Locations

Hallmark Projects Ltd. – General Contractor Across Metro Vancouver

Hallmark Projects works throughout Metro Vancouver on residential renovations, commercial renovations and tenant improvements. Every municipality we build in has its own zoning bylaw, its own permit process and its own quirks – and those differences decide how a project is scoped, sequenced and priced.

A secondary suite that is straightforward in Port Moody may not be permitted at all on the equivalent lot in Port Coquitlam. A restaurant fit-out in Port Moody’s brewery district faces different conditions from a clinic in New Westminster’s Brewery District. A basement in Richmond starts with flood levels and drainage; one on the North Shore starts with slope and foundations.

We handle permit applications directly with each municipality. The section below sets out what applies region-wide, followed by what is specific to each city.

What Applies Across Metro Vancouver

• Building code: every municipality listed here builds under the BC Building Code. The City of Vancouver is the exception – it applies its own Vancouver Building By-law, which is generally stricter.
• Cost: labour and material rates are broadly consistent across the region. What differs between cities is the site conditions and local rules that add work on top. See our current cost ranges:
  • Basement renovation costs
  • Kitchen renovation costs
  • Bathroom renovation costs
  • Tenant improvement costs
• Home renovation: much of the region’s housing is post-war, so older homes commonly need insulation, egress, ventilation and electrical brought up to current standards once walls are opened. Condo and townhouse work everywhere needs strata approval, insurance certificates, elevator booking and restricted working hours before work starts.
• Commercial renovation and tenant improvements: a building permit is required for commercial fit-outs in every municipality. Shopping centre and mall units add landlord or mall management approval, shared building systems and after-hours working on top of city permits.
• Medical, dental and clinical fit-outs: region-wide, these carry requirements for infection control, mechanical separation, millwork and accessibility that ordinary retail or office work does not. They form a meaningful part of our tenant improvement work.
• Food service: restaurants, cafés and bars need floor drainage, ventilation, grease interception, heavier mechanical and electrical loads, and food-premises approvals alongside the building permit.

Where We Work

Burnaby General Contractor – Brentwood, Metrotown, Deer Lake, Edmonds and Burnaby Heights.

• Home renovation: post-war bungalows and split levels in Burnaby Heights, Edmonds and around Deer Lake, alongside the towers of Brentwood, Metrotown and Lougheed, where strata rules govern scheduling.
• Commercial and TI: mall and mixed-use units in the Brentwood and Metrotown town centres, street-front retail and offices on Hastings Street and Kingsway, and industrial space in Big Bend, Glenlyon and Riverbend. A concentration of clinics sits around the town centres and along Kingsway.
• Permits and suites: permissive suite zoning, with a Development Permit now required ahead of a Building Permit on some projects, and digital-only permits.

Surrey and South Surrey General Contractor – Cloverdale, Newton, Fleetwood, Guildford and South Surrey.

• Home renovation: 1970s and 1980s houses in Newton, Whalley and Guildford, many suite-ready, alongside newer, larger homes in South Surrey, Morgan Crossing and Grandview Heights. Coach houses and garden suites are an option on many lots.
• Commercial and TI: office, institutional and medical tenancies in City Centre around Surrey Memorial Hospital and SFU Surrey; retail town centres in Guildford, Newton and Morgan Crossing; warehouse and light-industrial space in Campbell Heights, Port Kells and Cloverdale.
• Permits and suites: every suite must be registered separately from the permit, and Land Use Contracts prohibit suites outright on some properties.

North Vancouver General Contractor – Lonsdale, Lynn Valley, Edgemont, Capilano and Deep Cove.

• Home renovation: sloped lots bring geotechnical reports, stepped foundations and retaining walls into scope, and mature trees often require arborist reports and tree permits.
• Commercial and TI: heritage and mixed-use buildings in Lower Lonsdale and the Shipyards, street-front retail on Marine Drive and in Edgemont Village, and light-industrial space at Harbourside and along Dollarton.
• Permits and suites: the City and the District are separate jurisdictions with different bylaws, and their coach house rules diverge sharply.

West Vancouver General Contractor – Ambleside, Dundarave, the British Properties and Caulfeild.

