Questions to ask before developing your Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley lot
Before you sign anything to develop your lot into a multiplex, there are questions that separate a sound partnership from a costly mistake. Here are the ones we'd ask.
Trent Praski · August 27, 2026 · 7 min
Where do you live while your lot is redeveloped?
If you're partnering on a multiplex on the lot you live on, you'll need somewhere to stay during construction. Here are the real options, the timeline that sets how long, and the costs that drive each one.
Trent Praski · August 26, 2026 · 7 min
How we build quality control into every multiplex project
Quality on a multiplex isn't an inspection at the end, it's a series of checkpoints built into every phase. Here's how we catch problems while they're still cheap to fix.
Mark Van Ek · August 25, 2026 · 7 min
The 2-5-10 home warranty, explained for new multiplex owners
Every new multiplex unit in BC comes with mandatory home warranty insurance. Here's what the 2-5-10 actually covers, what it doesn't, and how it transfers when you sell.
Trent Praski · August 24, 2026 · 8 min
What to expect during multiplex construction in Vancouver
From the day the excavator arrives to the day you get keys, a Vancouver multiplex build moves through predictable phases. Here is what each one looks like on the ground, the inspections, the draw schedule, the deficiency list, and the warranty that starts at the end.
Mark Van Ek · August 23, 2026 · 7 min
Vancouver multiplex fees in 2026: DCL, DCC, and what the June 30 deadline meant
Every Vancouver multiplex project faces a stack of city-collected fees before construction starts: a Development Cost Levy, a Density Bonus contribution (now removed), and permit charges. Knowing what each one is, and how the June 30, 2026 deadline changed the math, is part of building a real pro forma.
Trent Praski · August 20, 2026 · 10 min
How We Structure Development Deals: GP/LP Partnerships in Plain Language
Most multiplex projects in Metro Vancouver are built through a partnership between the people who bring the land and the people who bring the capital and construction expertise. Here is how a general partner and limited partner arrangement actually works.
Trent Praski · August 19, 2026 · 8 min
Funding a multiplex: equity and construction financing explained
Building several homes where one stood costs more than most owners expect, and the money arrives in stages, not all at once. Here's how equity and construction financing fund a Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley multiplex, explained in plain language.
Trent Praski · August 18, 2026 · 8 min
Vancouver's net-zero bonus: 19% more buildable space on your multiplex lot
Vancouver offers a 19% floor space ratio (FSR) bonus to multiplexes that meet net-zero energy standards. That bonus represents real added value, and the construction premium to earn it is smaller than most people assume.
Trent Praski · August 16, 2026 · 11 min
How the GP/LP partnership model works for landowners
If you own a Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley lot but don't want to become a developer overnight, the general-partner / limited-partner model offers another path. Here's how a GP/LP partnership lets a landowner contribute land, sit in the capital stack, and share in the result without running the build.
Trent Praski · August 14, 2026 · 9 min
BC Energy Step Code: what it means for a new multiplex
The BC Energy Step Code sets how energy-efficient a new multiplex has to be, and it shapes decisions from the wall assemblies to the heating system. Here's what it means for a Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley build in plain language.
Mark Van Ek · August 12, 2026 · 8 min
Vancouver reversed the gas ban. Here is what it actually means for your multiplex.
Vancouver City Council voted 7 to 4 on May 27, 2026 to allow natural gas heating in new homes again. For homeowners building multiplexes, the real impact isn't the heating equipment, it's shorter BC Hydro timelines and fewer mid-design reversals.
Trent Praski · August 10, 2026 · 9 min
The City of Vancouver multiplex permitting process, step by step
From a first feasibility check to the building permit and final inspections, here's the City of Vancouver multiplex permitting process explained in plain language, what each stage involves, which drawings you need, and where projects tend to slow down. Updated July 2026.
Trent Praski · August 8, 2026 · 7 min
Trees, easements, and site constraints on a Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley lot
A mature tree near the rear lot line or a utility easement running through the yard can quietly reshape a multiplex design. Here's how trees, easements, and other site constraints affect what you can build on a Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley lot.
Trent Praski · August 6, 2026 · 9 min
Strata or rental: choosing the tenure for your multiplex
Sell the homes as strata lots, or hold them and rent? The tenure you choose shapes everything from how many homes you can build to how the project makes money. Here's how to think it through.
Trent Praski · August 4, 2026 · 11 min
Parking and bike rules for new multiplex homes in Vancouver
Parking rules have changed dramatically for new multiplex homes, and that change shapes how much of your lot goes to homes versus cars. Here's how parking and bike requirements work in Vancouver and across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
Trent Praski · August 2, 2026 · 8 min
Designing a multiplex that fits the neighbourhood
A multiplex that respects its street is easier to permit, easier to sell, and a better place to live. Here's how we design homes that add density without feeling out of place in Vancouver and Burnaby neighbourhoods.
Trent Praski · July 29, 2026 · 10 min
The feasibility review: how to know if your lot pencils out
Before a single drawing is made, a feasibility review tells you whether your lot can carry a multiplex and what it would take. Here's what we actually look at, and why a yes or no isn't the same as a number.
Trent Praski · July 27, 2026 · 14 min
From single-family lot to fourplex: the development timeline
Turning a single-family lot into a fourplex is a sequence, not a single leap. Here is how the stages actually unfold, feasibility, design, permitting and construction, and where the time really goes.
Trent Praski · July 25, 2026 · 7 min
Rezoning vs building under existing zoning: which path is yours?
One of the biggest changes from BC's housing rules is that many multiplexes no longer need a rezoning. Here is how to tell whether your project fits under existing zoning, and why that path is so much faster.
Trent Praski · July 23, 2026 · 7 min
What drives construction cost on a small multiplex
Two fourplexes on neighbouring Vancouver lots can cost very different amounts to build. The reasons are knowable, site conditions, servicing, design, code level, mechanical systems, and finishes each pull the number. Here is what actually moves construction cost, without a single invented figure.
Mark Van Ek · July 22, 2026 · 7 min
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.