What Does a Renovation Cost in Vancouver? Real Projects, Real Numbers

Kitchen renovation we completed in Vancouver view the price & scope details here

Here's what renovations actually cost in Vancouver: the ranges we see across our work, and the real projects behind them.

What to expect: cost ranges by scope

Based on our completed projects across Greater Vancouver, here's how renovation costs break down by scope type. All figures are on a per-square-foot basis: interior renovations use renovated area as the denominator; projects that include exterior work use total home size.

Interior renovations: $200-$350/sq ft

This range covers projects confined to the interior of the home: kitchens, bathrooms, full floor renovations, and whole-home interior gut renovations. Where you land within this range depends heavily on the mix of spaces (kitchens and bathrooms cost far more per square foot than open living areas), the finish level you choose, and what is discovered behind the walls once demo begins.

Interior + exterior renovations: $350-$450/sq ft

Once exterior scope is added: new siding, windows, insulation, patio doors, or patio work, the range steps up. Exterior work carries its own material and labour costs that don't follow the same logic as interior renovation. Material choices here can move the number considerably. The spread between fibre cement siding and clear cedar, or between standard and high-performance aluminum windows, is meaningful at scale across a full home exterior.

Interior + exterior + landscaping: $450-$550/sq ft+

Adding landscaping introduces a variable that is difficult to pin to a square footage figure. Landscaping is effectively an allowance: a modest patio refresh and plantings is a very different investment than a full landscape design with drainage, hardscaping, and irrigation. The range above reflects a typical landscaping allowance on a whole-home project; the upper end can move significantly depending on what the client wants to achieve outdoors.

Full home with additions or major structural work: $550+/sq ft

This tier applies to projects where the scope extends to adding square footage or undertaking structural work of a scale that effectively rebuilds the home from the ground up. These projects are typically undertaken when existing zoning doesn't permit a larger footprint than the existing building, or when there is another reason to retain the existing structure rather than demolish and rebuild.

Why cost per square foot still needs qualification

Even within these tiers, per-square-foot figures need two qualifications before you apply them to your own project.

The denominator matters.

When a contractor says a renovation cost "$250 per square foot," are they dividing the total project cost by the renovated area, or by the total size of the home? Those are very different figures. A renovation on a 2,300 sq ft home where only the main floor was touched looks very different depending on which number you use. We'll be clear about which figure we're using for each project below.

Not all square footage costs the same.

A kitchen packs more cost per square foot than almost any other space in a home: cabinetry, countertops, appliances, plumbing, electrical, ventilation, and tile all compete for the same footprint. An open living area requiring new flooring, finish carpentry, and paint is a fraction of that cost at identical square footage. Mixing these scopes in one project makes per-square-foot averages almost meaningless without context.

Finishes compound this further. Flooring, tile, fixtures, cabinetry, and appliances all span an enormous range. You can spend $400 on a toilet or $8,000. An appliance package can run $10,000 or well over $65,000. Neither is wrong; they are different choices for different homeowners. Our job is to build what you select to the same standard regardless of price point, and to give you honest guidance on what different choices typically cost so you can decide for yourself.

With those caveats stated, here are six projects we've completed, what they cost, and why.

Legal suite conversion

East Vancouver Basement Suite

Cost at completion: $197,500   Estimated cost today: ~$225,000

Completed 2023 · 1,100 sq ft · ~$205/sq ft (total suite area)

A full legal basement suite conversion: two bedrooms, one bathroom, new kitchen, separate entry, plus a new powder room and laundry area added upstairs for the homeowners. The suite needed to meet the City of Vancouver's requirements for a legal secondary dwelling: separate entry, egress windows, fire separation, dedicated electrical, and a dedicated heat source.

At ~$205/sq ft on total suite area this sits at the lower end of the interior renovation band, which reflects the scope. A basement suite is largely framing, drywall, flooring, and a kitchen and bathroom that are functional rather than high-end. The complexity here was largely technical rather than finish-driven.

