Contents 12 sections
- What 615 recent permits show
- The box you’re designing inside
- Layout 1: Front-to-back, two full storeys
- Layout 2: Front-to-back, two storeys over a basement
- Layout 3: Front-to-back, two and a half storeys
- Layout 4: Side-by-side
- Which half is worth more
- Pre-approved plans: worth a look, not a shortcut
- Questions to answer before you pick a plan
- What we expect in 2027
- Questions
- Sources
A duplex on a standard 33 by 122 ft Vancouver lot gets 2,820 sq ft of floor area in total, about 1,410 sq ft per half, and a finished basement counts toward that number. Front-to-back is usually the better fit on a 33 ft lot, because side-by-side halves would each be only about 12.6 ft wide. Below are the four layouts that work, how the square footage splits in each, and what Vancouver owners have actually been building.
What 615 recent permits show
We read the project descriptions on every new low-density duplex permit the City issued from January 2024 to October 2, 2026. The classification is by keyword, so treat the shares as close, not exact.
T-City analysis of City of Vancouver open data: issued building permits. Classified by keyword in the project description, so treat the shares as close, not exact
Two trends stand out. Two-and-a-half storey designs went from 11% of duplex permits in 2017 to 2019 to 36% since 2024. And suites have fallen out of favour: 47% of duplex permits included them in 2022, against 19% so far in 2026.
The box you’re designing inside
Every 33 ft duplex starts from the same R1-1 numbers (schedule dated June 2026):
- Lot: 10.06 m by 37.2 m, or 374 m² (4,026 sq ft).
- Yards: 4.9 m front, 1.2 m each side, 10.7 m rear. That leaves a buildable area about 7.7 m wide and 21.6 m deep (25 ft by 71 ft).
- Site coverage: 50% for all buildings, garage included, so about 187 m².
- Floor area: 0.70 FSR, so 262 m² (2,820 sq ft) across both halves.
- Height: 11.5 m and three storeys, with the third no more than half the floor below it.
Floor area for both homes is capped at 0.70 FSR, about 2,820 sq ft, and buildings may cover no more than 50% of the lot. A rear garage, found in 98% of recent duplex permits, counts toward that 50%. Site envelope from the Vancouver R1-1 District Schedule (June 2026).
What counts toward floor area trips people up. A finished basement counts. Spaces left out of the count include unconditioned areas with less than 2.0 m of headroom, parking up to 48 m², decks up to 8% of the permitted floor area, and entries and porches up to 13%. So the real choice on a 33 ft lot isn’t how big to build. It’s where to put your 1,410 sq ft per half.
Layout 1: Front-to-back, two full storeys
Each half gets two floors of about 65 m² (700 sq ft), the biggest floor plates of any option.
- Main floor: open kitchen, living and dining, a powder room, and a door to its own yard.
- Upper floor: room for three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
- Best for: families who want big rooms and a lower build cost, since there’s no excavation.
- Trade-off: no room left for a suite.
Layout 2: Front-to-back, two storeys over a basement
The same 1,410 sq ft spread over three levels of about 44 m² (470 sq ft) each.
- Basement: a rec room, or a one-bedroom suite with its own entrance.
- Main and upper: tighter floors. Plan for two bedrooms and a den rather than three bedrooms.
- Best for: owners who want rental income, especially if they’re keeping a half.
- Trade-off: excavation, shoring and waterproofing, and a smaller main home. A 44 m² suite leaves the main home with about 87 m² (940 sq ft).
Layout 3: Front-to-back, two and a half storeys
Two floors of about 52 m² (560 sq ft) and a partial third floor of about 26 m² (280 sq ft) under the roof.
- Third floor: a primary bedroom with an ensuite, or a loft office.
- Footprint: smaller than Layout 1, which leaves more yard on a lot that also carries a garage.
- Best for: lots where a basement doesn’t make sense, such as a high water table or tight budget.
- Trade-off: more stairs. It’s now the fastest-growing layout in our permit data.
Layout 4: Side-by-side
On a 33 ft lot, each half is only about 3.85 m (12.6 ft) wide on the outside, before walls and stairs. Some designers make it work with long, narrow plans, but it’s a squeeze. Side-by-side comes into its own on wider lots. On a 50 by 122 ft lot, each half is about 6.4 m (21 ft) wide and gets about 198 m² (2,135 sq ft).
- Best for: 40 ft and wider lots, and owners selling both halves, since the halves mirror each other.
- Trade-off: on a narrow lot, rooms feel like corridors.
Which half is worth more?
Less difference than you’d think, at least on paper. Across 1,129 completed duplexes on the 2026 assessment roll, the two halves were assessed within 5% of each other 79% of the time. The median gap was 1.4%, and only 10% of duplexes had halves more than 15% apart.
If you’re selling both halves, aim to keep that gap small. Balance the yards, give the lane-facing half a real front door and good light, and split the parking fairly.
Pre-approved plans: worth a look, not a shortcut
The City of Vancouver says every design in the provincial and CMHC standardized catalogues meets R1-1 zoning, and that duplexes are among the best fits. It also says every design needs site-specific changes and that none of them guarantees a permit. On a 33 ft lot with a lane garage, a heat pump and protected trees, those changes are where the time goes. Use a catalogue plan as a starting sketch, not as a finished set of drawings.
Questions to answer before you pick a plan
- Will you keep a half, rent a half, or sell both?
- Do you need a suite, or would a lock-off unit (up to 29.7 m², 320 sq ft) do? Lock-offs that size don’t pay the City’s development levy.
- Is a basement worth it on your soil, and in your budget?
- Do you need a garage, or would you rather have the yard?
- Where will the heat pumps sit? Their outdoor units need space in the yards.
- Are there trees the City will want protected?
What we expect in 2027
- Two-and-a-half storeys becomes the default. It went from 11% to 36% of permits in a few years, nearly level with basement plans, and it avoids the cost and risk of digging.
- Fewer suites in new duplexes. Each suite comes out of the same 1,410 sq ft. We expect the share to stay near 20%.
- More scrutiny of the garage. With most of a duplex lot’s coverage and yard in play, more owners will question a two-car garage. We expect that 98% figure to slip.
Sources
Every outside figure traces to one of these pages, all opened on October 5, 2026. T-City’s own analysis uses the City of Vancouver open datasets. Rates and fee schedules change, so we recheck them for your lot during feasibility.