Burnaby Heights · Burnaby
Custom Home Builder in Burnaby Heights
Burnaby Heights is the north-slope neighbourhood that fans out below the Hastings Street commercial spine — view-rich lots stepping down toward Burrard Inlet, a pre-war and post-war housing stock that's aging into an active teardown rotation, and a streetscape that still feels like a neighbourhood. The lots here demand patience, a builder who reads the slope, and a willingness to do the small details properly. The Hastings retail corridor adds a walking-distance amenity that almost no other view-lot neighbourhood in Burnaby can claim.
At a glance
What we do here.
- Hillside and view-lot custom builds across the North Slope
- Modern infill that respects the existing character of Hastings-corridor streets
- Renovations and additions on 1940s–60s homes that still have great bones
- View-premium teardown-rebuilds on aging single-family stock
- Walking-distance proximity to the Hastings Street retail spine
Our approach
Building in Burnaby Heights.
Building on the North Slope
The slope is the defining feature of a Burnaby Heights build. Foundations get more involved as soon as the grade falls away — retaining walls, drainage detailing, soils review, sometimes geotechnical engineering. The reward is a home that takes full advantage of light and view, but only if the structural and envelope detailing is dialled in from the start.
We've built and renovated extensively on Heights lots and we don't underestimate them. Our approach starts with a survey, a drainage assessment and a lot study before we draw anything. By the time architecture starts, the foundations have been thought through honestly.
Infill that fits the street
Burnaby Heights still reads as a neighbourhood — sidewalks, mature trees, blocks where neighbours know each other. The best new homes here aren't pastiche, but they're not aggressive either. They sit comfortably on the lot, respect setbacks and sightlines, and add quality to the street rather than overshadow it.
We design with that in mind. Material palettes that age well in the rain. Roof lines that work with the surrounding stock. Front yards that engage with the street rather than hide behind a wall.
Renovations on the existing housing stock
Many homes in Burnaby Heights were built in the post-war decades through the late 1960s, with another wave through the 1980s. A lot of them have great structural bones but undersized mechanical, single-pane glazing, and layouts that no longer match how a family lives. A deep renovation — sometimes paired with an addition — can deliver a meaningful share of a new-build experience while keeping the home that's there.
We're honest about when that math works and when it doesn't. The single biggest factor is usually the foundation: if the existing one is sound and at the right elevation, renovation often pencils. If it's not, a rebuild is usually the more disciplined choice.
The Hastings spine and the streets below it
The Heights' commercial frame is Hastings Street — independent cafés, the bakeries and delis that have been there for decades, the IGA, the pharmacy, the bus running every few minutes toward downtown Vancouver. The blocks immediately south of Hastings are a tighter, pre-war pedestrian grid; the blocks falling away to the north open into the view streets. A meaningful share of our Heights work is on owners who've decided they want a serious custom home but don't want to give up the walking-distance amenity. That's a rarer brief than people realise — most Burnaby view neighbourhoods are car-dependent. The Heights isn't.
Site planning on a Heights lot reflects that dual character. Front-elevation detailing for the streetscape, terrace and glazing layouts oriented to the inlet view, and a careful read of how the home addresses both. The streetscape rewards restraint at the front; the inlet view rewards confidence at the back.
View-premium teardowns and what they actually cost in scope
Most of the active custom-home pipeline in the Heights right now is teardown-and-rebuild on lots whose 1940s, 1950s or 1960s homes have run out their useful life. The land value on a view lot here is high enough that the math on extending an aging envelope rarely beats starting clean. The cost driver isn't the rebuild itself — it's the slope and the survey conditions specific to that lot. A flatter Heights lot a few blocks south of Hastings is conventional foundation scope. A steep view lot dropping toward Cliff Avenue is engineered foundations, retention, structured drainage, and a longer permit timeline.
We're direct about which side of that line a specific lot falls on. The preliminary slope and drainage assessment we do at feasibility is the single most important document on a Heights build, because it determines whether the project is a 14-month build or a 20-month build before anything is drawn.
Common Questions
Before we begin in Burnaby Heights.
Can you build on a steep Burnaby Heights lot?+
Yes — most of our Heights work involves real slope. The detailing changes (retaining, drainage, sometimes geotechnical engineering), and the timeline absorbs that, but the result is usually a home with better light and views than a flat lot would offer.
How does the City of Burnaby handle character home renovations?+
Burnaby's design review on existing homes is fairly pragmatic, but tree bylaws, grading rules and setbacks all apply, and they're enforced. We map those constraints early so the design doesn't have to be redrawn at permitting.
Is a multiplex realistic on a typical Heights lot?+
Often yes, sometimes no. Frontage, slope and parking all factor in. Provincial SSMUH rules permit it, but a lot study tells the real story. We do those studies up front so the decision is based on the actual lot, not assumptions. Note that the City of Burnaby's new zoning bylaw landing July 1, 2026 may adjust unit-count and parking thresholds — we re-run feasibility against the current rules at the time of the project.
How many units can I build on a typical Burnaby Heights lot under R1 SSMUH?+
Most Heights parcels are 33 to 50 feet wide on the standard pre-war grid south of Hastings. Provincial SSMUH legislation permits up to four units on lots in this size range, with up to six on parcels within 400 metres of a frequent-transit stop. The Hastings Street bus corridor qualifies for that bonus on some Heights blocks. The slope often constrains what's actually buildable below those provincial maximums — frontage, parking and retention all enter the math, and we run a parcel-specific feasibility before any design.
Are tear-downs common in Burnaby Heights, or are people renovating?+
Both, in roughly equal measure. The post-war and 1960s stock that defines most of the Heights has aged unevenly — some homes have foundations and structure that justify a deep renovation, others have run out their useful life. The defining factor on a hillside lot is almost always the foundation: if the existing one is sound and at the right elevation relative to current grading rules, renovation often pencils. If it's not, a rebuild is usually the more disciplined long-term call. We give a direct answer after a site walk.
How does Burnaby Heights compare to Capitol Hill for a custom home?+
They sit on the same north-facing slope and share the inlet-view aspect, but the two pockets read differently. Capitol Hill is steeper and the lots get larger as you climb, which supports more ambitious view-driven architecture. Burnaby Heights is closer to the Hastings commercial corridor — walking distance to shops, cafés and the bus — and the streetscape is tighter and more pedestrian-feeling. For owners who want a view-lot custom home with neighbourhood walkability, the Heights tends to win. For a quieter, larger view lot, Capitol Hill.
From the Journal
Further reading on Burnaby Heights.
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