Lot Feasibility Studies
What Can I Build On My Lot?
Before anyone draws anything, we find out what your land actually supports.
- 13 cities
- Metro Vancouver to the Fraser Valley
- 1 day
- reply to a lot check
- $0
- for the first lot check
- 25+ yrs
- Family building experience
Drag to compare
See the Difference
Most former single-family lots across Greater Vancouver now allow three to six homes without rezoning. The exact number depends on lot size, frontage, distance to frequent transit and your city’s own zone. A T-City feasibility study checks all of these against current rules, then compares the options that actually fit.
Before
After
- 01
Know before you design
Zoning, frontage, site area, trees and servicing, checked before any design fees.
- 02
Every option compared
Duplex, multiplex, laneway or suite, side by side for your lot.
- 03
Current rules
Every figure checked against the city’s own bylaws, with the source.
- 04
One contract
Design, permits and construction under one contract, with the price in writing before we break ground.
Two steps
Know Before You Design
Most owners start with the free check. The full study comes when you are ready to compare options in detail.
Free Lot Check
Send the address. We check what the zoning allows and reply within one business day.
- Covers:
- Zoning, lot size, frontage and transit rules.
- Cost:
- Free, with no obligation.
- Reply:
- Within one business day.
Full Feasibility Study
Every option for your lot compared side by side, before anyone pays for design.
- Covers:
- Zoning, frontage, site area, trees and servicing.
- Compares:
- Duplex, multiplex, laneway home or suite.
- Sources:
- Every figure checked against the city’s own bylaws.
The details
Everything to Know Before You Build
Rules, costs and timelines, checked against each city’s own bylaws and fee schedules.
01
Why does feasibility come before design?
Because design work done against the wrong assumptions is wasted money. Owners regularly arrive with a six-unit multiplex in mind and a lot whose frontage supports four, or with a laneway house in mind on a lot where three units would produce a far better outcome. Both are avoidable with a week of proper checking.
A feasibility study establishes what is permitted, what physically fits, and what the trade-offs are between the options. Only then does drawing anything make sense.
02
How many units can I build in each city?
The province requires every city to allow at least three units on lots of 280 m² (3,014 sq ft) or less, four on lots up to 4,050 m² (1 acre), and six on lots within 400 m (1,312 ft) of a bus stop with 15-minute service. Each city then applies that through its own zone, and the differences matter.
| City | Zone | Units allowed | What’s different |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | R1-1 | 3–4 from 10.0 m frontage and 306 m². 5 from 13.4 m and 464 m². 6 strata or up to 8 rental from 15.1 m and 557 m² | Frontage and site area set the count. 1.00 FSR for multiplexes. Needs rear lane access |
| Burnaby | R1 SSMUH | 3 up to 280 m². 4 over 280 m². 6 on 281 m² or more in a Frequent Transit Network Area | No floor-area cap. Height, setbacks and lot coverage decide size. Tenure doesn’t change the count |
| Richmond | RSM (S, M, L, XL) | 3 at 280 m² or less. 4 over 280 m². 6 within 400 m of a prescribed bus stop | 0.6 FAR on the first 464.5 m², 0.3 after. Six units need an affordable housing contribution. Steveston deferred to 2030 |
| Surrey | R1–R5 by lot size (most house lots R3) | 3 under 280 m². 4 over 280 m². 6 in a Frequent Bus Stop Area | A houseplex holds up to 4 principal units. Five and six come from coach houses and suites. New servicing rules expected October 2026 |
