Journal
Building custom homes and multiplexes in Metro Vancouver
Guides and news from the Costar Construction team on custom home costs, multiplex zoning and the build process in Metro Vancouver.
02
Finishes That Last in a Vancouver Family Home: Choosing Floors, Counters, Cabinets, Paint, Tile and Hardware for Children and Grandparents
How to choose floors, counters, cabinets, paint, tile and hardware for a Vancouver home with small children and grandparents, using BC Housing and CMHC.
03
Keeping a Character House in Vancouver: What the City's Retention Rules Allow and What You Gain
What makes a character house in Vancouver's R1-1 zone, the extra floor area, infill and units the City allows when you keep one, and what to check first.
04
Designing a Custom Home on a Vancouver Lot: What the R1-1 Rules Allow a House
Vancouver's R1-1 rules for a new house: floor area, what the count leaves out, height, yards, basements, garages, trees and the permit steps.
05
Planning a Suite Into a New Vancouver House: What the Zoning Allows and the Design Choices to Make Early
What Vancouver's R1-1 zoning allows for a secondary suite in a new house, and the early design choices: entrance, stairs, sound, laundry and storage.
06
Laneway Homes in Vancouver: What the R1-1 Rules Allow Behind Your House
Vancouver's laneway home rules for R1-1 lots: floor area, height, distance from the house, lot width, lane access, parking, strata and trees.
07
Quintet: How a Five-Home Multiplex Was Planned in East Vancouver
How Quintet fits five townhomes on one East Vancouver lot: who each plan is for, what sits on each floor, the suites, the parking and what owners share.
08
Aging in Place Bathroom Renovation in BC: Showers, Grab Bars, Doors and Safe Water Temperature
How to renovate a bathroom in Metro Vancouver so you can stay in your home as you age, using CMHC guidance and the 2024 BC Building Code.
09
Insurance While You Build in Vancouver: Who Covers the House, the Site and the People on It
Builder's risk, liability and wrap-up insurance for a Vancouver home or multiplex build, your old home policy at demolition, and what lenders ask for.
10
The Order of Work in a Kitchen Renovation: A Stage-by-Stage Guide for Metro Vancouver Homes
The stages of a kitchen renovation in Metro Vancouver, from measuring to final inspection, and why rough-in inspections must happen before drywall.
11
Heat Pumps for a Vancouver Home: Choosing, Sizing, Placing and Paying for One in a New Build, Multiplex or Renovation
How a heat pump heats and cools a Vancouver home, which type fits, how it is sized and placed, and which BC Hydro and CleanBC rebates apply in 2026.
12
Building Through Vancouver's Wet Season: How to Keep a New House or Multiplex Dry While It Goes Up
How to keep a Vancouver house or multiplex dry while it is built in the rainy months: lumber, roof, wall wrap, windows, drying, concrete and site runoff.
13
Before You Buy a Vancouver Lot: What to Check on the Title and on the Ground for a New Home or Multiplex
Before you buy a Vancouver lot for a home or multiplex: the LTSA title search, covenants, easements, a survey, the flood plain, lane access and past uses.
14
The Builders Lien Holdback in Vancouver: The 10 Percent You Keep Back From Every Payment on a New Home or Multiplex
How BC's Builders Lien Act holdback works on a Vancouver home or multiplex: the 10 percent, the 55 days, the holdback account and how a lien is filed.
15
Fixed Price, Cost Plus or Construction Management: Three Ways to Sign a Contract for a Vancouver Home or Multiplex
How fixed price, cost plus and construction management contracts work for a Vancouver home or multiplex: who pays for overruns and how the builder is paid.
16
Owner Builder or Licensed Builder in BC: What Each Path Means for Your Vancouver Home
BC's Owner Builder Authorization for a Vancouver home: who qualifies, the exam and $425 fee, the 12-month sale rule, WorkSafeBC duties, and the other path.
17
Multiplex and Laneway Home Rules in New Westminster: What the RGO-A and RGO-B Infill Zones Allow a Homeowner
How many homes New Westminster's RGO-A and RGO-B zones allow on a lot, the size, height and parking rules, the permits, and the servicing costs to plan for.