The sewer line inside the house wasn't low enough to allow drainage for the new bathroom and kitchen, so we re-graded the line all the way to the city connection to make it work. The existing mechanical room sat inside the planned suite footprint and had to be properly separated. The basement slab was uneven and in places too low for habitable space; we lowered portions of the slab to level out the floor and achieve the headroom required by code. The existing ductwork servicing the upper floor ran through the basement ceiling and compromised headspace, so we reconfigured it to maintain service upstairs while clearing the ceiling for the suite below. And asbestos was found in the drywall, requiring a certified hazmat contractor to handle selective demolition, removing only what was necessary to keep costs down rather than doing a full gut.

A legal basement suite in Vancouver generates $1,800-$2,800 per month in rental income depending on size and location. At those returns, the renovation investment pays for itself.

Partial home renovations

East Vancouver Home — Main Floor Renovation

Cost at completion: $260,000   Estimated cost today: ~$310,000

Completed 2022 · 964 sq ft renovated · ~$270/sq ft at completion · ~$321/sq ft today

A main floor transformation on a 2,300 sq ft detached home: load-bearing wall removed to create an open-concept layout, new kitchen with island, bathroom reconfigured, new flooring throughout including stairs, gas fireplace added. The renovation covered 964 sq ft: the full main floor, leaving the upper level untouched.

At ~$270/sq ft on renovated area at completion, this sits in the middle of the $200-$350/sq ft range for interior renovations, which reflects the scope: a structural change, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a full main-floor refinish running simultaneously under one contract.

The bathroom reconfiguration required borrowing space from an oversized adjacent closet, the only way to make it functional without a larger structural intervention. The floor structure underneath needed upgrading, but the finished ceiling below couldn't be touched. We resolved it entirely from the top side.

Full interior renovations

Olympic Village Condo

Cost at completion: $263,000 Estimated cost today: ~$340,000

Completed 2021 · 1,369 sq ft renovated · ~$192/sq ft at completion · ~$248/sq ft today

A full interior renovation of a 1,369 sq ft condo: new kitchen, two bathrooms, a full living room feature wall, fireplace installation, A/C installation, and sprinkler reconfiguration.

The living room was anchored by a floor-to-ceiling custom millwork wall incorporating a custom tiled gas fireplace: a centrepiece that required both a skilled millworker and a tile setter working in close coordination. The kitchen featured Fisher and Paykel appliances, a large island, and quartz countertops and backsplash throughout. The primary ensuite was built to a high finish: extensive custom tile work with mitered edges and Kohler fixtures throughout. Mitered tile edges require precision cutting and significantly more labour than standard tile installation.

At ~$192/sq ft at completion (approximately $248/sq ft in today's dollars), this sits in the middle of the interior band. Given the finish level, that's a strong result: Kohler fixtures, Fisher and Paykel appliances, mitered tile, and a full millwork feature wall would push many projects toward the top of the range.

Condo renovations involve layers that house renovations don't. Sprinkler systems in multi-unit buildings are tied to fire code: whenever walls are removed or heat sources like fireplaces are added, sprinkler coverage has to be reconfigured for the new layout and resubmitted for inspection. That work requires coordinating building shutdowns that affect other residents, not just this unit. A/C installation requires both mechanical and electrical work and often involves routing through spaces shared with the building. Strata approval, elevator bookings for material delivery, and work-hours restrictions all affect scheduling and trade efficiency in ways that show up in the total cost.

Downtown Vancouver Townhouse

Cost at completion: $374,000

Completed 2024 · 1,250 sq ft · $299/sq ft (total unit size)

A full interior gut of a 1,250 sq ft townhouse: kitchen, two bathrooms, herringbone flooring throughout, custom millwork throughout, glass guardrail with LED-lit handrail on the staircase, and walls removed for an open layout. The clients wanted higher ceilings in the kitchen, which required re-routing all building services: plumbing, sprinklers, and main water lines that had been running through the existing dropped ceiling.

