Renovation guides
The guides we wish someone had given us
Long, complete answers to the questions homeowners actually ask before renovating on the North Shore. 331 questions answered across 19 guides, with real cost ranges and no national averages.
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Five guides that cover the whole project.
Each one answers a topic end to end, then routes you into the detailed articles, cost calculators, and neighbourhood pages behind it.
Master guide · 28 min read
The North Shore Home Renovation Guide
The complete 2026 guide to renovating a home in North Vancouver and West Vancouver: real cost ranges, permit timelines, contracts, and financing.
- Whole-home renovation
- $150 to $350+ / sq ft
- Construction time
- 6 to 10 months
- Permit review
- 6 to 16 weeks
- Contingency to hold
- 10 to 20%
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Cost guide · 26 min read
The North Shore Renovation Costs Guide
Every 2026 North Shore renovation cost in one place: kitchens, bathrooms, basements, whole-home, additions, and laneway houses, with real per-square-foot ranges.
- Whole-home, substantial
- $175 to $275 / sq ft
- Kitchen, same layout
- $65,000 to $110,000
- Bathroom, full gut
- $28,000 to $48,000
- Contingency to hold
- 10 to 20%
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Whole-home guide · 24 min read
The Whole-Home Renovation Guide
What a full gut renovation costs on the North Shore in 2026, how the phases run, which systems get replaced, and whether to move out.
- Full gut to the studs
- $250 to $450 / sq ft
- With exterior re-clad
- $350 to $500 / sq ft
- Construction time
- 6 to 12 months
- Living out
- $24,000 to $48,000
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Area guide · 24 min read
The West Vancouver Renovation Guide
The complete 2026 guide to renovating in West Vancouver: real cost ranges, District permit timelines, tree and creek bylaws, blasting rules, and what each era of housing stock hides.
- Whole-home renovation
- $250 to $350 / sq ft
- Permit review, structural
- 10 to 18 weeks
- Steep-lot premium
- 5 to 10%
- Contingency, pre-1980 home
- 15 to 20%
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Kitchen guide · 24 min read
The Kitchen Renovation Guide
The complete 2026 kitchen renovation guide for North Vancouver and West Vancouver: real costs by size, layout rules, cabinetry, permits, and ROI.
- Typical full kitchen
- $65,000 to $110,000
- With a layout change
- $95,000 to $160,000
- Time on site
- 8 to 14 weeks
- Cabinet lead time
- 8 to 14 weeks
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Bathroom guide · 22 min read
The Bathroom Renovation Guide
The complete 2026 bathroom renovation guide for North Vancouver and West Vancouver: costs by room size, waterproofing, ventilation, and timelines.
- Three-piece bathroom
- $28,000 to $48,000
- Primary ensuite
- $60,000 to $120,000
- Cost per square foot
- $600 to $1,100
- Moving a drain
- Add $3,500 to $9,000
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Basement guide · 23 min read
The Basement & Secondary Suite Guide
Basement finishing and legal secondary suites in North Vancouver: 2026 costs per square foot, ceiling height, egress, drainage, and rental returns.
- Basic finish, no plumbing
- $85 to $120 / sq ft
- Legal one-bedroom suite
- $70,000 to $150,000
- New egress window
- $6,500 to $14,000 each
- Underpinning for height
- $350 to $600 per linear ft
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Laneway guide · 26 min read
The North Shore Laneway and Coach House Guide
Laneway and coach houses in North Vancouver and West Vancouver: 2026 rules by municipality, real build costs, timelines, rental income, and site constraints.
- Construction cost
- $350 to $700 / sq ft
- Total timeline
- 14 to 22 months
- Servicing
- $30,000 to $90,000
- Monthly rent
- $1,800 to $3,200
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Additions guide · 25 min read
The Home Additions & Laneway Guide
Every way to add space to a North Shore home in 2026: second storeys, additions, attic and garage conversions, and laneway houses, with real costs.
- Second-storey addition
- $250 to $450 / sq ft
- Ground-floor addition
- $300 to $500 / sq ft
- Attic conversion
- $180 to $320 / sq ft
- Laneway or coach house
- $420,000 to $650,000
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Staircase guide · 26 min read
The Staircase & Railing Guide
What a staircase renovation costs on the North Shore in 2026, the BC Building Code numbers that apply, and how to choose refinishing, refacing, or a full rebuild.
