in the latin rite are litanies, "chaplets" or novenas...

Thus the great equalizer of lay people in their private chapel being free to pray however they want, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. In this case...mostly for the better.

It doesn't sound nice that way, but basically yes.