Forest Glen · Burnaby
Custom Home Builder in Forest Glen, Burnaby
Forest Glen sits in a quietly desirable pocket between Maywood to the west and Deer Lake Park to the east — close enough to Metrotown to be convenient, far enough back to feel residential. The streetscape is leafy, the lots are generous by central-Burnaby standards, and the prevailing housing stock is mid-century split-levels that have aged into a real teardown and renovation market.
At a glance
What we do here.
- Quiet leafy streets sandwiched between Maywood and Deer Lake Park
- Mid-century split-level housing stock in an active teardown rotation
- Generous lot sizes for a central-Burnaby pocket
- Walking distance to Deer Lake Park trails and amenities
Our approach
Building in Forest Glen.
An overlooked pocket of central Burnaby
Forest Glen doesn't get the headlines that Metrotown or Brentwood do, and that's part of its appeal. The neighbourhood sits between the Metrotown commercial core and the parklands around Deer Lake, on streets that have stayed firmly residential through the high-rise build-out a few blocks west. Owners who land here tend to want what the neighbourhood already is — quiet, treed, walkable to the park, ten minutes from Metrotown amenities.
The lots are typically generous by central-Burnaby standards — 50- to 60-foot frontages with good depth — and many carry meaningful tree coverage, both on the lot and along the street. Burnaby's tree bylaw applies in full, and the canopy shapes design decisions in the same way it does in Buckingham Heights or Deer Lake.
The mid-century split-level stock
A defining share of Forest Glen's housing was built out from the 1950s into the 1970s, with split-level designs particularly common. These homes occupy their lots well — the split-level form was a sensible response to the gentle grade in much of the area — but the layouts have aged. Single-pane glazing, undersized mechanical, kitchens disconnected from living spaces, and bedroom counts that don't match how families live now.
For owners weighing renovation versus teardown on a Forest Glen split-level, the answer hinges on the foundation and the structure. Where the bones are sound and the lot's relationship to the canopy is worth preserving, a deep renovation paired with a sensitive addition can deliver most of the experience of a new home. Where the bones aren't, a ground-up custom build on the same lot is usually the more disciplined long-term call.
Designing for the Deer Lake Park edge
The eastern streets of Forest Glen back onto or look toward the Deer Lake Park parklands, and the relationship to the park is part of the design brief on those lots. The park provides a permanent green outlook — the privacy and tree backdrop that other neighbourhoods have to engineer is simply already there — but it also imposes a corresponding obligation. The architecture should respect the park edge rather than turn its back on it. Glazing layouts, terrace orientation and material palettes all benefit from being designed with the park in mind.
Renovation, addition, or rebuild — the Forest Glen call
The conversation we have most often with Forest Glen owners is the renovation-versus-rebuild question. The neighbourhood's combination of generous lots, mature canopy, and aging-but-not-failed housing stock means the answer genuinely varies parcel by parcel. We do a site walk, look at the foundation and the structure, check the drainage and the trees, and give a direct answer about which path makes sense. The right call is the one the lot supports — not a default in either direction.
Common Questions
Before we begin in Forest Glen.
How does Forest Glen compare to Buckingham Heights or Deer Lake?+
Forest Glen sits closer to Metrotown amenity and is more central, while Buckingham Heights and Deer Lake feel further back and more wooded. Lot sizes in Forest Glen are typically smaller than in Buckingham Heights or Deer Lake but still generous compared to the Metrotown core. The streetscape character is closer to Buckingham Heights — quiet, established, leafy — than to anything around the commercial core.
Is the existing split-level stock typically worth renovating?+
Sometimes yes, sometimes not. Foundation condition, drainage history, and the quality of the original framing vary considerably across the Forest Glen housing cohort. We do a site walk before recommending a path, and we're direct about the cases where renovation doesn't pencil.
Are lots near Deer Lake Park subject to additional rules?+
The park itself is a Burnaby park property and doesn't impose direct additional permitting on adjacent private lots beyond standard Burnaby zoning and tree-bylaw rules. The design review, however, tends to look more carefully at projects with park frontage. We factor that into the schedule.
How many units can I build on a typical Forest Glen lot under R1 SSMUH?+
Forest Glen's typical 50- to 60-foot frontages comfortably accommodate up to four units under provincial SSMUH legislation. Whether a specific lot qualifies for the up-to-six-unit threshold depends on its proximity to Metrotown SkyTrain — the western reaches of Forest Glen, closer to Maywood, sit within or near the 400-metre frequent-transit bonus area, while the eastern streets toward Deer Lake Park generally don't. We measure to the parcel and check the City's transit-oriented area maps at feasibility before assuming either threshold.
What's the typical permit timeline for a custom home in Forest Glen?+
Most Forest Glen custom-home permits run roughly 9 to 13 months from design submission to issuance. The flat-to-gentle grade keeps the foundation and drainage review predictable, but the canopy adds detail to the tree-bylaw review and the eastern streets near Deer Lake Park sometimes pick up additional scrutiny on park-frontage parcels. Construction typically runs another 13 to 17 months. Files that include SSMUH multiplex configurations on the western, transit-adjacent lots can run longer because the density and parking review adds layers.
Can I build a coach house on a Forest Glen lot?+
Provincial SSMUH legislation permits secondary structures on most single-family lots, and Forest Glen's lot dimensions and rear-lane access on a number of blocks make coach houses sensible configurations. Whether a specific lot supports a coach house depends on lot depth, the existing primary structure's siting and Burnaby's current detached-secondary-suite policy. Coach houses are often the right answer here for multi-generational families who want privacy without committing to a full multiplex configuration. We run feasibility before any design commitment.
From the Journal
Further reading on Forest Glen.
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