Burnaby renovations,
built to last another 40 years.

A city of post-war homes ready for a serious upgrade.

Burnaby has a particular kind of housing stock that rewards renovation: thousands of split-levels, bungalows and two-storey family homes built through the 1960s and 1970s. These houses were built solidly — good bones, generous lots — but their interiors reflect an era of closed-off rooms, narrow galley kitchens and unfinished basements used for storage. Bringing them into the present doesn't mean gutting their character. It means opening up the main floor, adding the kitchen the house always deserved, and finishing the basement into a space that actually earns its square footage.

We work throughout Burnaby — in Burnaby Heights bungalows, Metrotown-area condos and houses, Brentwood family homes, Capitol Hill split-levels, the quiet streets around Deer Lake and the older neighbourhoods in Edmonds and South Burnaby. Each area has its own flavour of home and its own set of quirks we've learned to plan for: the aluminum wiring common in Brentwood homes from the early 1970s, the cast-iron drain stacks in Capitol Hill that need replacing before a bathroom remodel can finish, the unusually steep lots on Capitol Hill that affect suite egress.

One thing we hear often from Burnaby homeowners is that proximity to SFU and strong transit access — the Millennium Line, the Expo Line, three SkyTrain stations — makes a legal basement suite genuinely profitable. A properly permitted, well-designed suite in Burnaby can generate $2,000–$2,600 a month in rental income, and it adds measurable resale value beyond the rent. We've built enough of them to know what the City of Burnaby inspectors look for and what separates a suite that gets approved on first inspection from one that gets sent back with a correction list.

What we build in Burnaby

• Kitchen gut renovations — including wall removal for open-concept layouts in split-levels
• Bathroom remodels — from a single-bath refresh to a full ensuite addition
• Legal secondary suites — designed and permitted to City of Burnaby and BC Building Code standards
• Whole-home remodels — floor plans restructured, electrical and plumbing upgraded throughout
• Basement development — media rooms, home offices, in-law suites and rental suites
• Exterior renovations — siding, windows, doors, decks and landscaping tie-ins

What you need to know before you build.

The City of Burnaby's building permit process applies to most work beyond a basic cosmetic refresh. Any project that touches the structure, moves plumbing or gas, adds new electrical circuits, or creates a new dwelling unit — including a secondary suite — requires a permit issued by Burnaby's Building Division before work begins.

For secondary suites specifically, the City of Burnaby has clear requirements: the suite must be located entirely within the primary dwelling, meet minimum ceiling heights (typically 1.95m/6'5"), have proper egress windows or doors, fire-rated separation between the suite and the main floor, and dedicated mechanical ventilation. The unit also has to comply with BC Building Code occupancy standards. Getting all of this right on the first submission matters — a revision request adds weeks. We prepare the permit package in-house, which means the drawings are built to what Burnaby's inspectors actually want to see, not a generic template.

Burnaby also allows coach houses (detached garden suites) on many residential lots as of recent zoning updates, though the approval path is more involved. If you're considering adding a detached suite, we can walk you through what your lot size and zoning allow before you spend money on drawings.

For older homes — particularly the split-levels on Capitol Hill and the post-war bungalows in Burnaby Heights — it's common to find that a renovation scope expands once the walls come open. Aluminum wiring from the early 1970s, original galvanized or cast-iron plumbing, and subfloor damage under old vinyl are the most common additions we encounter. We flag all of this during our initial site assessment so the quote you sign is the number you pay.