New Westminster, Metro Vancouver

Contractors in New Westminster

New Westminster is split between the Mainland, now pre-zoned for infill, and Queensborough, behind a dike. We renovate older homes and build suites on both sides, starting with a free quote.

Get a free quote Call 236-638-5302

New Westminster · Metro Vancouver

Photo: Northwest, CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), via Wikimedia Commons (resized)

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.

New Westminster’s housing

New Westminster is mostly apartments. In the 2021 Census, 34.8% of its 36,100 occupied homes were in buildings under five storeys and 34.7% in taller ones. Single-detached houses were 13.8%. 18.6% of homes were built in 1960 or before.

If you own a house in Queen’s Park, check whether it is Protected or Non-protected under the Heritage Conservation Area before you plan anything. That status decides which exterior work needs a Heritage Alteration Permit and how much floor area you can build.

13.8% single-detached houses
34.8% apartments under five storeys
34.7% apartments of five storeys or more
18.6% built in 1960 or before

Infill, heritage and trees

Council adopted the Infill Housing Program in June 2026. Mainland properties are pre-zoned for duplexes, triplexes, quadraplexes, multiplexes, secondary suites, laneway houses and side-by-side townhouses of up to six units. Queensborough house lots generally do not get these unit counts yet, because the City has an extension to May 4, 2029.

In Queen’s Park, a Protected house needs a Heritage Alteration Permit for changes to the front or sides, a roof visible from the street, a laneway or carriage house, or demolition. Interior work, paint, routine maintenance and rear changes need none. A Non-protected house needs one only for a new house or a laneway or carriage house. Protected lots can build to 0.7 FSR, against 0.5 for Non-protected.

New Westminster says the top levels of both the Energy Step Code and the Zero Carbon Step Code become mandatory on January 1, 2027. Homes that propose gas backup heat must submit two step code compliance reports.

Tree permit for trees of 20 cm or more measured at 1.3 m (Bylaw No. 7799)
Hedges 5 m or taller are protected
Tree applications go through E-Apply

Building permits: City of New Westminster: single-detached and duplex permits

Neighbourhoods we cover in New Westminster

Queen’s Park
Queensborough
Sapperton
Connaught Heights
West Side
Downtown

In Queen’s Park, a house’s Protected or Non-protected status decides which exterior changes need a heritage permit and whether the lot can build to 0.7 or 0.5 FSR.

Floodplain and the Queensborough dike

Five of the city’s 12 km² are inside the floodplain boundary on the provincial floodplain map. A perimeter dike built in the 1960s protects about 350 hectares of Queensborough, and parts of the Mainland are also in the provincial floodplain. If you’re planning a suite or an addition in Queensborough, ask the City about the flood construction level first.

New Westminster: common questions

No. Interior work, paint and routine maintenance need no Heritage Alteration Permit, even on a Protected house.

Queensborough house lots generally do not get the new infill unit counts yet, because the City has an extension to May 4, 2029. Ask the City what your lot allows today.