| Coquitlam | R-1 to R-4 | 3 at 280 m² or less. 4 on larger lots. No six-unit option: no stops currently meet the frequent-service test | 0.75 FAR for 3–4 homes in R-1. Parking set by home size: 1, 1.5 or 2 spaces |
| North Vancouver (City) | Ground Oriented (GO) | 3 at 280 m² or less. 4 in Low Rise Neighbourhood 1. 6 in Low Rise Neighbourhood 2 | 0.85 or 1.0 FSR. 0.5 parking spaces per home. The District of North Vancouver has separate rules |
| New Westminster | RGO-A and RGO-B (June 2026) | Up to 4 on about 1,900 RGO-A lots. Up to 6 on about 1,100 RGO-B lots | Floor area rises with homes: 0.6 FSR for 2 up to 1.0 for 5–6. Development Permit needed. No parking near frequent buses |
| Port Coquitlam | RS1–RS4 | 3 at 280 m² or less. 4 over 280 m². 6 within 400 m of a frequent bus stop | 0.75 FAR for a duplex, 1.0 for a triplex. Triplexes only near frequent buses. Off-site works often $100,000 or more |
| Delta | RS and RD zones | 3 at 280 m² or less. 4 over 280 m². 6 in the Scott Road frequent transit area | A house or duplex plus suites and up to 2 garden suites or coach houses. No development permit for compliant projects |
| Squamish | R-1 to R-5 | Up to 5 in R-1 and R-4, counting suites. 3 in R-3. 2 in R-2 (flood hazard areas) | No floor area cap on triplexes and fourplexes. Each home up to 220 m². One parking space per main home |
| Whistler | House and duplex zones (Bylaw 2440) | 3 at 280 m² or less. 4 over 280 m². No six-unit option | One or two homes must be long-term rentals, or employee housing to strata title. 0.40 FSR or 511 m² in the main zones |
| Abbotsford | SSMUH 1 to 4 | 3 at 280 m² or less. 4 over 280 m². More on large townhouse-zoned lots | Floor area from 0.5 for a house to 1.2 for four townhouse homes. No design permit for 4 or fewer |
| Chilliwack | R1-A, R1-B, R1-C, R3 and others | 3 at 280 m² or less. 4 over 280 m², inside the Urban Growth Boundary | Two parking spaces per home. Design permit required. Two extension areas exempt to 2030 |
03
How do Vancouver’s frontage rules work on a real lot?
In Vancouver’s R1-1 zone, unit count for a multiplex is set by both frontage and site area, and a lot has to meet both. Frontage is almost always the one that decides it. The site also needs to be at least 30.4 m (100 ft) deep, have vehicle access from the rear, and sit outside the flood plain.
Vancouver R1-1 frontage thresholds, drawn to scale
Dark bars are the minimum frontage for each unit count. Light blue bars are common lot widths. Scale 0–18 m.
10.0 m · 306 m² · 3–4 units
13.4 m · 464 m² · 5 units
15.1 m · 557 m² · 6 strata or up to 8 rental
33 ft lot · 10.06 m
50 ft lot · 15.24 m
33 × 122 ft lot. The 10.06 m frontage clears 10.0 m, and 4,026 sq ft (374 m²) clears 306 m², so it allows up to 4 units. Five isn’t possible because the frontage is under 13.4 m. At 1.00 FSR the building can have up to about 4,026 sq ft of floor area, before exclusions, height and setbacks.
50 × 122 ft lot. The 15.24 m frontage clears 15.1 m, and 6,100 sq ft (566.7 m²) clears 557 m², so it allows up to 6 strata or 8 secured rental units, with about 6,100 sq ft of floor area. The west-side 5% social housing rule doesn’t apply, because the lot is under 623 m² and 17.1 m.
Two other R1-1 rules shape the outcome. A triplex is only allowed on sites up to 463 m² and 13.3 m, so larger lots go to four units or more. And a multiplex that isn’t all rental, on a site west of Ontario or Carrall Street of at least 623 m² with 17.1 m of frontage, must deliver 5% of its floor area as social housing or pay cash in lieu.
04
Can I check my own lot?
Yes, and it takes about five minutes. Each city publishes a map that shows your lot’s zoning, and most show whether it sits within 400 m of frequent transit. Look up your address, note the zone and the lot dimensions, and check the transit layer. Then send us the address below and we’ll confirm what it means.
05
What does a feasibility study cover?