• Home renovation: a distinctive post-war and mid-century modern housing stock on steep lots, where foundations and retaining structures often drive the budget.
• Commercial and TI: village-format street-front retail and professional offices in Ambleside and Dundarave, with smaller, more seasonal premises in Horseshoe Bay and Caulfeild Village.
• Permits and suites: detached secondary suites, floor area exclusions, and development permits for work near watercourses or within the wildfire hazard area.

Richmond General Contractor – Steveston, Seafair, Terra Nova, Broadmoor and Brighouse.

• Home renovation: 1970s and 1980s split levels in Seafair and Broadmoor with low basement ceilings and original drainage, heritage cottages in Steveston, and high-rise condos in City Centre. Drainage and waterproofing come first on any below-grade work.
• Commercial and TI: mall units in the Golden Village along No. 3 Road, retail corridors in Ironwood and Bridgeport, industrial parks in Crestwood and east Richmond, and hospitality and professional work linked to YVR.
• Permits and suites: flood construction levels, a high water table and ALR restrictions shape what is buildable, and applications are reviewed in parallel by Building, Planning, Trees and Engineering.

New Westminster General Contractor – Queensborough, Sapperton, Queens Park and Uptown.

• Home renovation: the oldest housing stock in the region, where knob-and-tube wiring, original plumbing and settled foundations are common. Queen’s Park is a Heritage Conservation Area with its own review.
• Commercial and TI: historic masonry buildings on Columbia Street and Downtown, street-front retail on Sixth Street in Uptown, and medical, dental and clinical tenancies in the Brewery District and Sapperton near Royal Columbian Hospital.
• Permits and suites: most lots permit three units, but suites and laneway houses follow different permit paths.

Coquitlam General Contractor – Burke Mountain, Westwood Plateau, Maillardville and Austin Heights.

• Home renovation: character homes in Maillardville, post-war housing in Austin Heights, and newer homes on real slope in Westwood Plateau and Burke Mountain. Construction hours are regulated.
• Commercial and TI: mall and mixed-use units around Coquitlam Centre and the Evergreen Line, street-front retail and offices in Austin Heights and along North Road, and showroom and industrial space on United Boulevard and in Mayfair.
• Permits and suites: older homes often need egress window upgrades before a suite will pass, and the City offers pre-application plan review.

Port Coquitlam General Contractor – Citadel Heights, Mary Hill, Birchland Manor and Riverwood.

• Home renovation: 1960s to 1980s housing on flatter, more regular lots. Permits are required for more than people expect, including decks, retaining walls, furnaces and plumbing.
• Commercial and TI: street-front retail and offices on Shaughnessy Street downtown, big-format retail and medical tenancies in the Dominion Triangle, and industrial space along Kingsway Avenue, Broadway Street and Meridian.
• Permits and suites: suites are permitted in four zones only, floodplain sites may need a covenant, and your contractor needs a Port Coquitlam business licence for residential and commercial work alike.

Port Moody General Contractor – Moody Centre, Glenayre, Heritage Mountain and Klahanie.

• Home renovation: some of the oldest stock in the Tri-Cities in Moody Centre and Ioco, 1960s housing in Glenayre, and newer homes on slope in Heritage Mountain and Heritage Woods. Heritage Revitalization Agreements can unlock projects on heritage properties.
• Commercial and TI: a brewery and hospitality district on Clarke and Murray Streets, and mixed-use village retail and offices in Suter Brook and Newport Village. The City publishes its own tenant improvement permit requirements.
• Permits and suites: broad suite eligibility since 2004, extended to the duplex zone in 2018.

Pitt Meadows General Contractor – Mid Meadows, Bonson Landing and Osprey Village.

• Home renovation: mostly newer, lower-density housing on larger, flatter lots. Much of the city is farmland and floodplain, so a Development Permit may be needed before a building permit.
• Commercial and TI: retail, restaurants and offices along Harris Road and the Lougheed Highway, shopping-centre units in Meadowtown and Osprey Village, and industrial space on Airport Way and in the Golden Ears area.
• Permits and suites: a secondary suite or a garden suite, not both, and non-resident owners need a local property manager.

We also work throughout the City of Vancouver, where the Vancouver Building By-law applies rather than the BC Building Code.

Our Services in Every Location

Whichever municipality you are in, we deliver the same range of work: home renovations, kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations, basement and secondary suite conversions, and commercial tenant improvements for medical clinics, dental offices, restaurants, retail and office space.

Not sure which rules apply to your property? Get in touch and we will confirm your zoning and permit path before you spend anything on design.