Brentwood · Burnaby
Custom Home Builder in Brentwood, Burnaby
Brentwood has changed more in the last decade than most BC neighbourhoods change in fifty years. Towers around the SkyTrain hub, single-family streets a block away, multiplex zoning rolling out across the surrounding lots — the result is a neighbourhood where serious custom and small-multi work is in active demand.
At a glance
What we do here.
- Custom homes on streets adjacent to the Brentwood SkyTrain corridor
- Multiplex feasibility on lots newly opened by SSMUH and Burnaby's transit-oriented zoning
- Renovations on mid-century homes with strong underlying structures
- Modern, restrained design that works alongside Brentwood's high-rise context
Our approach
Building in Brentwood.
Custom homes in a transitioning neighbourhood
Brentwood's single-family streets sit a block or two from one of Burnaby's largest transit-oriented development corridors. That proximity changes the brief. Privacy detailing matters more — overlook from neighbouring towers needs to be designed around. Acoustic detailing earns its place. And the architecture tends to read modern, in dialogue with the new buildings rather than retreating from them.
We've been building in this part of Burnaby for years and the playbook is well-developed. Material palettes that hold up against the city around them. Glazing layouts that admit light without inviting overlook. Outdoor space designed for actual use, not just appearance.
Multiplex opportunities under SSMUH
Brentwood is one of the strongest multiplex markets in Burnaby because the demand is genuinely there. Owner-developers, multi-generational families and investors are all active in this part of the city, and the math on a fourplex pencils more often here than almost anywhere else in the Lower Mainland.
We run the feasibility honestly. Lot frontage, parking, soils, trees, the City's specific zoning posture on the block — all of it factors. When the project pencils, we build it the way we'd build a custom home: acoustic separation engineered in, mechanical sized per unit, every unit finished to a standard the next owner would respect.
Renovations on mid-century Brentwood homes
Many of Brentwood's underlying single-family homes were built between the 1950s and 1970s. The bones are typically good, the layouts dated. We do thoughtful deep renovations on these homes — opening sightlines, upgrading envelope and mechanical, adding where the lot supports it — when the existing foundation and structure justify the investment.
Common Questions
Before we begin in Brentwood.
Does it make sense to build custom in Brentwood given the towers nearby?+
For the right owner, yes. Single-family streets in Brentwood are a block from transit and amenity, and the lots are still within reach for a serious custom build. The design has to address overlook and noise, but those are solvable problems.
Is a fourplex realistic on a Brentwood lot?+
More often than in most Burnaby neighbourhoods. Provincial SSMUH rules permit up to four units on most single-family lots, and Brentwood's underlying parcel sizes tend to be supportive. A lot study confirms it on a parcel-by-parcel basis.
What does the 400-metre frequent-transit bonus mean for Brentwood?+
Provincial SSMUH legislation permits up to six units on single-family lots within 400 metres of a frequent-transit stop. Brentwood Town Centre SkyTrain anchors a meaningful walking-distance area that captures a substantial share of the surrounding single-family streets. Whether a specific lot qualifies depends on a precise distance measurement and Burnaby's current implementation policy. We measure to the parcel and check the City's transit-oriented area maps at feasibility — it's a real bonus on the right lot, but it doesn't apply to every Brentwood parcel.
What is the typical permit timeline for a custom home in Brentwood?+
Most Brentwood custom-home builds run roughly 8 to 12 months from design submission to building permit issuance, depending on scope, design complexity and whether tree-bylaw or transit-oriented density questions complicate the file. The construction phase that follows typically runs another 12 to 16 months. We map these windows into the schedule from week one — the City of Burnaby's review cadence is detailed but reasonably predictable, and projects that run cleanly through it tend to be the ones whose drawings address tree retention, grading and acoustic detailing before submission.
How does Brentwood compare to Metrotown for a custom build?+
Both sit on transit-oriented corridors with similar density pressure on the surrounding single-family streets. Brentwood's residential pockets — particularly toward Sperling — feel slightly more wooded and quieter than the streets ringing Metrotown, and the underlying lots tend to be marginally larger. Metrotown offers more amenity within walking distance, with the mall, library and Crystal Mall anchoring the core. For a custom home that wants transit proximity but a quieter street, Brentwood often edges it. For walkability to amenity, Metrotown.
Are tear-downs common in Brentwood, or are people renovating?+
Tear-downs dominate, particularly on lots within walking distance of the SkyTrain. The combination of provincial SSMUH density permissions, Burnaby's transit-oriented zoning and the underlying mid-century housing stock — much of which is genuinely at the end of its useful life — has shifted the math toward rebuilds. That said, the better-maintained 1960s and 1970s homes on the quieter eastern streets still produce good renovation candidates. We walk the site and assess the foundation before recommending a path.
From the Journal
Further reading on Brentwood.
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Plan your project in Brentwood.
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