Sullivan Heights · Burnaby
Custom Home Builder in Sullivan Heights, Burnaby
Sullivan Heights occupies a flat suburban grid in north-east Burnaby, above the Lougheed corridor and within easy reach of both Cameron and Simon Fraser University on the mountain above. The streets are quiet, the lots are regular, and the housing stock is predominantly 1970s and 1980s family homes — many of which are now in the renovation or teardown conversation.
At a glance
What we do here.
- Flat suburban grid above the Lougheed corridor in north-east Burnaby
- 1970s–80s family-home housing stock in active renovation and teardown rotation
- Cameron and SFU proximity for owners with university-related ties
- Straightforward foundations on flat, well-drained parcels
Our approach
Building in Sullivan Heights.
The grid and the housing cohort
Sullivan Heights was built out predominantly in the 1970s and into the 1980s as a planned suburban grid. The lot pattern is regular — 50- to 60-foot frontages with consistent depth — and the streetscape reflects its era: detached single-family homes, generous front setbacks, established street-tree planting that has matured into a real canopy. The grade is essentially flat across most of the area, which keeps foundations and drainage straightforward and removes one of the larger sources of cost variance in central-Burnaby projects.
The original housing cohort has aged unevenly. Some homes have been well-maintained and have foundations and structure that justify serious renovation; others have deferred maintenance, dated mechanical and envelopes that have run out their useful life. The renovation-versus-rebuild question is genuinely active here and the right answer depends on the specific parcel.
The Cameron and SFU proximity factor
Sullivan Heights sits at the foot of the south slope of Burnaby Mountain, with Cameron Park and the Cameron Recreation Centre to the south and the climb to Simon Fraser University starting just east of the area. That proximity matters more than it sounds: a meaningful share of the owners we work with on Sullivan Heights projects have university-related ties — faculty, alumni, families with student children — and the brief often reflects that. Mudrooms that handle the Burnaby Mountain weather, layouts that accommodate adult children for longer stays, durable materials chosen for owners planning to stay decades.
The neighbourhood's relationship to the Lougheed corridor is also part of the brief. Lougheed Highway is a few blocks to the south, and acoustic detailing on south-facing elevations earns its keep on the streets closest to the corridor. We design accordingly.
Tree retention on a flat suburban grid
Sullivan Heights' fifty-year-old canopy is real. The original developer-planted street trees and yard plantings have matured, and Burnaby's tree bylaw — protecting any tree 20 cm or larger in diameter on a lot under development application — turns the canopy into a hard design constraint on every teardown. We bring an arborist in at feasibility so the tree inventory shapes the design from the first sketch rather than at permit review.
Where possible we design around significant retention trees rather than removing them. The neighbourhood's appeal is partly the canopy, and a thoughtful new home that keeps the meaningful trees fits the streetscape in a way that an aggressive clear-cut never does.
Renovations on a sound 1970s–80s structure
A meaningful share of Sullivan Heights' 1970s and 1980s homes are worth renovating rather than tearing down. The original construction was generally serious for the era, and where the foundation has stayed dry and the structure has been kept in reasonable shape, a deep envelope and mechanical replacement paired with a layout reconfiguration can deliver most of the experience of a new home. We're selective about which projects qualify and direct about which ones don't.
Common Questions
Before we begin in Sullivan Heights.
Is Sullivan Heights affected by the City's transit-oriented density rules?+
The neighbourhood sits north of the main Lougheed transit corridor, so the City's transit-oriented density overlays don't generally apply to most parcels. The character remains firmly single-family. // [VERIFY: confirm against current City of Burnaby transit-oriented area maps at feasibility]
Are foundations typically straightforward here?+
Yes. Most Sullivan Heights lots are flat to very gently sloped, which keeps structural and drainage scope simple. That removes one of the larger sources of cost and timeline risk relative to hillside neighbourhoods like Capitol Hill or Westridge.
Does proximity to Lougheed Highway affect the design?+
On the streets closest to the corridor, yes — acoustic detailing on south-facing elevations and on outdoor living spaces deserves attention. Further north into the grid, the corridor effect drops off. We assess the specific lot's relationship to Lougheed at feasibility.
How many units can I build on a typical Sullivan Heights lot under R1 SSMUH?+
Sullivan Heights' typical 50- to 60-foot frontages comfortably accommodate up to four units under provincial SSMUH legislation. Production Way–University and Lougheed Town Centre SkyTrain stations sit south of the area, and parcels within 400 metres of either station qualify for up to six units under the frequent-transit bonus. The walking-distance area captures a portion of the southern reach of Sullivan Heights. The flat grade keeps the parking and drainage math straightforward, which makes Sullivan Heights one of the more practical SSMUH locations on the eastern side of Burnaby.
What's the typical permit timeline for a custom home in Sullivan Heights?+
Most Sullivan Heights custom-home permits run roughly 8 to 12 months from design submission to issuance, on the shorter end of the central-Burnaby range. The flat grade, straightforward drainage and predictable lot conditions keep the file moving cleanly. Construction typically runs another 12 to 16 months. Files that include meaningful tree retention or SSMUH multiplex configurations can stretch the schedule, and lots near the Lougheed corridor sometimes pick up additional acoustic and air-quality detailing in review.
Are tear-downs common in Sullivan Heights, or are people renovating?+
Both, with renovation slightly favoured. The 1970s and 1980s housing cohort that defines most of Sullivan Heights was generally built to a sounder standard than the earlier mid-century stock in neighbouring areas, and many of these homes have foundations and structural framing that genuinely justify a deep envelope and mechanical replacement. Where the bones are solid, renovation often makes long-term sense. Where they aren't, a rebuild is the more disciplined call. We assess on a parcel-by-parcel basis after a site walk.
From the Journal
Further reading on Sullivan Heights.
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