Guides
What it costs, how long it takes, and what the city will ask for.
55 guides on building clinics and commercial space in British Columbia — written from the jobs we have delivered, with the numbers left in.
- Written from delivered projects
- 55guidesWritten from delivered projects
- Every one with its cost band published
- 12build typesEvery one with its cost band published
- Across the Lower Mainland
- 14citiesAcross the Lower Mainland
- Building since 2021
- 5yearsBuilding since 2021
Start here
Three questions, and where each is answered.
Most people arrive with one of these. Follow the one that is yours, or read the full library below.
What will it cost?
What each build type runs per square foot, and what a real project totals once the scope is honest.
14 guidesHow long will it take?
How long each build actually takes, phase by phase, and the things that push the date back.
6 guidesWhat will the city ask for?
What each authority wants, in what order, and which of them publishes a review window.
10 guides14 guides
Cost
What each build type runs per square foot, and what a real project totals once the scope is honest.
Construction change orders
What a construction change order is, how a change is priced, the five most common causes on clinic jobs, a sample change-order log, and how to cap them.
8 min
Kitchen renovation cost in the Lower Mainland
What a kitchen renovation costs in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley by scope tier, where the money actually goes, and the three decisions that move the number.
9 min
Bathroom renovation cost & aging in place
What a bathroom renovation costs in BC by scope, and the BC Building Code clearances worth building to even though a house is exempt from every one of them.
10 min
Basement renovation cost in BC
What a basement renovation costs in BC, and the decision that sets the budget: finished living space, or a legal secondary suite with its own permits and egress.
9 min
How a commercial estimate is built
What a commercial construction estimate is actually made of — hard and soft cost, cash allowances, contingency, and the difference between a change order and a directive.
10 min
Dental office renovation cost in BC
What a dental office renovation costs in BC in 2026, by clinic size and by scope, and why moving a chair costs more than changing every finish in the building.
9 min
Luxury home construction cost
What a luxury home costs to build in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland in 2026 — per square foot, by house size, and the finish decisions that move the number most.
10 min
Commercial TI cost per square foot
Commercial tenant improvement cost per square foot in Vancouver for 2026, every build type in one table — office, retail, medical, dental, pharmacy — and what the landlord's allowance covers.
11 min
Clinic renovation vs relocation
Renovating the clinic you have against moving to a new one in BC — the construction cost of each, the costs that only appear when you move, and the case each way.
10 min
Medical clinic cost per square foot
Medical clinic construction cost per square foot in BC, with totals by clinic size and how the rate compares to office, dental and healthcare build types.
9 min
Pharmacy build-out cost in BC
Pharmacy build-out cost in BC by size, where the budget actually goes, and what dispensary security and compounding add to a pharmacy construction project.
9 min
Office renovation cost in Metro Vancouver
Office renovation cost in Metro Vancouver by size, refresh against full fit-out, what drives commercial construction cost per square foot, and what the landlord pays.
10 min
Dental clinic construction cost in BC
What a dental clinic costs to build in BC in 2026, broken down by clinic size, with the line items that move the number most.
8 min
5-operatory dental clinic cost
A real line-item cost breakdown for a 5-operatory dental clinic in BC: square footage, per-operatory costs, plumbing, electrical and equipment.
9 min
6 guides
Timelines
How long each build actually takes, phase by phase, and the things that push the date back.
How long to build a custom home
How long a custom home takes in BC from design to keys, phase by phase, using published Surrey and Vancouver permit times and what pushes the date back.
7 min
Home & second-storey additions
The five phases of a home or second-storey addition in BC, what each one is waiting on, and why the roof coming off is the moment the schedule stops being yours.
10 min
Renovating an office while staying open
How to phase an office renovation around a working business — what phasing costs in time and money, the test for whether your space can take it, and when to move out.
10 min
Pharmacy build-out timeline
A realistic pharmacy construction timeline for BC, phase by phase from lease to a licensed dispensary, including where College of Pharmacists of BC approval sits in the sequence.
