Surrey, South Surrey, White Rock
Home Renovations in Surrey, South Surrey and White Rock
Whole interiors, main floors, basements and legal suites in Surrey, South Surrey and White Rock homes. In Rosemary Heights, we renovated the Modern Classic Residence in two phases while the family lived at home.
Winner, Best Kitchen Renovation over $200,000, and finalist, Residential Renovator of the Year, Georgie Awards 2026
Renovating Surrey Homes from Langley Township
Our office is on 232 Street in Langley Township, which borders Surrey.
As your renovation contractor in Surrey, South Surrey and White Rock, we run house, condo and townhouse jobs the same way as our home renovations in Langley.
Our kitchen renovations cover the layout, cabinetry and counters, and the plumbing and wiring behind them. Our bathroom renovations run from the waterproofing and tile to the vanity and fixtures, in an ensuite or the family bathroom.
At The Modern Classic Residence in Rosemary Heights, we renovated the main floor and basement of a family home with new flooring, refinished cabinetry, updated lighting, new interior finishes and full interior painting. Its focal points are marble fireplaces and detailed mouldings, laid out symmetrically. We worked with the owners and their designer on the layout and the materials, and construction took about six months.
What We Renovate in Surrey and White Rock
- Home RenovationsA single floor or the whole interior.
- Basement RenovationsUnfinished basements turned into living space, or finished ones renovated, with the building permit either city requires.
- Legal Basement SuitesSecondary suites built to the BC Building Code and to Surrey's or White Rock's suite rules.
- Condo and Townhouse RenovationsKitchens, bathrooms, millwork or the whole unit, in condos and townhouses.
- Home AdditionsMore floor area for your house, built to match the rooms already there.
- Accessible and Aging-in-Place RenovationsLayouts reworked for aging in place, with zero-step entries and curbless showers, by a CHBA Qualified Adaptiv Home Specialist.
Renovation Permits and Rules in Surrey and White Rock
South Surrey, including Rosemary Heights and Ocean Park, is part of the City of Surrey and uses its permits. White Rock is a separate city with its own permits and bylaws.
Building Permits for a Surrey Renovation
In Surrey you need a building permit to renovate the interior of a detached house, finish a basement or build an addition. Plumbing and electrical work take separate permits, which can only be applied for once the building permit is issued. Replacing flooring or making minor exterior repairs needs no permit.
City of Surrey, residential building permitsStructural Changes in Surrey
If your renovation changes a structural element, as most interior renovations do, the City may ask for sealed structural drawings and schedules. A new or enlarged window or door needs an elevation and a wall section on the drawings.
City of Surrey, interior renovation permitSurrey Permit Fees
You pay a non-refundable plan processing fee when you apply, set by the declared value of the work: $150 from $20,000 to $99,999, and $700 from $100,000 to $999,999. Surrey checks declared values against Marshall & Swift valuations, and work valued over $20,000 may need a $2,500 damage deposit.
City of Surrey, building permit feesSlopes, Streams and Floodplains in Surrey
If your lot has a slope over 20%, or sits within 10 m downslope or 30 m of the top of one, it is in Surrey's Hazard Lands (Steep Slopes) development permit area. You then need a development permit before adding to or altering the house, or clearing trees and shrubs. The 200-year floodplain and lots within 50 m of a fish-bearing stream have development permit areas of their own.
City of Surrey, development permit areasBuilding Permits for a White Rock Renovation
In White Rock you need a building permit to renovate, repair or add to a house, move or build interior walls, finish an unfinished area, add plumbing fixtures, or build a porch or sundeck. If the work is worth more than half the building's current assessed value, the whole house must be brought to substantially conform to the Building Code and the City's bylaws. Electrical and gas permits come from Technical Safety BC.
City of White Rock, building permit guideWhite Rock Permit Fees
For additions or alterations to an existing house, White Rock's 2026 application fee is $227. The permit fee is $234 for the first $1,000 of construction value, plus $20 for each $1,000 up to $100,000, $16 for each $1,000 from there to $250,000 and $13 for each $1,000 above that.
City of White Rock, 2026 Fees and Charges BylawConstruction Hours in White Rock
Building work can run from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays. No construction for profit or gain is permitted on Sundays or BC statutory holidays, when only owner-occupants may work, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
City of White Rock, buildingRegistering a Suite in Surrey
Every suite in Surrey must be registered with a Secondary Suite Declaration Form, and the City bills $1,000 for each unregistered suite it finds. Each year, the property then pays suite charges: the $893 Secondary Suite Service Fee plus garbage, water and sewer, $2,340.75 in all for one suite on flat rates.
