The most expensive mistakes in custom building happen before any design exists — on the day the lot is bought. Nine checks, in order, before you remove conditions on any building lot in Metro Vancouver.
What a missed check costs
The nine checks
What can this lot legally hold — floor area, height, multiplex or laneway potential? This sets the land's real value.
Walk it in the rain. Slopes add retaining, stepped foundations and drainage engineering.
A desktop geotech review before purchase; a drilled report before design. Peat, fill and high water tables are budget events.
Bylaw-protected trees (on the lot and neighbouring) shape the buildable footprint more than most bylaws.
Water, sewer, storm and Hydro capacity — an upgrade or new connection is a five-figure line.
A title search reveals covenants, easements and building schemes that can sterilize part of the site.
Pre-1990 homes routinely carry asbestos; abatement is priced per discovery, so price it before offer.
Corner lots, lanes and flanking streets change laneway eligibility, parking rules and construction logistics.
What was recently approved nearby tells you how the municipality actually rules on variances here.
Send us the address during your subject period — zoning, slope, trees and services checked before you're committed.
✱ Representative planning figures for Metro Vancouver, mid-2026 — assembled from municipal permitting schedules, the BC Energy Step Code framework and Armacan project records. Every lot and scope is different: treat these as orientation, not a quote, and confirm against your property in a free consultation.