9 min
New dental clinic build timeline
A realistic dental clinic build timeline for BC, phase by phase from lease signing to opening day, plus the delays that push it back.
8 min
Dental office renovation timeline
A realistic dental office renovation timeline for BC practices, including how to keep seeing patients while the work runs.
7 min
10 guides
Permits & Compliance
What each authority wants, in what order, and which of them publishes a review window.
Asbestos and hazmat surveys in BC
When BC requires a hazardous materials survey before renovating, what OHS Regulation s.20.112 demands, who must be licensed since 2024, and what cities ask for.
8 min
Barrier-free washroom requirements
The 2024 BC Building Code dimensions for a barrier-free universal washroom: door, turning space, grab bars, toilet and lavatory, with a clinic layout checklist.
9 min
BC Energy Step Code for custom homes
What the BC Energy Step Code and Zero Carbon Step Code require for a new custom home, which step applies, and what Surrey, White Rock and Vancouver ask for.
8 min
Pharmacy layout requirements
The College of Pharmacists of BC layout rules for a pharmacy: 160 sq ft dispensary, counter, sink, consultation area, time-delay safe, cameras and sensors.
8 min
Garden suites & legal secondary suites
What Bill 44 and Bill 25 now require your city to allow, how garden suites and secondary suites differ as builds, and what decides whether a suite is possible at all.
11 min
Building in the Fraser Valley
What changes when a commercial build moves east to Abbotsford or Chilliwack: two different tenant improvement permit routes, a published review window, and what actually costs less out here.
8 min
Pharmacy compliance before you build
The College of Pharmacists approval sequence around a BC pharmacy build, including the 30-day layout notice, the approved diagram and the post-renovation inspection report.
9 min
Commercial renovation permits in BC
The permits a commercial renovation needs in BC — building, trade, and the approvals that come before them — plus which Lower Mainland cities publish a review window and which do not.
10 min
CSA Z8000 compliance checklist
A CSA Z8000 compliance checklist for healthcare facility construction in BC — space planning, infection control, ventilation, and what to verify before drawings.
10 min
Medical clinic approvals in BC
What a medical clinic needs on top of the city permit in BC: health authority review, College of Physicians and Surgeons accreditation and CSA Z8000.
7 min
9 guides
Leases & Planning
The decisions made before a drawing exists — the lease, the allowance, and whether to move at all.
Leasehold improvements & CCA Class 13
How leasehold improvements are depreciated under CCA Class 13: the lease-term formula, a worked example, the first-year rules and how a TI allowance is taxed.
8 min
Triple net vs gross lease
Triple net vs gross vs modified gross leases in BC: who pays property tax, insurance and CAM, and how to compare offers on total occupancy cost.
7 min
Opening a second clinic location
For a practice expanding rather than starting: the 180-day College notice, the questions to ask before a second lease, and a realistic timeline across the Lower Mainland.
10 min
Custom build or renovate?
Build new or renovate a high-end home in BC? The four tests that settle it, what “custom” actually means in practice, and where each route puts the money.
8 min
Clinic lease checklist
A 12-point clinic lease checklist covering the buildout issues that cost the most when they surface after signing rather than before.
9 min
Renovation vs new construction
How to decide between renovating an existing commercial space and building new, on cost, timeline and risk.
8 min
Dental office renovation checklist
A 12-step dental office renovation checklist for BC practices, ordered the way the work actually has to happen.
8 min
Tenant improvement allowance
What a tenant improvement allowance actually covers, what it rarely does, and how to price your buildout against it before signing.
7 min
Base building vs tenant improvement
Where the landlord's base building scope ends and your tenant improvement begins — and why the boundary decides your budget.
7 min
4 guides
Design & Materials
The specification choices that outlive the build, from flooring to the rooms video visits need.
Best flooring for clinics
The best flooring for medical and dental clinics, zone by zone — why welded sheet vinyl owns the clinical areas, where LVT and rubber belong, and the installation details that decide lifespan.
