Journal
The Journal.
Plain-language guides to custom home building and renovation, plus multiplex development, zoning, and what BC's new housing rules mean for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley homeowners and investors.
Homeowner Guides
Sell, Develop, or Hold: Which Makes Sense for Your Vancouver Lot?
Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley homeowners sitting on a developable lot have three real options right now: sell, develop with a partner, or hold. Each one has a different payoff, a different timeline, and a different risk profile. Here is how to think through all three honestly.
Trent Praski · July 21, 2026 · 7 min read
Investor Insights
Reading a multiplex pro forma: the numbers that matter
A multiplex pro forma is a story told in numbers, and a misleading one is easy to build. This is how to read every major line, find the assumptions doing the heavy lifting, and spot a pro forma that's selling rather than estimating.
Trent Praski · July 21, 2026 · 7 min
Renovations
Energy-Efficient Upgrades That Boost Resale Value
Boost resale value in Metro Vancouver with smart energy-efficient upgrades. Learn which improvements buyers want from expert home builders.
Mark Van Ek · July 20, 2026 · 5 min
Investor Insights
An investor's guide to Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley multiplex projects
Multiplex projects sit in a different risk-and-return category than buying a finished rental or a pre-sale condo. This guide walks an investor through how these deals are structured, what to ask before committing capital, and where the real risks live.
Trent Praski · July 20, 2026 · 8 min
Financing & Partnerships
Sharing the risk: how a development partnership protects homeowners
A homeowner who tries to develop their own lot carries every risk alone, capital, permitting, construction, and the market. A GP/LP partnership is built to spread that risk. Here is exactly how the protections work, where your equity sits, and where the protections stop.
Trent Praski · July 19, 2026 · 8 min
Zoning & Policy
Frequent transit areas: how transit unlocks more homes on your lot
Being within 400 metres of a prescribed bus stop can raise the homes your lot is allowed to hold from four to six under BC's housing rules. Here is what "frequent transit" precisely means, where the transit-oriented tier goes even further, and how to tell if your lot qualifies.
Trent Praski · July 19, 2026 · 8 min
Custom Homes
How We Make Projects Simple for Designers and Architects
Save time and know your project is on track with a team you trust. Managing residential, commercial and institutional construction projects.
Mark Van Ek · July 18, 2026 · 6 min
Investor Insights
What is your land worth to a developer?
A Vancouver lot is worth more to a developer than its listing price, because a developer values what can be built on it. Here is how that calculation actually works, and why no honest answer comes without a property-specific analysis.
Trent Praski · July 18, 2026 · 8 min
Investor Insights
Build to Rent vs Sell: The Multiplex Tenure Decision That Changes Your Return
You can build the same 6-unit multiplex and either sell every unit as strata or hold all of them as rental. The building is identical. The economics over the next 25 years are not.
Trent Praski · July 17, 2026 · 6 min
Renovations
Custom Home or Major Renovation: Which Is Right for You?
Deciding between a custom home or major renovation? Learn how to choose the right path based on your goals, budget, and lifestyle.
Mark Van Ek · July 16, 2026 · 6 min
Zoning & Policy
New Westminster and Coquitlam: SSMUH across the eastern suburbs
The same provincial housing law that reshaped Vancouver landed in New Westminster and Coquitlam too. Here is how two very different eastern cities translated it into local rules, including one detail about Coquitlam's transit that surprises almost every owner.
Trent Praski · July 15, 2026 · 8 min
Contracts & Costs
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Custom Home in Vancouver?
A recent video circulating on social media confidently claimed, “Cost-plus is always over.” If that’s been your experience, it likely means something critical was missing from the process. When managed properly, cost-plus contracts shouldn’t feel unpredictable or out of control.
Mark Van Ek · July 14, 2026 · 6 min
Homeowner Guides
Building for Two Generations: Multiplexes and Multigenerational Living in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley
Surrey alone has nearly one in ten households living across two generations under one roof. A multiplex built under Bill 44 is now the most practical way to make that work, separate legal units, separate front doors, separate lives that stay connected.
