Victoria, Greater Victoria
Renovations and builds in Victoria
Almost a third of Victoria’s homes were built in 1960 or before, and most people here live in apartments. We renovate older houses and condos and build garden suites here, and the quote is free.
Victoria · Greater Victoria
Free written quotes
After a site visit, with what is fixed and what is an allowance.
One contract
One point of contact, from quote to final walkthrough.
Licensed trade partners
Electrical, plumbing and gas, under our management.
Victoria to the Lower Mainland
Greater Victoria, up-Island and Metro Vancouver.
What Victoria’s housing looks like
In the 2021 Census, 30.6% of Victoria’s occupied homes were built in 1960 or before and another 33.0% between 1961 and 1980. Only 17.8% date from 2001 or later. Apartments dominate: 47.8% of homes are in buildings under five storeys and 22.3% in taller ones. Single-detached houses make up 13.6%.
If you own a house built before 1960, check its heritage status before you plan exterior work. Being on the City’s Heritage Register does not restrict you on its own. Council approval comes in only if a Heritage Designation Bylaw protects the house or it sits in a Heritage Conservation Area, where you may need a Heritage Alteration Permit. The City also runs grant programs for improvements to heritage-designated houses.
- 13.6% single-detached houses
- 70.1% apartments
- 30.6% built in 1960 or before; 17.8% built 2001 to 2021
Victoria rules for suites, infill and trees
Victoria sets its garden suite rules in Schedule M of the Zoning Bylaw. The suite must sit in the rear yard, be one storey, and stay within 3.5 m in height and 37 m² in floor area, with no roof deck. You can add one only to a single-family house that does not already have a secondary suite.
The City started its own Missing Middle Housing Initiative in January 2023, before the provincial small-scale housing law, and simplified it in December 2023. The City now says the original rules no longer apply to most properties. Houseplexes, corner townhouses and heritage-conserving infill are still allowed, and small apartment buildings are permitted in most areas. These projects need a development permit and must follow the Missing Middle Design Guidelines.
New houses, duplexes, townhomes and garden suites must meet Step 3 of the BC Energy Step Code. Victoria also requires level 4 of the Zero Carbon Step Code for every building type. The City says gas stoves, fireplaces and barbecues in these homes are not affected.
- Tree Protection Bylaw 21-035 protects any tree over 30 cm in diameter.
- Garry oak, arbutus, Pacific yew and Pacific dogwood are protected once they pass 50 cm in height.
- Any tree within 15 m of a watercourse is protected.
- Pruning or removing a protected tree needs a permit.
- Permit Services: 250.361.0344 or [email protected]
Building permits: City of Victoria: building permits
Neighbourhoods we cover in Victoria
- James Bay
- Fairfield
- Fernwood
- Rockland
- Oaklands
- Burnside Gorge
Victoria rezoned for houseplexes in January 2023, ahead of the provincial law, and scaled the program back at the end of that year.
Rock and blasting
Victoria has its own Blasting (Construction) Operations Bylaw, and you need a Blasting Permit before any blasting starts. Blasting may run on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., never on Sundays or holidays. The blasting company must give written notice to every property within 100 m.
If a new house needs blasting for its foundation, you may also need a tree permit, and the City wants tree protection settled before it issues building permits. We look at the rock on your lot at the free quote visit and price how we’ll deal with it.
Victoria: common questions
Sources
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile: Victoria, City (CY) · City of Victoria: Building permits · City of Victoria: Neighbourhoods · City of Victoria: Zoning Bylaw Schedule M (garden suites) · Engage Victoria: Missing Middle Housing (updated Nov 28, 2025) · City of Victoria: Heritage Conservation · City of Victoria: Tree Protection Bylaw · City of Victoria: Low Carbon New Buildings · City of Victoria: Blasting Permits · City of Victoria: Developing a property, tree protection info sheet. Checked 2026-10-30.
Services
What we build in Victoria
More of Greater Victoria · How we run a job
Kitchen renovations
Layouts, cabinets, counters, and the plumbing and wiring moves that come with them.
Accessibility renovations
Walk-in showers, grab bars, ramps and wider doors so you can stay in your own home.
Landscaping & retaining walls
Garden design and install, patios, paths and retaining walls, including engineered ones.
Garden suites & laneway homes
Detached backyard homes, planned around servicing, permits and BC’s new-home rules, then built.
Plumbing & gas fitting
Repairs, repiping, fixtures, hot water tanks, gas lines and appliance hookups, by licensed trades.
Free quotes
Planning work in Victoria?
Say what you want done and roughly where in the city you are. We’ll email you to confirm your free quote visit.