9 min
Clinic design trends in BC
The ten clinic design trends shaping BC medical and dental builds in 2026 — telehealth rooms, standardized footprints, acoustic privacy — and which must be decided before permit drawings.
9 min
Small clinic renovation
How a small clinic renovation reclaims the equivalent of a full exam room in under 1,500 sq ft — standardized rooms, sliding doors, a smaller waiting area — and what the work costs in BC.
9 min
Telehealth clinic design
Telehealth clinic design for hybrid care — the acoustic walls, camera-first lighting, cabling and room sizing that turn video visits into planned capacity instead of an improvised corner.
9 min
5 guides
Clinic & Build Types
What changes when the clinic is an optometry practice, a med spa, a vet hospital or a modular build.
Multidisciplinary clinic build-outs
What changes when one clinic houses several disciplines — the shared infrastructure decisions, which regulator applies to whom, and how to design for the practitioner you have not hired.
10 min
Modular vs traditional clinic build-outs
Modular vs. traditional clinic construction compared honestly — where volumetric modular can physically go, why it saves schedule rather than money, and the prefab middle ground leased clinics actually use.
9 min
Veterinary clinic construction
How veterinary clinic construction differs from medical clinic build-outs — washdown finishes and drains, kennel acoustics, species-separated waiting, and the CVBC accreditation path.
9 min
Optometry clinic construction
Optometry clinic construction in BC — cost by size, how refraction method sets your floor plan, and the dispensary and equipment scope owners underestimate.
10 min
Physiotherapy & med spa build-out
Physiotherapy clinic construction and med spa construction in BC — why open rehab floor and enclosed treatment rooms sit at opposite ends of the same cost band.
9 min
7 guides
Choosing a Contractor
How the delivery models differ, what to ask before you shortlist, and how to compare bids that priced different scopes.
BC Builders Lien Act holdback
BC Builders Lien Act for owners: the 10% holdback (s.4), holdback account (s.5), 45-day lien deadline (s.20), 55-day release (s.8) and the steps to take.
9 min
CCDC 2 vs cost-plus contracts
CCDC 2 stipulated price, CCDC 3 cost plus and CCDC 5A/5B construction management compared: who carries cost risk, how you pay, and which fits your project.
8 min
Vetting a custom home builder in BC
An eight-step checklist for vetting a custom home builder in BC, from the licence and the warranty enrolment to the Builders Lien Act holdback you have to keep.
10 min
Design-build vs general contracting
Design-build against design-bid-build for a clinic or commercial fit-out — who carries the coordination risk in each, what changes about the price you are quoted, and how to choose.
10 min
Vancouver contractors compared
Four Vancouver healthcare and commercial contractors compared on what each one publishes about itself, with sources — plus how to vet any contractor before you sign.
11 min
10 questions for a healthcare contractor
The ten questions to ask a healthcare construction contractor in BC before you shortlist, what a good answer sounds like, and how to compare bids that priced different scopes.
11 min
Luxury builder vs general contractor
What separates a luxury home builder from a general contractor, and which one a high-finish BC build actually needs.
7 min
By build type
Or start from what you are building.
Every service we run, with the guides that go with it and the page that gives its cost band.
- Commercial Construction
- Commercial Renovation
- Office Renovation Contractor
- Healthcare Construction
- Leasehold improvements & CCA Class 13
- Multidisciplinary clinic build-outs
- Opening a second clinic location
- Vancouver contractors compared
- Best flooring for clinics
- Modular vs traditional clinic build-outs
- Veterinary clinic construction
- CSA Z8000 compliance checklist
- 10 questions for a healthcare contractor
- Physiotherapy & med spa build-out
- Clinic lease checklist
- Dental Clinic Construction
- Dental Office Renovation
- Medical Clinic Construction
- Pharmacy Construction
- Clinic Renovation Contractor
- Luxury Residential Construction
- Custom Home Building
- Home Renovation
Still deciding what your build will cost?
These guides give the ranges we publish. A consultation gives you the number for your space, your municipality and the state of the building you are looking at.