Guides
Reference guides for your property.
Long-form guides on the decisions that determine whether a project works: what a multiplex costs to build and what the city charges for it, which multiplex type your lot actually supports and what shape the zoning bylaw allows it to take, and how to approach a custom home or major renovation, from the renovate-or-rebuild decision through contracts, permits, and the warranty you are owed at the end. Every figure is a published rate or a range from Venture Pacific's own Metro Vancouver projects, with sources listed on each page.
What it costs to build a multiplex in Metro Vancouver
The complete cost picture for a Metro Vancouver multiplex: hard costs, soft costs, city fees, financing, the pro forma that ties them together, and what the land itself is worth.
Read the guide- Hard costsCost per square foot, and the site conditions that move it.
- Soft costsDesign, engineering, and consultant fees, and when each is paid.
- City feesDCL, the new Amenity Cost Charge, DCC, and permit fees.
- FinancingLenders, loan-to-cost, draw schedules, and the partnership route.
- Pro formaRevenue, margin, and the sensitivity tests that matter.
- Land valueHow lots are valued, and the sell, partner, or hold decision.
Building or renovating a home in Metro Vancouver
The decisions behind a custom home or major renovation in Metro Vancouver: renovate or rebuild, contract structure, the permit and construction sequence, builder licensing and warranty, heritage status, and energy performance.
Read the guide- Renovate or rebuildKeeping the house, extending it, or starting again.
- ContractsFixed price against cost plus, and who carries the risk in each.
- Process and permitsThe order the work runs in, and where schedules slip.
- Warranty and licensingBuilder licensing, mandatory warranty coverage, and what each covers.
- Heritage restorationHeritage status, the permit path it sets, and what drives the work.
- Energy performanceStep Code targets, how compliance is proven, and where cost lands.
Building permits in Metro Vancouver
The permits a Metro Vancouver project needs, what has to be in place before applying, what a complete application contains, how review works, how long it takes, and the sequence from first inspection to occupancy.
Read the guide- Which permitsBuilding, development, demolition, and trade permits, and who issues each.
- Before you applyBuilder licensing, warranty registration, and owner builder rules.
- The applicationDrawings, schedules, reports, and the completeness rule.
- Review and revisionsReferrals, reviewer comments, and the correspondence cycle.
- Timelines by cityPublished processing times, and what they actually measure.
- Inspections to occupancyThe inspection sequence, trade inspections, and occupancy.
Heritage and character homes in Metro Vancouver
Heritage status in the words of the statute, the national conservation standards, how repair and replacement decisions are made element by element, the concealed structural work that drives the budget, and how heritage protection meets the provincial density rules.
Read the guide- Heritage statusRegister, designation, conservation area, and the compensation right.
- Conservation standardsPreservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and character-defining elements.
- Building elementsHow repair and replacement decisions are made, part by part.
- Structure and systemsFoundations, seismic upgrades, and modern systems.
- Heritage and densityWhere heritage protection and the provincial density floor meet.
Let's talk about your property
A conversation, not a commitment.
Whether you're curious about the multiplex value of your land or looking to partner on a missing-middle build, we're here to start the conversation.