Burnaby
Custom Home Builder in Burnaby
We build new houses and laneway homes on Burnaby lots, from the building permit to the occupancy certificate.
BC-Licensed Residential Builder 56273, registered as Developer and General Contractor
Building New on a Burnaby Lot
Since July 2024, every former single- and two-family lot in Burnaby has been zoned R1, which allows up to 3, 4 or 6 homes depending on the lot's size and how close it is to frequent transit.
A new home in Burnaby starts with what your R1 lot allows, so the mix of house, laneway home and suites is set in the drawings before the permit application goes in. We build custom homes to your architect’s or designer’s drawings.
Before the City issues the building permit, we register your home with BC Housing and enrol it in Travelers 2-5-10 home warranty, with five years on the building envelope and ten on the structure. Randy Ferchoff, our Director of Operations, is your project manager, and your own JobTread login shows the schedule, daily logs and progress photos. You choose fixed price or open-book cost-plus pricing.
New Home Rules in Burnaby
Burnaby Zoning Bylaw 2026 replaced the 1965 bylaw on July 1, 2026. The R1 Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing District is part of it.
Parking for New Homes on R1 Lots
Outside a Frequent Transit Network Area or a transit-oriented area, a new build in Burnaby needs 1 parking space for the first home plus 0.5 for each additional one, rounded up. Inside one, off-street parking is optional. Spaces go at the rear of the lot, reached from the lane or a side street where there is one, and outdoor parking is never allowed in the front yard.
City of Burnaby, Zoning Bylaw RewriteServicing and BC Hydro
If the City's Engineering review finds off-site servicing work for your lot, the building permit needs a cash-in-lieu payment toward it. A lot with 4 or more primary homes falls under Burnaby's Servicing Improvements Guide. Space for a BC Hydro transformer is reserved on site for projects with more than 3 homes, which the City says includes a duplex with suites, a house with a suite and a laneway home, and any multiplex.
City of Burnaby, new home constructionDemolition and Waste Diversion
At least 70% of the waste from demolishing the old house has to go to approved recycling and disposal facilities, backed by a refundable deposit of $2.25 per square foot of the building, up to $50,000. The City inspects its own property next to the site before demolition, and every foundation, wall and swimming pool has to be removed before construction of the new house starts, which the City checks at the forms inspection.
City of Burnaby, demolition waste diversionTrees on a Building Site
A building or demolition application in Burnaby comes with a tree plan, and the protected trees on the lot are tagged and fenced until the work is finished. The tree permit is generated with the building permit application. The final building inspection comes only after the retained and replacement trees are planted, and the City holds a security for the replacement trees until a year after they are planted.
City of Burnaby, Tree BylawStreams, Heritage and Title Checks
Under Burnaby Zoning Bylaw 2026, a lot that holds a stream or lies even partly within 30 m of the top of a stream bank or ravine bank (10 m for a ravine wider than 60 m) is in the Streamside Protection and Enhancement Development Permit Area, so building or demolishing there needs that development permit first unless an exemption applies. The protected streamside area is taken from the boundaries the City has calculated for the parcel or set by a Qualified Environmental Professional. BurnabyMap flags any heritage status on the lot, and a restrictive covenant on title may call for a declaration letter before the permit is issued.
City of Burnaby, Zoning Bylaw 2026, Schedule II
Laneway Homes on Burnaby Lots
Burnaby still allows laneway homes on lots with or without a lane, but the R1 district now regulates them as principal buildings, like the house at the front. It also allows more than one at the rear, semi-detached pairs, and laneway homes with suites of their own. Because a laneway home stands on its own, BC Housing treats it as a new home, so it needs a licensed builder and home warranty insurance.
Coach HousesSecondary Suites in a New Burnaby Home
In a new Burnaby home a secondary suite is one of the lot's permitted units, so a house and a laneway home that each have a suite count as four. A lot with two or more primary homes can be stratified, but a suite stays on the title of the home it sits in and cannot be sold on its own. A suite inside the house needs no home warranty insurance of its own, under BC Housing's rules.
Legal Basement SuitesBurnaby Neighbourhoods
- Burnaby Heights
- Capitol Hill
- Westridge
- Sperling
- Lochdale
- Montecito
- Brentwood Park
- Buckingham Heights
- Deer Lake
- Cascade Heights
- Suncrest
- South Slope
Common Questions
Something else? Ask us directly.
How many homes can I build on a residential lot in Burnaby?
A residential lot in Burnaby's R1 district can hold up to 3 homes if it is under 281 m², up to 4 if it is larger, and up to 6 on a lot of at least 281 m² inside a Frequent Transit Network Area. Every secondary suite counts toward that number.
Do I need a demolition permit to rebuild a house in Burnaby?
Yes, rebuilding a house in Burnaby needs a demolition permit as well as a building permit. For a single-family house or duplex, the demolition permit is requested on the new building permit application, not on a separate form. The City issues it only after approving a Construction and Demolition Waste Diversion Plan, and its demolition guide asks owners to check with WorkSafeBC whether a hazardous materials assessment is needed first.
Which trees are protected when you build a new house in Burnaby?
On a Burnaby lot with a building or demolition permit application, every tree with a trunk of 20.3 cm (8 in.) or more, measured 1.3 m above the ground, is protected, along with covenanted, streamside and replacement trees. Each protected tree cut down is replaced on the lot: one new tree for a trunk up to 30.5 cm, two up to 61 cm and three above that.
What energy standard does a new house in Burnaby have to meet?
A new house in Burnaby has to meet Step 3 of the BC Energy Step Code and emission level EL-4 of the Zero Carbon Step Code, for building permit applications submitted since January 1, 2025, under section 9B of the Burnaby Building Bylaw. Applications made during 2024 needed EL-3. The standard that applies is the one in force on the date the application is submitted.
How long is a Burnaby building permit valid?
A Burnaby building permit expires if work has not started within 90 days of issue, if work stops for more than 90 days, or if a single- or two-family dwelling is not finished within two years of the permit date, under the Burnaby Building Bylaw. The Building Inspector can extend an unstarted permit by up to 90 days, and can extend one for work under way where there is a reasonable excuse for the delay.
How long does a building permit for a new house take in Burnaby?
The City of Burnaby publishes no processing time for a new-house building permit. The Engineering pre-application, which has to be approved before the building permit application goes in, typically took about 15 business days once complete, according to the City's new home construction page in April 2026. The pre-application needs a topographical survey and a proposed driveway drawing. For the building permit itself, the City's building permit guide says only that processing varies with the complexity of the project.
Tell Us About Your Project
We will get back to you within one to two business days.
- Phone
- 778-999-0772
- info@pro-style.ca
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm