Highgate · Burnaby
Custom Home Builder in Highgate, Burnaby
Highgate sits between Edmonds and Metrotown — close enough to transit and amenity to be convenient, far enough back to feel residential. It's a neighbourhood that rewards the kind of custom build that doesn't try too hard.
At a glance
What we do here.
- Custom homes for owners who want a quieter pocket near amenity
- Multiplex feasibility on lots that increasingly qualify under SSMUH
- Renovations on solid post-war and mid-century housing stock
Our approach
Building in Highgate.
What makes Highgate work
Highgate's appeal is its lack of pretension. The streetscape is residential. The lots are practical. The neighbours have generally been there a while. The best new homes in Highgate fit in rather than dominate, and the renovations that work are the ones that respect the bones of the existing house.
Unlike the hillside neighbourhoods further north, Highgate lots are relatively flat — which simplifies foundation work and keeps drainage straightforward. That reduces risk and cost on the structural side, which means more of a build budget can go toward the architecture, finishes and systems that owners actually experience day-to-day.
Lot conditions and what to expect
Most Highgate parcels are 40- to 50-foot-wide single-family lots on a consistent grid. Mature trees on these lots are governed by Burnaby's tree bylaw, so any teardown or addition project starts with a tree survey. The city takes this seriously, and designs that ignore it get redrawn at permitting.
Highgate doesn't attract the largest custom-home budgets in Burnaby — that's not the point. It's a neighbourhood where a thoughtful, well-crafted home can be built for a realistic budget and still deliver a genuinely livable result. We design for the people who are going to actually live there, not for a spec sheet.
Multiplex and infill in Highgate
Provincial SSMUH legislation now permits up to four units on most Highgate lots, and the neighbourhood's flat, accessible lot conditions make infill financially interesting. Owner-developers and multi-generational families have been active here. The feasibility math depends on the specific lot and current Burnaby zoning posture — we work through it before any design commitment.
Common Questions
Before we begin in Highgate.
Is Highgate a good location for a first custom home build?+
It can be. Highgate's relatively flat lots, straightforward permitting conditions, and reasonable land costs make it approachable for owners who want a serious custom build without the added complexity of a hillside site. The neighbourhood is established and quiet, which matters for day-to-day livability.
How does building in Highgate differ from building in Burnaby Heights or Capitol Hill?+
The main difference is slope. Highgate builds are structurally simpler — flat or gently graded lots mean foundations and drainage are less complicated, which typically translates to lower risk and shorter timelines. The trade-off is that Highgate lots don't offer the views that the north-facing hillside neighbourhoods provide.
How many units can I build on a typical Highgate lot under R1 SSMUH?+
Most Highgate parcels are 40 to 50 feet wide on the established residential grid. Provincial SSMUH legislation permits up to four units on lots in this size range across Burnaby. Highgate is not within the 400-metre frequent-transit bonus area for Edmonds or Metrotown SkyTrain in most cases, so the up-to-six-unit threshold doesn't generally apply. The flat grade keeps the parking and drainage math simpler than on hillside neighbourhoods, which is part of why owner-developers have been active here. We confirm against the parcel and current City policy at feasibility.
What's the typical permit timeline for a custom home in Highgate?+
Most Highgate custom-home permits run roughly 8 to 11 months from design submission to issuance, on the shorter end of the central-Burnaby range. The flat grade, straightforward drainage and predictable lot conditions mean the file rarely picks up the additional review layers that hillside or creek-adjacent projects do. Construction typically runs another 12 to 16 months. Files that include meaningful tree retention or that introduce SSMUH multiplex configurations can stretch the schedule, but the baseline is one of the more predictable in the city.
Are tear-downs common in Highgate, or are people renovating?+
Roughly even, with renovation slightly ahead on the better-maintained streets. Highgate's post-war and mid-century housing stock has aged unevenly — well-maintained 1950s and 1960s homes often have foundations and structural framing that justify a deep envelope and mechanical replacement, while less-maintained homes have run out their useful life. The flat grade makes a renovation-versus-rebuild decision somewhat simpler than on hillside lots, because foundation issues are usually less consequential.
Can I build a coach house or laneway home on a Highgate lot?+
Provincial SSMUH legislation permits secondary structures on most single-family lots, and Highgate's regular lot dimensions and rear-lane access on many blocks make coach houses a sensible configuration. Whether the lot supports a coach house specifically depends on lot depth, the existing primary structure's siting and the City of Burnaby's current detached-secondary-suite policy. We run the feasibility before design — coach houses are often the right answer for multi-generational families who want privacy without committing to a full multiplex configuration.
From the Journal
Further reading on Highgate.
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Plan your project in Highgate.
A short conversation is the fastest way to understand what's possible on your lot — feasibility, schedule, scope, the lot conditions you should be thinking about.