Trent Praski · July 13, 2026 · 6 min
Contracts & Costs
The Truth About Cost-Plus Contracts
A recent video circulating on social media confidently claimed, “Cost-plus is always over.” If that’s been your experience, it likely means something critical was missing from the process. When managed properly, cost-plus contracts shouldn’t feel unpredictable or out of control.
Mark Van Ek · July 12, 2026 · 5 min
Zoning & Policy
Richmond's RSM zoning: building a multiplex on your lot
Richmond rezoned about 27,000 single-family lots into four RSM sub-zones for small-scale multi-unit housing. Here is what each one lets you build, and the local rules, flood levels, sub-zone lot sizes, the sixth-unit condition, that quietly shape the real number of homes.
Trent Praski · July 11, 2026 · 8 min
Custom Homes
The Importance of Selecting Your Builder Early
When it comes to building a custom home, timing is everything. One of the most critical decisions you will make is choosing your ‘Builder’ and the earlier you bring them on board, the better.
Mark Van Ek · July 10, 2026 · 3 min
Financing & Partnerships
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Multiplex in Vancouver? (2026 Guide)
Most homeowners who ask about building a multiplex think about the cost of construction. That's only part of the bill. Here's a plain breakdown of what a triplex, fourplex, or sixplex actually costs to build in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley in 2026, from hard construction to city fees to the total all-in number.
Trent Praski · July 9, 2026 · 8 min
Custom Homes
The Essential Role of an Interior Designer in Building a Custom Home
An interior designer custom home project needs early planning, clear selections, and strong coordination to keep design, budget, and construction aligned.
Mark Van Ek · July 8, 2026 · 5 min
Zoning & Policy
Burnaby's small-scale multi-unit housing rules in 2026
Burnaby put its SSMUH zoning in force in 2024, and by 2026 there's enough built experience to see how it actually works. Here's what the R1 district permits, how the transit bonus reaches further here, and how it differs from Vancouver.
Trent Praski · July 7, 2026 · 7 min
Contracts & Costs
The Power of Certainty: Fixed Price Contracts in Residential Construction
A fixed price contract construction approach can offer cost certainty, clearer scope, and simpler financing for custom homes and major renovations.
Mark Van Ek · July 6, 2026 · 6 min
Multiplex 101
What "missing middle" housing means for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley
"Missing middle" is the housing that sits between a single house and an apartment tower. Here's why Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley lost it for decades, and what it looks like coming back to ordinary lots.
Trent Praski · July 5, 2026 · 10 min
News & Awards
Venture Pacific Named 2023 Georgie Award Finalist for Kitsilano Home Renovation
A century-old Kitsilano home renovation by Venture Pacific and Phase One Design, named a 2023 Georgie Awards finalist in Vancouver.
Mark Van Ek · July 4, 2026 · 4 min
Multiplex 101
Multiplex, duplex, or townhouse: which fits your lot?
A duplex, a fourplex, and a row of townhomes can all be legal on the same lot. The right one depends on width, access, and how you plan to own and sell the homes, not on which sounds biggest.
Trent Praski · July 3, 2026 · 7 min
Renovations
Renovating Your Kitchen
Save time and know your project is on track with a team you trust. Managing residential, commercial and institutional construction projects.
Mark Van Ek · July 2, 2026 · 3 min
Zoning & Policy
Vancouver's R1-1 zoning: a plain-language guide for homeowners
Vancouver folded most of its single-family neighbourhoods into one zone: R1-1. Here's what it permits, what "Residential Inclusive" really means, and how the rental option changes the math.
Trent Praski · July 1, 2026 · 10 min
Contracts & Costs
The Building Permit Process to City of Vancouver
Building permit process Vancouver: required documents, pre-approvals, timelines, and key steps for new home construction explained.
Mark Van Ek · June 30, 2026 · 4 min
Multiplex 101
SSMUH explained: what Bill 44 means for your Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley lot
Bill 44 forced every Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley city to allow multiple homes on lots that used to permit one. Here's what the legislation actually requires, and where it stops short of a green light.
Trent Praski · June 29, 2026 · 10 min
Renovations
Get the Best ROI With These 5 Home Efficiency Upgrades
Save time and know your project is on track with a team you trust. Managing residential, commercial and institutional construction projects.
Mark Van Ek · June 28, 2026 · 4 min
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.