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March 25, 2025 Architect BlogBylaws by aryo@myhomedesigner.com 0 Comments

Legalize a Secondary Suite in Vancouver

Do you want to legalize a Secondary Suite in Vancouver?

Secondary suites are a popular housing option in Vancouver, providing homeowners with additional income opportunities while offering affordable housing alternatives for renters. However, creating a secondary suite involves adhering to specific regulations and obtaining the necessary approvals to ensure the suite is safe, legal, and compliant with municipal bylaws. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to apply for a legal secondary suite in the City of Vancouver.
Some people choose to use this suite as an Airbnb short-term rental.

Step 1: Understand the Regulations

Before you begin, familiarize yourself with the bylaws and requirements for secondary suites in Vancouver. Some key considerations include:

  • Zoning: Ensure your property is zoned to allow secondary suites. Most single-family residential zones in Vancouver permit secondary suites, but it’s essential to confirm with the city.
  • Size Requirements: The suite must meet minimum and maximum size regulations. Typically, the suite cannot exceed 90 square meters (969 square feet) or 40% of the total floor area of the home. Ask your municipal hall, as they might have changed some items.
  • Owner Occupancy: The property owner must reside in either the main dwelling or the secondary suite.
  • Parking: You must provide at least one additional off-street parking space for the suite. This item needs to be confirmed with the zoning, as in many cases it has been relaxed already.

Step 2: Check Building Code Compliance

Vancouver requires that all secondary suites comply with the Vancouver Building Code. This includes:

  • Fire Safety: The suite must have proper fire separation, smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide detectors.
  • Ceiling Height: The minimum ceiling height for habitable spaces is typically 2.0 meters (6.5 feet).
  • Windows and Ventilation: Adequate windows and ventilation must be provided, including egress windows in bedrooms for emergency escape.
  • Plumbing and Electrical: Ensure all plumbing and electrical systems meet code standards.

If your suite does not meet these requirements, renovations may be necessary to bring it up to code. You can contact us to help you with the renovation project or call us to make observations to see if your unit qualifies for this.

Abbotsford architect

Step 3: Prepare Your Application

Once you’ve confirmed that your property is eligible and the suite meets the necessary requirements, you can prepare your application. You’ll need:

  1. Building Permit Application: Complete the building permit application form available on the City of Vancouver’s website.
  2. Detailed Plans: Submit detailed floor plans showing the layout of the proposed suite, including room sizes, window placements, and locations of smoke alarms and fire separations.
  3. Site Plan: Provide a site plan showing the property boundaries, existing structures, and parking layout.
  4. Fees: Pay the applicable permit fees, which vary depending on the scope of the work.

    We can help you with all the above processes to make it easier for you!

Step 4: Submit Your Application

Submit your completed application package to the Vancouver Building Department. City staff will review your plans to ensure they comply with zoning regulations and building codes. If your application is incomplete or does not meet the requirements, you may be asked to make revisions.

Step 5: Complete Inspections

Once your application is approved and you have your building permit, you can begin any necessary construction or renovations. During this process, city inspectors will conduct several inspections to ensure the work complies with the approved plans and building codes. Inspections typically include:

  • Foundation (if applicable)
  • Framing
  • Plumbing and Electrical
  • Final occupancy

Step 6: Obtain Final Approval

After passing all inspections, you’ll receive final approval from the city. Your secondary suite will now be officially recognized as legal, and you can begin renting it out.

Additional Tips

  • Consult a Professional: If you’re unsure about the process or requirements, consider hiring an architect, designer, or contractor who specializes in secondary suites.
  • Stay Informed: Regulations and fees may change over time, so always check with the City of Vancouver for the latest information.
  • Consider Utilities: Ensure the suite has separate metering for utilities if desired, and that it’s energy-efficient to keep operating costs low.

By following these steps, you can successfully create a legal secondary suite in Vancouver, benefiting both your household and the community. With proper planning and attention to detail, you’ll be well on your way to adding value to your property while contributing to the local housing supply.