18
Choosing a Builder for a Vancouver Multiplex: The Questions to Ask and How to Check the Answers Yourself
Questions to ask a Vancouver multiplex builder, and how to check each answer on BC Housing's registries, association directories and award lists.
19
Building Out a Cafe or Restaurant in Metro Vancouver: Health Plan Approval, Grease Interceptors, Kitchen Exhaust and Washrooms
How a cafe or restaurant fit-out in Metro Vancouver gets health plan approval, which sinks need a grease interceptor, and what the city checks for exhaust.
20
Paying for a Multiplex in Vancouver: How Construction Loans Work and Which CMHC Programs Fit
How a construction loan pays out in stages on a Vancouver multiplex, who checks the work, and which CMHC programs cover 2 to 4 units or 5 and more.
21
Asbestos and Lead Before You Renovate or Demolish in BC: The Hazardous Materials Survey, Licensed Abatement and City Permits
Before a renovation or demolition in BC, WorkSafeBC requires a hazardous materials survey. What it covers, who can remove asbestos, and what cities ask for.
22
Property Transfer Tax and GST on a New Home or Multiplex Unit in Vancouver: What Buyers and Owner Builders Pay
BC property transfer tax and GST on a new Vancouver home or multiplex unit: rates, the newly built home exemption, first-time buyer rules and GST rebates.
23
Building a Multiplex in Killarney, East Vancouver: Lot Sizes, Zoning and What Owners Are Actually Building
What R1-1 zoning means for a Killarney or Kensington-Cedar Cottage lot, how lot width and location decide the unit count, and what the permit data shows about where East Vancouver's multiplex activity is concentrated.
24
Renting Out a Multiplex Unit or Suite in Vancouver: Tenancy Law Basics for Owners
What BC tenancy law asks of a Vancouver owner who rents a suite or multiplex unit: the agreement, deposits, inspections, rent increases and notices.
25
Designing a Vancouver Laneway Home for a Parent, a Grown Child or a Tenant
How a Vancouver laneway home design changes with the person who will live in it: layouts, accessibility, privacy and tenancy for aging parents, grown children and tenants.
26
BC Hydro Electrical Service for a Vancouver Multiplex: How the Connection Works, Step by Step
How a Vancouver multiplex gets BC Hydro power: why it needs a bigger service, the design connection steps, meters for each home, heat pumps and EV load.
27
Bathroom Renovation Permits in Metro Vancouver: Plumbing, Electrical, Shower Controls, Fans and Strata Approval
Which bathroom renovation work needs a building, plumbing or electrical permit in Metro Vancouver, plus the shower, fan and strata rules to plan around.
28
Servicing a Vancouver Laneway Home: Water, Sewer and the Shared Electrical Panel
How water, sewer, storm and electrical service reach a Vancouver laneway home from the main house, what the by-law says, and the design choices that keep the cost down.
29
Selling Multiplex Units in Vancouver: When BC's Real Estate Development Marketing Act Requires a Disclosure Statement
When BC's REDMA needs a disclosure statement to sell Vancouver multiplex homes, plus the 7-day right to cancel, deposits in trust and presales.
30
Secondary Suite Requirements in Metro Vancouver: Fire Separation, Sound, Exits, Ceiling Height and Permits Under the BC Building Code 2024
What the BC Building Code 2024 asks of a legal suite in a Metro Vancouver house: fire separation, alarms, sound, exits, ceiling height and permits.
31
The Vancouver Laneway Home Permit Timeline, Stage by Stage
The four stages of a Vancouver laneway home permit, from a lane check to the issued permit, with each stage's inputs and what the City reviews.
32
The Vancouver Special Then and Now: Why Are Families Building Multiplexes on the Same Kind of Lot?
How the Vancouver Special fit two households on a 33-foot Vancouver lot from 1965 to 1985, and what R1-1 multiplex rules allow on that lot today.
33
Opening a Cafe, Salon or Office in a Leased Unit: The Tenant Improvement Process From Lease to Opening Day
The steps to build out a leased cafe, salon or office in Burnaby: landlord consent, health approval, building and trade permits, inspections and licence.
