Abbotsford
Home Renovations in Abbotsford
Kitchens, bathrooms, basements, legal suites and whole interiors in Abbotsford homes.
Winner, Best Kitchen Renovation over $200,000, Georgie Awards 2026
Renovation Contractor for Abbotsford Homes
Our office is on 232 Street in Langley Township, which sits on Abbotsford's western border.
An Abbotsford renovation runs the same way as our home renovations in Langley. Randy Ferchoff, our Director of Operations, is your project manager, a site supervisor runs the work each day, and your own JobTread login shows the live schedule, daily logs and progress photos. We apply for the permits and book the inspections. We have completed 500+ projects since 2007.
We start with a consultation about your home, the scope and your budget. Then you get a written proposal and choose fixed price or open-book cost-plus pricing for the build.
What We Renovate in Abbotsford
- Home RenovationsA whole interior or a single floor, with the flooring, lighting and finishes planned together.
- Kitchen RenovationsNew layouts, cabinetry and counters, with a plumbing permit added when a sink moves.
- Bathroom RenovationsEnsuites, family bathrooms and powder rooms, from the waterproofing to the fixtures.
- Basement RenovationsUnfinished basements built out from bare studs, or finished ones renovated.
- Legal Basement SuitesA secondary suite built to the BC Building Code and Abbotsford's Zoning Bylaw, ready for City registration.
- Home AdditionsMore floor area, built out or up, and checked against Abbotsford's airport flight path and floodplain rules.
- Accessible and Aging-in-Place RenovationsAccessible layouts, improved lighting and curbless showers for living at home longer, by a CHBA Qualified Adaptiv Home Specialist.
Renovation Permits and Rules in Abbotsford
The City of Abbotsford issues its own building and plumbing permits, and the property owner is responsible for having a permit in place before work starts. Electrical and gas permits come from Technical Safety BC.
When an Abbotsford Renovation Needs a Permit
Painting, new flooring and new cabinetry need no building permit in Abbotsford. Finishing a basement, turning a carport into a garage or a garage into living space, and adding, removing or changing a window or door all need one. A new exterior stairwell 1.2 m or more in height also needs an engineered design.
City of Abbotsford, residential alterations guidePlumbing Permits in Abbotsford
Plumbing in Abbotsford takes its own permit, separate from the building permit. The fee starts at $100, which covers the first three fixtures, and each fixture after that adds $13.
City of Abbotsford, Fees and Charges Bylaw, Schedule GExterior Walls and Flood Restoration
Under section 28 of Abbotsford's Building Bylaw, stripping an exterior wall to the studs to replace its insulation and vapour barrier needs a building permit, as does any structural repair. Taking drywall off interior partition walls and replacing flooring or cabinetry does not. When a flood-damaged house needs no structural repair, the City says most restoration permits can be issued within 24 hours.
City of Abbotsford, flood restoration permitsWhen an Addition Becomes a New Building
The City reviews an addition as an addition only while the finished house will be less than 75% new construction, not counting the foundation. Past that point it is a new building, and every current bylaw, code and regulation applies. An addition that grows the footprint also needs a site contamination form, and on land zoned for agriculture, any added floor area brings development cost charges.
City of Abbotsford, new and additions guideHeritage Homes in Clayburn Village
Clayburn Village, built around a brick plant as British Columbia's first company town, is Abbotsford's only Heritage Conservation Area. Work there needs a Heritage Alteration Permit unless it is an interior renovation that leaves the structure alone or maintenance that keeps the heritage value. Demolishing one of the village's heritage properties is generally not permitted.
City of Abbotsford, Official Community Plan, Part 7 Heritage Conservation AreasAsbestos Testing Before a Renovation
WorkSafeBC tells homeowners to have the areas being renovated tested for asbestos before work starts, and a survey of a typical home takes 18 to 25 bulk samples. Anything found is removed or contained by an abatement contractor, licensed in BC since January 1, 2024, and before issuing a permit a local government may ask for a clearance letter from the surveyor or the abatement contractor.
WorkSafeBC, asbestos questions for homeowners
Kitchen and Bathroom Renovations in Abbotsford
Under the City's kitchen and bath rules, replacing fixtures in the same place, new cabinets, tile work and painting typically need no building permit. Adding, removing or altering a wall makes it a permit job, with drawings that label every room and show each new fixture, and adding, altering or moving a sink, tub, shower or toilet brings the plumbing permit as well. When our kitchen renovations or bathroom renovations move a wall or a fixture, we apply for the building or plumbing permit the change needs.
Kitchen RenovationsSecondary Suites in Abbotsford
Every secondary suite in Abbotsford has to be registered with the City, which confirms it meets the BC Building Code and the Zoning Bylaw. Registration costs $260 when the permit is issued, and a $270 infrastructure fee goes on the property taxes every year from the year the suite's occupancy permit is issued, or the next year if that comes after May 1. Since the 2025 zoning updates, a suite in most zones can take up just under half the floor area of the home it sits in, attached garage excluded, so a 240 m² house can hold a suite of up to 119 m². The cap is 100 m² in the A1 agricultural zone, and 90 m² or 40% of the house, whichever is less, in the Suburban Residential zone. Each suite needs one parking space and an exit that does not pass through a garage, and on a lot under a Land Use Contract, the contract has to be discharged before the City issues the permit.
Legal Basement SuitesCommon Questions
Something else? Ask us directly.
Do I need a permit to finish a basement in Abbotsford?
Finishing a basement in Abbotsford needs a City of Abbotsford building permit, applied for as an alteration, with every room labelled and each new plumbing fixture shown on the drawings. New or enlarged windows and window wells are drawn with their sizes, egress and protection. If the basement is to become a secondary suite, it goes in as a suite application instead, and the property's zoning has to allow a suite.
How much is a building permit for a renovation in Abbotsford?
A building permit for a renovation in Abbotsford costs $100 for work valued up to $10,000, and $9.40 for each $1,000 of the total value when the work is valued between $10,000 and $50,000. Above $50,000 it is $470 plus $7.30 for each further $1,000 up to $500,000, so a $200,000 renovation pays $1,565. The $100 application fee paid up front is credited to it. Work started before the permit is issued pays the fee plus 50%, or plus 100% if it is finished.
What happens if a secondary suite in Abbotsford is not registered?
An unregistered secondary suite in Abbotsford can bring a $500 fine for every day it stays unregistered, under the City's Bylaw Enforcement Bylaw. To keep the suite, the owner registers it through a building permit, which needs zoning that allows a suite and, on a Land Use Contract lot, a discharge of the contract first. To remove it, the owner gets a suite removal permit, with a $75 processing fee, and takes out the cooking facilities, the bathing facilities or the connecting door for a City official to inspect.
Can a house in Abbotsford have two secondary suites?
A single detached house in Abbotsford can have only one secondary suite, because the BC Building Code allows a suite only in a building that contains one other dwelling unit. A house with more rental units is treated as a duplex with suites or a multiplex, and the Code rules change with it: a duplex with suites falls under Part 9, while a multiplex may fall under Part 3. In a duplex, each of the two units can have its own suite.
What time can renovation work start in Abbotsford?
Renovation work that disturbs the neighbours can start at 7 a.m. and must stop by 9 p.m., Monday to Saturday, under Abbotsford's Sound Regulation Bylaw. On Sundays and statutory holidays the hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Next to homes, construction noise cannot exceed 85 dBA, measured where it is heard or at 15.2 m (50 ft), whichever is farther.
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