We look at the zoning that applies to your parcel and what the current bylaws permit outright. We measure the constraints that decide built form: frontage, site area, setbacks, floor area, height and site coverage. We check the physical realities: slope, mature trees and their protection zones, where services enter the property, lane access, and in Richmond, flood construction levels.
We also check the title for covenants and right-of-ways, and the costs each city attaches: Richmond’s six-unit affordable housing contribution, Surrey’s servicing upgrades, Vancouver’s west-side social housing rule. Then we set the options against each other: a laneway house or suite, a duplex, three to six units as a multiplex or townhome row, strata sale or secured rental. The output is a clear picture of what is possible, not a sales pitch for the largest option.
06
What if the answer is smaller than I hoped?
Then you have saved yourself a great deal of money and time. It is far better to find out that your frontage caps you at four units before you have paid for a six-unit design, and it is genuinely common. Frontage is the constraint owners most often overlook.
Sometimes the answer points elsewhere entirely: retaining and renovating the existing house while adding an ADU, or assembling with a neighbouring lot to clear a frontage threshold. We would rather tell you that early than discover it at permit stage.
07
What happens after the study?
If the numbers work and you want to proceed, feasibility flows straight into architectural design with our in-house team, then permits, which we manage as your representative. Interior design runs in parallel while permits are in motion. Before construction begins we set out the price and the schedule in writing.
If the numbers do not work, you stop with a clear answer and no half-finished drawings.
Project showcase
From Vision to Reality.
The journey
How We Work
A clear, step-by-step process from the first lot check to the day you get the keys.
01
Lot check & feasibility
Zoning, frontage, site area, trees and servicing, checked before any design money is spent.
01 / 0602
Architectural design
In-house design to your zone’s rules, with suites, layout and energy needs planned from the first sketch.
02 / 0603
Permits
Sewer and water connection permit first, then the development and building permit, with us as your representative.
03 / 0604
Interior design
Finishes chosen while the permit is in review, so the two run side by side.
04 / 0605
Price & schedule in writing
A quote that sets out what is included, and a schedule with a target move-in date.
05 / 0606
Construction & keys
Daily photo and video updates in your client portal, inspections at each stage, then the keys.
06 / 06The T-City promise
One Team, No Surprises.
Most delays and surprise costs start in the handoffs between a designer, a permit consultant and a builder. We keep all three with one team, and put the price in writing first.
Price in writing. The price and schedule are set out in writing before we break ground.
One contract. Design, permits and construction with one team, so nothing falls between consultants.
Rules checked at the source. Every zoning figure is checked against the city’s own bylaw before design starts.
Daily updates. Photos and video from site in your private client portal.
Questions about warranty or after-care?
Ask Our Team“The team was professional, helpful, and easy to work with throughout the process. They paid attention to the details, communicated well, and made sure everything was done properly.”
Common questions
Questions, Answered.
How many units can I build on my lot?
Most former single-family lots across Greater Vancouver allow three units on lots of 280 m² or less, four on larger lots, and six near frequent transit. In Vancouver, frontage and site area set the count: 10.0 m for 3–4 units, 13.4 m for 5, and 15.1 m for 6.
Do I need to rezone?
Usually not. Provincial small-scale multi-unit housing legislation requires municipalities to permit these forms without a rezoning application in areas previously restricted to single detached housing.
What is FSR and why does it matter?
Floor space ratio sets how much building area you get relative to lot area. In Vancouver R1-1 a multiplex gets 1.00 and a duplex 0.70. Richmond uses 0.6 on the first 464.5 m² of lot and 0.3 after. Burnaby has no floor-area limit for these lots.
Does my lot qualify for six units?
Outside Vancouver, the lot usually needs to be at least 281 m² and within 400 m of a bus stop with service every 15 minutes. In Vancouver, six strata units need 15.1 m of frontage and 557 m² of site area, whatever the transit.
How do I send you my lot?
Use the lot check form on this page. The address and city are all we need. Lot size, lane access and your goals help, but we can look those up.
Ready to Start Your Project?
Send us the address. We reply within one business day, with no obligation. Or call 778-239-2078.