Guides
Reference guides for your property.
Long-form guides on the decisions that decide whether a project works. The first group is for owners who want to turn one lot into several homes: what a multiplex is, the zoning rules, which type fits your lot, what it costs, how the finished building can be owned, and the permits it needs. The second group is for owners building or renovating a home: custom homes, renovations and additions, construction contracts, energy-efficient homes, heritage houses, and homes for several generations of one family. Every page lists its sources.
Get any guide as a free PDFDevelop a multiplex
What a multiplex is: duplex, triplex, fourplex and sixplex homes in Metro Vancouver
The forms a multiplex takes, the suites and laneway homes that count toward its total, the building code rules, how it compares with other housing, and what living in one involves.
Read the guide Get the free PDF (45 pages)- Forms and layoutsSide by side, stacked, front and back, houseplex and courtyard, with each name defined.
- Suites and laneway homesSuites, garden suites, coach houses and laneway homes, and how each counts toward 3, 4 or 6 homes.
- Building code rulesPart 9 or Part 3, fire and sound separation, alarms, sprinklers, access and energy.
- Compared with other housingFour housing types side by side, then the differences that matter.
- Living in a multiplexShared walls, strata money, meters, parking and outdoor space, and a buyer's checklist.
Multiplex zoning rules in Metro Vancouver
The provincial small-scale housing law, Surrey's residential zones, how to read any zone, the bus stop and transit-oriented area rules, the routes past a zoning rule, and the zone names city by city.
Read the guide Get the free PDF (48 pages)- Provincial rulesSection 481.3, the 3, 4 and 6 unit minimums, the exemptions and the deadlines.
- Surrey zonesSurrey's RA and R1 to R6 zones, R3 houseplex rules and bus stop lots.
- Reading your zoneFinding the zone, reading it in order, and checking the title.
- Transit areasThe 400 metre bus stop rule, transit-oriented area tiers and parking.
- When zoning says noRezoning, development variance permits and the board of variance compared.
- Zoning by cityZone names and one-line notes for the cities we checked, with links to city guides.
Which multiplex fits your lot, and what shape it can take
Unit type selection, lot eligibility requirements, and the setback, height, and floor-area rules that set the building envelope for a Metro Vancouver multiplex.
Read the guide Get the free PDF (20 pages)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 Get the free PDF (39 pages)- 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.
Strata, rental or partnership: how to own a multiplex in Metro Vancouver
Strata title, small strata rules, keeping the building as rental, living in one unit, landowner and developer partnerships, and the taxes on each path.
Read the guide Get the free PDF (48 pages)- Strata ownershipStrata plans, freehold and separate titles, owner developer duties, and the 5-lot marketing rule.
- Small strata rulesCouncil, quorum, reserve fund, depreciation report and insurance rules for small strata corporations.
- Rental ownershipLandlord duties, GST self-supply, the rental rebates, the 5-unit financing line and later strata conversion.
- Keeping one unitTitle choices, principal residence rules, flipping rules, GST and short-term rentals for an owner who stays.
- Development partnershipsThe four structures, what BC's Partnership Act says about each partner, co-ownership risks and raising money from investors.
- Taxes by pathGST, property transfer tax, the two flipping rules and income or capital treatment, set side by side.
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 Get the free PDF (39 pages)- 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.
Build or renovate a home
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 Get the free PDF (46 pages)- 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.
Renovations and additions in Metro Vancouver
Whether to stay inside the existing footprint or extend beyond it, how renovation scope is discovered and why estimates move, what changes when the household stays in the house, and the approvals a renovation inside a strata needs.
Read the guide Get the free PDF (27 pages)Construction contracts in BC: how a build is priced, paid for and changed
Cost plus fees, standard forms, payments and holdbacks, changes and allowances, insurance and safety, and disputes, for homeowners in BC.
Read the guide Get the free PDF (50 pages)- Cost plus feesPercentage and fixed fees, guaranteed maximum price, the cost of the work, and open book records.
- Standard formsThe CCDC forms by price basis, and the clauses to check in any contract.
- Payments and holdbacksDeposits, progress payments, the 10% holdback, completion, lien deadlines and warranty.
- Changes and allowancesChange orders, allowances, provisional amounts, contingency and delay, in writing.
- Insurance and safetyBuilder's risk, liability insurance, your home policy, prime contractor duties and clearance letters.
- Disputes and endingMediation, arbitration, tribunal and court limits, liens in a dispute, and termination.
Energy-efficient homes in BC: the Step Code, testing, and heating
The Step Code and Zero Carbon Step Code levels, city-by-city rules in Metro Vancouver, energy modelling and air testing, the shell, heating and cooling, Passive House and net zero, and upgrades and rebates for existing homes.
Read the guide Get the free PDF (46 pages)- Step Code levelsThe numbers behind Steps 3, 4 and 5, the four carbon levels, and a city-by-city table.
- Modelling and testingWho the energy advisor is, what the model and the blower door test do, and how to read an EnerGuide label.
- Walls, windows and airEffective insulation values, thermal bridges, window ratings, the air barrier and heat recovery ventilation.
- Heating, cooling and hot waterHeating and cooling rules, heat pumps in the code, the 26°C rule, and when gas still fits.
- Passive House and net zeroPassive House numbers, the Net Zero and Net Zero Ready labels, and how each relates to Step 5.
- Upgrading an existing homeThe EnerGuide evaluation, upgrades in stages, local renovation rules, and rebates as of 24 October 2026.
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 Get the free PDF (34 pages)- 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.
Multigenerational homes in Metro Vancouver: building for several generations of one family
Building for several generations of one family: home types, design for older parents, family ownership, tax help and the renovate or rebuild choice.
Read the guide Get the free PDF (43 pages)- Home types for familiesWhat a suite, a garden suite or laneway home, a duplex and a multiplex each give a family in privacy, title and shared space.
- Designing for generationsEntrances, sound and fire separation, shared and private rooms, and the door and room sizes that let a parent stay as they get older.
- Family ownershipJoint tenancy and tenancy in common, co-ownership agreements, strata titles for each household, title transfers and wills.
- Money and tax helpThe federal multigenerational credit, accessibility credits and rebates, the home owner grant, property tax deferment, and the suite programs that closed.
- Renovate or build newAdding a suite or laneway home versus rebuilding as a duplex or multiplex: permits, warranty, builders, tax credits and living arrangements.
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.