- Straightforward rebuild
- $12,000 to $25,000
- Oak and iron balusters
- $18,000 to $35,000
- Floating stair, glass guard
- $35,000 to $70,000
- Code rise and run
- 125 to 200mm / 255 to 355mm
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Envelope guide · 22 min read
The Exterior & Building Envelope Guide
Roofing, re-cladding, rain screen, windows, decks, and drainage on the North Shore in 2026: what each costs and why pre-1990 homes leak.
- Rain screen premium
- $2 to $4 / sq ft
- Full re-clad
- $25,000 to $60,000+
- Windows
- $800 to $2,800 per opening
- Perimeter drainage
- $18,000 to $40,000
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Energy guide · 24 min read
The North Shore Home Energy Retrofit Guide
The 2026 North Shore home energy retrofit guide: why older North Vancouver homes leak heat, heat pumps, insulation, Step Code rules, and verified BC rebates.
- Ducted heat pump, installed
- $12,000 to $20,000
- Max Home Renovation Rebate
- Up to $12,500
- Income-qualified heat pump rebate
- Up to $13,000
- Older home heating cost
- $3,000 to $5,000 / yr
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Permits guide · 21 min read
The Permits & Zoning Guide
City of North Vancouver permits take 6 to 10 weeks and District structural work 10 to 16. What needs a permit, what Bill 44 changed, and how to avoid delays.
- City of North Vancouver
- 6 to 10 weeks
- District, structural scope
- 10 to 16 weeks
- Protected trees, District
- 30cm diameter
- Geotechnical report
- $3,000 to $5,000
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Multiplex guide · 24 min read
The Multiplex & SSMUH Guide
What BC's SSMUH rules allow on a North Vancouver or West Vancouver lot in 2026: unit counts, FSR, the City's Ground Oriented zone numbers, and why the District is different.
- Provincial unit minimums
- 3, 4, or 6 units
- The threshold that decides it
- 280 square metres
- City of North Vancouver FSR
- 0.85 or 1.0
- Provincial compliance date
- June 30, 2026
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Aging in place guide · 24 min read
The North Shore Aging in Place Guide
Aging in place renovations in North and West Vancouver: the four funding programs and what each pays, why the building code does not apply to your house, and the order to do the work in.
- BC RAHA rebate
- Up to $20,000
- BC tax credit
- 10% of up to $10,000
- Federal MHRTC
- 15% of up to $50,000
- North Shore residents 65+
- 38,175 of 188,275
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Hiring guide · 24 min read
The North Shore Contractor Hiring Guide
How to hire a renovation contractor in North Vancouver and West Vancouver: licensing, insurance, quote comparison, deposits, BC lien holdback, and red flags.
- Normal deposit
- 10 to 15%
- Statutory holdback
- 10% for 55 days
- Liability insurance
- $2M to $5M
- Quotes to collect
- 3, same scope
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Strata guide · 22 min read
The Strata Renovation Approval Guide
How BC condo and townhouse owners get strata approval to renovate: what needs approval, the request, conditions, deadlines, fines, and steps after a refusal.
- Council hearing deadline
- 4 weeks
- Written decision
- 1 week
- Maximum bylaw fine
- $200
- Tribunal claim fee
- $125
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Condo guide · 20 min read
The Vancouver Condo Renovation Guide
How renovating a Vancouver condo differs from a house: strata approval, shared pipes and walls, asbestos testing, permits, order of work, cost and insurance.
- Condominiums in the City of Vancouver
- 112,105
- Vancouver dwellings built in 1990 or before
- 167,325
- Asbestos removal licence required since
- January 1, 2024
- Strata insurance deductibles
- $100,000 to $750,000
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Commercial guide · 23 min read
The Commercial Renovation Guide
The 2026 commercial renovation guide for Metro Vancouver: tenant improvement costs by use, lease negotiation, permits, and how to open on schedule.
- Professional office
- $80 to $150 / sq ft
- Restaurant buildout
- $150 to $350+ / sq ft
- Typical TI allowance
- $15 to $50 / sq ft
- Permit review
- 6 to 10 weeks
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Also useful
Beyond the guides.
Price a project, read the detailed articles, or find the page for your neighbourhood.