The main floor layout was fundamentally rethought. The existing powder room was removed, but it occupied a space designated by the City as a required 40 sq ft storage room, meaning the storage function had to be relocated before the powder room could go. That space was then absorbed into the dining area, creating room for a custom bar and a more generous dining space. Custom millwork runs through the project: the kitchen, the new bar area, and the upstairs hallway.

The main floor ceiling was dropped to allow for integrated lighting throughout: a clean, considered finish that required working within the constraints of a concrete structure. The staircase was rebuilt as a design feature, with a custom glass guardrail and LED-lit handrail that anchors the visual centrepiece of the unit.

The ensuite was redesigned from the ground up: the separate bathtub and shower were removed to make way for a double vanity and a new walk-in shower, with full tile walls throughout. Both bathrooms feature heated floors. The result is a spa-like primary bathroom that uses the space far more intentionally than the original layout allowed.

The client wanted a powered kitchen island, but the existing concrete slab had no electrical access at that location. We brought in a structural engineer to confirm feasibility, a concrete scanning crew to identify safe channels, channeled the concrete to spec, ran power, and finished with a steel plate.

This project was selected as a finalist in two of BC's premier industry award programs: the 2026 Georgie Awards (Best Condo Residential Renovation $275,000-$475,000), presented by the Canadian Home Builders' Association BC, and the 2026 HAVAN Awards for Housing Excellence (Best Renovation: Under $400,000). Both programs use peer-reviewed judging panels drawing from award-winning builders and renovators across Canada.

Full home renovations

Burnaby Full Home Renovation

Cost at completion: $602,500

Completed 2024 · 2,600 sq ft · $232/sq ft (total home size)

A full interior renovation of a 2,600 sq ft detached home: open-concept main floor created using steel beams, kitchen rebuilt, 4.5 bathrooms fully renovated, new Hi-Velocity HVAC with HEPA filtration, new high-efficiency combi boiler, all plumbing replaced (the home had Poly-B pipe throughout, in both domestic water and in-floor heating), structural repairs to a sagging main floor and deflecting upper-floor joists, staircase refresh, and folding patio doors installed to connect the main living space to the outdoors.

At $232/sq ft on total home size, the figure sits toward the lower end of the interior band, but the composition of the project explains why. The 2,600 sq ft includes large open spaces: three bedrooms, a playroom downstairs, a living and dining room, and a family room that required primarily flooring, trim, and paint. Those areas cost a fraction per square foot of what the kitchens and bathrooms cost. When you average high-intensity spaces like 4.5 bathrooms and a full kitchen rebuild against lower-intensity spaces like large open rooms, the blended $/sq ft naturally lands lower than a project concentrated entirely on kitchens and bathrooms. More significantly, a meaningful portion of the budget went into mechanical and structural work: replacing Poly-B plumbing, installing a new HVAC system, repairing sagging floors. This work doesn't translate into visible finishes but is essential and expensive.

You can't see a replaced plumbing system. You can't see upgraded floor joists. But both cost real money, and both needed to be done.

This project also illustrates what previous unpermitted or poorly executed renovations can leave behind. The main floor had settled nearly 2 inches because a previous renovation had left inadequate support beneath, a deficiency that had to be engineered and repaired before anything else could proceed. The upper floor joists were sagging up to 1.5 inches, originally designed to carry a concrete topping that was never added. The roof was leaking. None of this was visible before demo. All of it was addressed with engineered solutions before construction continued.

Cambie Corridor — Whole-Home Renovation with Exterior and Landscaping

Cost at completion: $1,200,000

Completed 2026 · 2,500 sq ft · ~$480/sq ft (total home size)

A comprehensive whole-home renovation of a 2,500 sq ft home in the Cambie Corridor, combined with significant exterior work and landscaping. The scope touched every system and every room in the house.