34
What Every BC City Must Now Allow: The Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing Law Explained for Homeowners
What BC's small-scale multi-unit housing law makes every city allow: 3 or 4 homes on a house lot, 6 near frequent buses, parking limits and deadlines.
35
The BC Energy Step Code for a New Home in Metro Vancouver: What Is Tested, When It Happens and What Each City Requires
What BC's Energy Step Code and Zero Carbon Step Code measure on a new house, when the airtightness tests happen, and what Burnaby and Richmond require.
36
Co-Developing a Multiplex on Your Lot in Metro Vancouver: How a Limited Partnership Works and Who Carries Which Risk
How a limited partnership works when a Metro Vancouver homeowner puts in the land for a multiplex: who decides, who carries the risk, what to ask.
37
Multiplex Rules in Coquitlam: What the R-1 to R-4 Zones Allow a Homeowner
How many homes Coquitlam's R-1 to R-4 zones allow, how parking is counted, the Development Permit step, and the slope, tree and servicing rules.
38
Strata Life in a Small Multiplex: Bylaws, the Reserve Fund, Depreciation Reports and a Property Manager
What BC's Strata Property Act asks of a new Vancouver multiplex strata: the first meeting, bylaws, reserve fund, depreciation report and a manager.
39
The New Home Handover Walkthrough in Vancouver: How to Check Your Finishes With BC Housing's Performance Guide
Use BC Housing's Performance Guide at your Vancouver new home handover: what to check in drywall, cabinets, doors and tile, and what repairs can wait.
40
Designing a Multiplex for Three Generations in Vancouver: Who Lives on Each Floor, and Why the Grandparents Live on the Ground Floor
How to plan a Vancouver multiplex for grandparents, parents and children: a ground floor home with no stairs, the family above, and the BC rules behind it.
41
Kitchen Renovation Permits in Metro Vancouver: Walls, Plumbing, Wiring, Gas and Strata Approval
Which kitchen renovation work needs a permit in Metro Vancouver, who issues electrical and gas permits in each city, and what a strata must approve first.
42
Building a Multiplex in Burnaby: A Guide to the R1 Rules Under Zoning Bylaw 2026
How many homes a Burnaby R1 lot can hold under Zoning Bylaw 2026, with the transit rule, unit sizes, the three-bedroom rule, height and permit steps.
43
BC Home Warranty for a New Custom Home in Vancouver: Coverage, Limits and How to Check a Builder
How BC's 2-5-10 home warranty covers a new custom home in Vancouver: the three tiers, the $200,000 limit, when coverage starts and how to check a builder.
44
Multiplex vs Laneway Home vs Legal Suite: Three Ways to Add Homes on One Vancouver Lot
How a multiplex, a laneway home and a legal suite compare in Vancouver on construction scope, permit path and how many homes each adds to one lot.
45
Duplex vs Triplex vs Fourplex in Vancouver: Which Fits Your Lot
How a duplex, triplex and fourplex compare in Vancouver on unit count, rental income risk, zoning eligibility and total project cost.
46
Multiplex Zoning and Permits in Vancouver: Unit Limits, City Fees and Permit Route
How Vancouver's R1-1 zoning sets unit limits by lot size, what the Development Cost Levy costs, and which permit route a Vancouver multiplex may use.
47
Multiplex Cost to Build in Vancouver: What Drives Construction, Land and City Fees
What drives the cost of a multiplex in Metro Vancouver: construction, land, soft costs and the City of Vancouver fees added at permit, and why cost per home falls as units rise.
48
Exploring the Costs of Custom Construction in Metro Vancouver: A Guide to the Custom Home Building Process
A guide to custom home costs in Metro Vancouver: the five build steps, what changes the price, and general cost per square foot ranges.
49Louis Nguyen
Costar Featured in REW’s Multiplex Development Guide
Costar Construction's Director of Sales, Louis Nguyen, is interviewed in REW's guide to building a multiplex for single-family homeowners in BC.
50Louis Nguyen
Is Generational Multiplex the Next Vancouver Special?
Why a multiplex suits three generations of one Vancouver family, what Statistics Canada counts, and how the BC small-scale housing law makes it possible on a house lot.
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