Custom Home Builder
A custom home builder for Metro Vancouver, full design-and-build from your lot through move-in, with the same municipal expertise we bring to laneway houses and garden suites.
What this service is
This is full custom home design-and-build, starting from an existing lot, whether that means a teardown and rebuild of an older house or a vacant lot you've purchased, and carrying through to a finished, move-in-ready home. It's distinct from a renovation, which works within an existing structure and is constrained by what's already there. A custom home starts with a blank page: the layout, size, and finishes are designed around your household, your budget, and the specifics of your site. The connection to the rest of our work is direct, the same zoning and permitting knowledge we've built across laneway houses and garden suites in Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, North Vancouver, Delta, Surrey, and Coquitlam carries straight into a custom home project, because a new build has to satisfy the same municipal requirements as any other dwelling on the lot.
When a custom home build makes sense
A few common triggers lead homeowners to a full custom build rather than working with what's there. An aging or undersized home that no longer fits the household, and isn't worth the cost of renovating, is one. A newly purchased lot with no existing structure is another. Or a homeowner may simply be planning a full-scope replacement of a house that has reached the end of its useful life, rather than a partial renovation that leaves the underlying problems in place. There's also an option many homeowners in this market consider: designing a new custom home alongside a future laneway house or garden suite on the same lot from the very start, rather than adding one later. Site planning is far easier to get right the first time, setting the main house, the secondary dwelling, setbacks, and access together, than to retrofit a secondary suite around a home that was never designed to accommodate one.
Planning a custom home in Metro Vancouver?
Get a free, no-obligation quote, we'll walk through your lot, your goals, and what your municipality allows before you commit.
What's required for a custom home build
A custom home build moves through a clear sequence, though the specifics depend on the city and even the zone within it. It starts with architectural design, structural engineering, and a zoning compliance review, floor area ratio, height, and setback limits differ by municipality and by zone, so these are confirmed early against your specific property rather than assumed. From there we prepare and submit the building permit application, then move into construction on a timeline that depends on the scope of the build and the host city's processing times. Throughout construction we provide regular progress updates, coordinating trades and inspections, through to final inspection and handover of a completed home. Because the municipal rules vary, the practical first step is a property-specific review, which is exactly what a free consultation covers.
Custom home FAQ
A renovation works within an existing structure, modifying, expanding, or updating what's already there. A custom home build starts from the lot itself, whether that's a teardown of an older house or a vacant parcel, and designs an entirely new home from the ground up. You're not constrained by the existing layout, systems, or footprint, but you are responsible for the full design, permitting, and construction of a new dwelling.
Often, yes, and it's one of the reasons to plan a custom home and a secondary dwelling together from the start. Setting the main house, the laneway house or garden suite, setbacks, and access in a single site plan is far easier than retrofitting a secondary suite around a home that was never designed for one. Eligibility depends on your city and zone, so we confirm what your lot allows early in the design process.
The same body of zoning and permitting knowledge applies, yes, floor area ratio, height, and setback limits are set by your municipality and zone, whether you're building a main house or a secondary dwelling. A custom home has to satisfy those requirements just as a laneway house or garden suite does, which is why we confirm the rules against your specific property early rather than assuming generic numbers.
Ready to find out what your property qualifies for?
Get a free quote and we'll walk you through it.