The existing brick fireplace, a large masonry structure positioned in the middle of the home, was demolished, opening up the floor plan considerably. In its place, a new gas fireplace was installed in a purpose-built bump-out addition. The bump-out sits within the limiting distance to the property line, which under the BC Building Code required non-combustible construction throughout: steel stud framing with cement board siding rather than standard wood framing. That requirement adds meaningful cost over a conventional wood-frame addition of the same size, and isn't something that can be value-engineered around.

Walls were opened up throughout using both steel and wood beams; flush beams were used strategically in key areas to maximize ceiling and door heights rather than dropping below them. The staircase was reconfigured as part of the layout changes.

The kitchen was fully rebuilt. Three bathrooms were renovated: two were relocated to entirely new positions in the home, requiring new plumbing rough-in and framing from scratch, while the ensuite was reconfigured and completely rebuilt. A new laundry room was added.

Mechanical systems were replaced in full: a new Hi-Velocity HVAC system, a new combi boiler, an upgrade to 200A electrical service, and a dedicated new mechanical room to house it all properly. The home was essentially re-plumbed throughout: new supply and drain lines running to the relocated bathrooms, new kitchen, and new laundry room. The mechanical layout was planned from the outset to eliminate forced-air drops throughout the home. The only ductwork visible in the finished space is a small 6-inch perimeter drop around the outside of the basement. In most renovations of this scale, bulkheads are an accepted compromise. Here they were designed out entirely.

As with several older homes we renovate, previous work on this house had left structural deficiencies that had to be identified and corrected before the renovation could proceed.

The Cambie Corridor is a neighbourhood where land values support this level of investment. A fully renovated home of this calibre in this location justifies the budget in a way that a comparable project in a lower-value market might not.

What actually drives renovation costs in Vancouver

Scope concentration.

A kitchen or bathroom costs more per square foot than almost any other space. An open living area with new flooring and paint costs a fraction of the same square footage in a kitchen. When you're planning a budget, the mix of spaces matters as much as the total area.

What's behind the walls.

Older homes in Greater Vancouver, particularly pre-1990 construction, regularly contain Poly-B plumbing, knob-and-tube wiring, asbestos in drywall or flooring, and structural deficiencies from previous unpermitted work. None of this is visible before demolition. All of it has to be addressed properly when it's found. We recommend a contingency reserve of 10-15% of total project cost, with older homes toward the higher end.

Finish level.

Materials span an enormous range and the choice belongs to you. Our role is to give you honest guidance on what different choices cost and to build whatever you select to the same standard.

Building type.

Condos and townhouses in strata buildings add coordination complexity that detached homes don't have: strata approvals, building system shutdowns, sprinkler reconfigurations, elevator logistics, and work-hours restrictions. These affect scheduling and trade efficiency in ways that show up in the total cost.

Permits and engineering.

Most meaningful renovations in Vancouver require building permits. Permit fees, drawing costs, and engineering fees are real line items. If your renovation involves removing walls, upgrading electrical, rerouting plumbing, or touching any structural element, permits are not optional.

When the project was completed.

Construction costs in Metro Vancouver have increased significantly since 2020. A project completed in 2021 for $263,000 would cost approximately $340,000 today. When you're using completed projects as reference points, including the ones in this post, always check the year and adjust your expectations accordingly.

A note on these figures

All costs shown are total project costs including labour, materials, subtrades, permits, engineering, and Roka's management fee. Projects completed before 2024 include an estimated current-dollar equivalent based on construction cost changes over the intervening period. Those estimates are directional, not quotes.

These figures are starting points for calibrating expectations. The only accurate budget for your renovation is one built from your actual drawings, your actual scope, and current quotes from the trades who will do the work.

If you're planning a renovation and want to understand what it's likely to cost, get in touch at rokaprojects.ca/contact.