City of Surrey, secondary suitesDuplexes, Townhouses and Strata Homes
Surrey's zoning places a secondary suite inside a detached house, a duplex or a semi-detached building, never as a separate strata lot, and does not permit one in a houseplex. In a condo or a strata townhouse, the strata's own rules apply on top of the City's, and in a condo building the work runs around noise hours, booked elevator time and limits on material deliveries.
City of Surrey, Zoning By-law No. 12000
Legal Suites in Surrey
Under Zoning By-law No. 12000, a suite's habitable floor area can be no more than 40% of the principal dwelling unit, and you need one parking space for it unless your lot is in a Transit-Oriented Area or a Frequent Bus Stop Area. The City allows one suite per dwelling unit, none inside a coach house or garden suite, and checks every application for Land Use Contracts and building schemes that prohibit suites. Its suite permit guide lists what your drawings must show: the fire separation walls and floors between suite and house, the exit door and bedroom window sizes, the smoke alarms and the heating. The provincial small-scale housing changes did not legalize suites built without a permit.
Legal Basement SuitesSecondary Suites in White Rock
White Rock's Zoning Bylaw No. 2506 allows one registered suite per lot, inside a one-unit, semi-detached or rowhouse building, with up to 90 m² of floor area, no more than two bedrooms and one extra parking space on the lot. You must live in the main residence, the suite can only be let for 90 days or more, and it cannot be detached or stratified. The City's registration bulletin sets the building requirements: egress windows in every bedroom unless the suite is sprinklered, separate heating controls, fire dampers where the ducts are shared, and sound ratings of ASTC 40 and STC 43. Registering a suite costs $370 in 2026, or $280 alongside a new-house building permit.
Surrey and White Rock Neighbourhoods
- South Surrey
- Rosemary Heights
- Morgan Creek
- Grandview Heights
- Ocean Park
- Cloverdale
- Fleetwood
- Newton
- White Rock
Common Questions
Something else? Ask us directly.
Do I need a building permit to renovate a house in Surrey?
Yes, Surrey requires a building permit to renovate the interior of a detached house, finish a basement or build an addition. Plumbing and electrical work take separate permits, applied for once the building permit is issued. Replacing flooring or making minor exterior repairs needs no permit. In White Rock, you need a permit to renovate, move or build interior walls, finish an unfinished area or add plumbing fixtures. On a ProStyle renovation, we apply for the permits and book the inspections.
How long does a renovation permit take in Surrey?
A building permit for a residential renovation or addition in Surrey was taking an average of 3 weeks on October 5, 2026, against the City of Surrey's 6-week target. The average covers the permits processed in the previous 30 days. Surrey issues its own electrical permits, and those applications are typically processed within seven business days.
What permits does a home addition need in Surrey and White Rock?
A home addition in Surrey, including South Surrey, needs an Addition Permit from the City of Surrey, plus a Design Consultant's approval where a building scheme applies and Fraser Health approval on a septic lot. In White Rock, an addition needs a building permit, and if it increases the floor area ratio by 25%, the entire building has to be fitted with fire sprinklers. ProStyle builds home additions in both cities.
How much does a home renovation cost in Surrey?
The cost of a home renovation in Surrey depends on the scope and the finishes you pick. The Modern Classic Residence in Rosemary Heights, a main floor and basement renovated together over about six months, was built on a budget of about $300,000. Surrey's plan processing fee is $150 on declared work of $20,000 to $99,999, and $700 from $100,000 to $999,999. ProStyle prices each job in a written proposal, as a fixed price or open-book cost-plus.
Do I have to register a secondary suite in Surrey if family lives in it?
Yes, a secondary suite in Surrey must be registered even if family lives in it. The City of Surrey treats a suite the same whether it is rented, lived in by family or vacant. Any space with cooking equipment and a bathroom counts as a suite, and it is registered with a Secondary Suite Declaration Form and charged the same annual suite fees. The City bills $1,000 for each unregistered suite it finds.
Can an unpermitted suite in Surrey or White Rock be made legal?
An unpermitted suite in Surrey can be made legal if it meets the zoning and the BC Building Code. The owner applies for a permit, and the suite then pays the same suite fees as any other. In White Rock, legalizing a suite takes building, plumbing and fire sprinkler permits, which may mean opening up earlier work, and an owner who receives a City notice has six months to comply or decommission the suite. The provincial small-scale housing changes did not legalize suites built without a permit.
How do I remove a secondary suite in Surrey?
Removing a secondary suite in Surrey takes an electrical permit before any wiring work. Then the stove, the hood fan and the stove breaker come out, and the City of Surrey inspects the result. A suite on the property carries an annual $893 Secondary Suite Service Fee, plus garbage, water and sewer charges.
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