Service
Multiplex
Costar manages a Vancouver multiplex from the first design through the permit to the finished build. Start by checking what your lot allows.
Includes
- Multiplex
- Duplex
- Single Home
- Laneway / Infill
- Character Retention
How many homes can a Vancouver lot hold?
Vancouver's R1-1 zoning allows a multiplex of 3 to 8 homes on one site, and frontage sets the number. The City's R1-1 schedule asks for 10 metres of frontage for 3 to 4 homes, 13.4 metres for 4 to 5 homes, and 15.1 metres for 6 strata homes or 8 rental homes. Sites in the Designated Floodplain are excluded. Our zoning and permits guide has the City's sources and the fee rules.
How does a Costar multiplex build run?
Costar's multiplex projects are listed under pre-design, permit and construction management. Design comes first, then the permit application, then construction, with Costar coordinating the subtrades and inspections at each stage. You deal with one team from the first sketch to the keys. Book a consultation and bring your address, or run the free check below first.
What is a Multiplex?
A Multiplex is a small scale townhouse project on a single lot. Multiplexes allow more people to live on a single lot. Because the cost of the land is shared over more homes and the units are smaller, they cost less and are a more sustainable alternative to single-detached homes or duplexes.
How does this relate to Missing Middle Housing?
Missing Middle Housing refers to multiplex and townhouse buildings that are between 1-3 storeys, and also includes low-rise apartment buildings between 3-6 storeys. These housing types increase choice, including ownership and rental options. Advancing the multiplex housing option will create more opportunity to build smaller scale Missing Middle Housing in more neighbourhoods.
Questions
Frequently asked questions about Multiplex
Has Costar won an award for a multiplex project?
Yes. Costar's multiplex project “It Takes Two” won Best Multiplex Home at the 2024 Georgie Awards, presented by the Canadian Home Builders' Association of BC. Costar's project gallery also includes a 5-plex on East 40th Avenue and a 6-plex in Killarney.
What stages does Costar handle for a multiplex build?
Costar's multiplex projects in the gallery are listed under pre-design, permit and construction management, meaning Costar carries the project from initial design through permitting and into construction, coordinating subtrades and inspections at each stage.
Where has Costar built multiplex projects?
Completed multiplex projects in Costar's gallery are located in Vancouver, including a 5-plex on East 40th Avenue and a 6-plex in Killarney, within Costar's broader Metro Vancouver service area of Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, Coquitlam, New Westminster, North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Port Moody.
Why does the cost per unit go down in a multiplex compared to a single-detached home?
In a multiplex, the cost of the land is shared across more homes and the individual units are smaller than a single-detached house, which lowers the cost per home. Costar's multiplex cost guide in the Journal breaks this down by unit count with construction, land and city-fee figures.
What is Missing Middle Housing?
Missing Middle Housing is the term for multiplex and townhouse buildings of one to three storeys, and low-rise apartment buildings of three to six storeys. This range of building sizes sits between a single-detached house and a large apartment tower, and increases both ownership and rental choices in a neighbourhood.
How many homes can fit on one lot with a multiplex project?
The number of homes on a multiplex lot depends on the size of the property and local zoning. Costar's project gallery includes a 5-plex on East 40th Avenue and a 6-plex in Killarney, both in Vancouver, as examples of multiplex projects the company has completed on single lots.
What building types fall under Costar's multiplex program?
Costar's multiplex program covers multiplex, duplex, single home, laneway and infill projects, and work that retains an existing home's character while adding units on the same lot.
Should I build a multiplex or keep my existing house and add a laneway home?
A multiplex replaces the existing house with 3 to 8 new units and suits an owner who wants the most homes the lot allows. A laneway home or legal suite adds one unit while the current house stays standing, which suits an owner who wants rental income or space for family without losing the house they already have. Costar's guide comparing a multiplex, a laneway home and a legal suite in the Journal covers this choice in full.
Related projects
The full guide
The multiplex guide covers the rules in Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and Richmond, the steps from first idea to move-in, what changes the cost and how ownership works.
Related reading
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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