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October 31, 2020 Architect BlogBylawsCoding by Katarina Skipic 1 Comment

Where to Start a Renovation: With a Contractor or a Designer?

“Remember that free advice, no matter from whom it is received, will bear the closest of examination before it is acted upon as safe. And, generally speaking, this sort of advice is worth exactly what it costs.” -Napoleon Hill 

If you only knew how many times I have heard from my clients that they asked a builder to give them a quotation or even a ballpark price for a remodeling job. It would have been an extension by adding a floor above the existing house or spreading existing footage to the yard. Sometimes it’s converting their unfinished basement to a suite, or anything like that. What do you think, how many times the received estimation was even remotely right?

Renovation professional
Renovation professional

When it comes to the game of guestimation, everyone has something to say, and everybody wants to give you free advice. In many cases, just like Napoleon Hill said, free advice is worth just as much you paid for it. It’s a risky game with your hard-earned money as the investment. Asking a contractor to give you a guesstimate quote without a clue about your plan, is not a good idea. To start a renovation without any professional input is even worse.

Don’t Trust Anything That Can Think, Until You See From Where Its Knowledge Comes

The best way to get a precise estimation is to hire a professional designer or architect familiar with local construction costs and building codes. What you’ll get is a professional opinion based on real knowledge, which includes checking the zoning and possibilities and potentials of your property. Remember, the contractors build whatever you tell them to build, and they are trained to produce well—but not to design. It will cost you more money and possibly a lifetime of regret, too, if you don’t take the wise direction.

Every property, as well as owners’ needs and the situation, is unique. If your idea is to ask questions and get free advice from a couple of contractors, and then hire one of them, be sure that he will eventually hire a professional to help him out. That way means you are heading to a long process, probably more expensive in the final outcome. 

Burnaby architect
Burnaby architect

If you hire a professional, make sure it’s a building designer, a home designer, or an architect. Sometimes an experienced interior designer can do the job as well. Start by asking them to prepare a report. It should provide you with the possibilities and scenarios that your property has to offer, together with your options based on the budget available. That kind of service is called Low-Cost Consultation, and its price depends on the project, ranging between $500- $1500.

Why Start a Renovation With an Architect/ Designer?

To make a simple comparison: the architects’ duty is to create designs that contractors will implement. Architect’s scope of work is a combination of artistry and engineering. Many of them will offer a whole range of convenient services, like building permit drawings for custom homes or renovation, city follow-ups for permit application, rezoning and subdivisions, and more. After that, contractors come to the scene to carry out the hands-on work defined by the architect’s plan.

You know what you want and need. An architect/ Designer will take those ideas to turn them into a design that meets the requirements. Moreover, he will know how to improve them. In the whole process, he will find solutions that can cost more or less, depending on what you prefer. The scope of the project can be small or massive, and the prices can change accordingly. This is exactly the place where the former game of guestimation becomes obsolete. 

start a renovation company surrey
Renovation Company Surrey

An architect or building designer must ensure to deliver a project that will not only satisfy your needs but comply with all building codes as well. He/she should also secure the appropriate permits for the project. The job doesn’t end there, as they will work along with contractors to ensure that the design solutions will be implemented according to plan. That means, by hiring an architect/ designer, you will secure the consistency of the whole remodeling process, having the same responsible person supervising the delivery from start to finish.

In short, an architect/ designer will upgrade the work of your contractors with industry credibility and technical expertise.

In the next blog we discuss more detail about: When Should a Contractor Join to Start a Renovation Task?

Meanwhile you can learn more about your project planning in the following links:

Project Planning Pack   
Ask The Expert   
Our Dream Team Directory  

By Aryo Falakrou (My Home Designer)

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September 14, 2018 Bylaws by aryo@myhomedesigner.com 0 Comments

North Shore Municipalities Adopt the Energy Step Code

North shore home renovation and custom homes

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September 14, 2013 Bylaws by aryo@myhomedesigner.com 0 Comments

Vancouver new renovation bylaw

Vancouver’s zoning bylaw will effect on your renovation project.

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