Journal
The Journal.
Plain-language guides to custom home building and renovation, plus multiplex development, zoning, and what BC's new housing rules mean for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley homeowners and investors.
Design & Planning
Setbacks, height, and floor area: the rules that shape your multiplex
Three quiet numbers, setbacks, height, and floor area, decide more about your multiplex than almost anything else. Here's what each one means and how they combine into the box you get to build inside.
Mark Van Ek · July 31, 2026 · 11 min read
Design & Planning
Designing a multiplex that fits the neighbourhood
A multiplex that respects its street is easier to permit, easier to sell, and a better place to live. Here's how we design homes that add density without feeling out of place in Vancouver and Burnaby neighbourhoods.
Mark Van Ek · July 29, 2026 · 10 min
Design & Planning
From single-family lot to fourplex: the development timeline
Turning a single-family lot into a fourplex is a sequence, not a single leap. Here is how the stages actually unfold, feasibility, design, permitting and construction, and where the time really goes.
Mark Van Ek · July 25, 2026 · 7 min
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A conversation, not a commitment.
Whether you're curious about the multiplex value of your land or looking to partner on a missing-middle build, we're here to start the conversation.