Infill & Multiplex

Multiplex Builder, Vancouver R1-1

Vancouver has allowed multiplexes for long enough that the rules are settled and the arithmetic is known. Up to six homes on a lot, eight if every one is secured rental, at a floor space ratio of 1.0. The question is not whether you are allowed. It is whether your frontage makes it worth doing.

Ask about your lot →

In force, not proposed

Everything on this page is current City of Vancouver R1-1 zoning, in effect now. That is unlike West Vancouver, where the equivalent rules are still a proposed bylaw going to council on 21 September 2026. The West Vancouver situation, explained →

What R1-1 actually permits

R1-1 is the zone that replaced most of Vancouver's single-family zoning. The unit count you are allowed is not a single number. It steps up with the size and, more importantly, the width of your lot.

Homes	Minimum site area	Minimum frontage	In feet
3 to 4	306 m²	10.0 m	about 3,290 ft² and 32.8 ft
5	464 m²	13.4 m	about 4,990 ft² and 44.0 ft
6 to 8	557 m²	15.1 m	about 6,000 ft² and 49.5 ft

The ceiling depends on tenure. Six homes is the maximum for a normal strata or freehold project. Eight is possible only where the whole building is secured as 100 per cent residential rental. That is a different business, with different financing and no unit sales, and most owners who look at eight end up building six.

Floor space ratio for a multiple dwelling of three to eight units is 1.0. For everything else in the zone it is 0.6, and 0.7 for a duplex with a secondary suite. Height is 11.5 m and three storeys for the front building and 8.5 m and two storeys for a rear building.

Frontage is the whole decision

The standard Vancouver lot is 33 feet by 122 feet, about 4,026 ft². Run that through the table and something uncomfortable appears.

Lot	Homes permitted	Total floor area at 1.0 FSR	Average home	Verdict
33 ft standard 4,026 ft²	4	4,026 ft²	about 1,000 ft²	Legal, tight, and often marginal
44 ft 5,368 ft²	5	5,368 ft²	about 1,070 ft²	The first size that usually works
50 ft 6,100 ft²	6, or 8 all-rental	6,100 ft²	about 1,020 ft²	Where the economics get comfortable

Notice that the average home barely changes. Floor space ratio is a ratio, so a wider lot does not give you bigger homes, it gives you more of them across the same fixed costs. Excavation, servicing, the crane, the site setup, the consultants and the permit process cost close to the same whether you are building four homes or six. Spreading that over six is a materially different project from spreading it over four.

This is why the honest answer to "can I build a multiplex on my Vancouver lot" is usually yes, and the honest answer to "should I" is usually "not on 33 feet, unless you are keeping one and the numbers are personal rather than commercial." If the lot next door is available, the frontage question and the whole project change at once.

Vancouver against the North Shore

We build on both sides of the water and the two markets fail in opposite ways.

Vancouver's constraint is geometry. The rules are generous, in force and well understood, and the ground is mostly flat with a lane behind. What limits you is a 33-foot lot and a floor space ratio that will not stretch. You know within a minute of looking at the title whether the project is worth pursuing.

The North Shore's constraint is the site and the process. Lots are large and often generous on paper, then slope, rock, no lane, trees, drainage and servicing turn a small building into a large project. In the District of North Vancouver, where coach houses have been permitted for years, only a handful have actually been built.

Which is a long way of saying that a Vancouver multiplex is a feasibility question you answer with a tape measure, and a North Shore infill project is one you answer by walking the site. North Vancouver, both municipalities → · All infill and multiplex work →

Two measurements, frontage and site area, decide the unit ceiling.

What it costs to build

Our construction cost for new multi-unit work currently runs $450 to $650 per square foot. A Vancouver multiplex on a flat lot with a lane usually sits nearer the lower half of that range than a North Shore project does, because access is straightforward, the excavation is predictable and you are building one continuous form.

On the three lots above that is roughly $1.8M to $2.6M of construction on a 33-foot lot, $2.4M to $3.5M on 44 feet, and $2.7M to $4.0M on 50 feet. Divided by homes, that is about $450,000 to $650,000 of construction per home in every case, which is the point: the per-home construction cost barely moves, so the project economics are decided by how many homes you can put the fixed costs across and what they sell or rent for.

The range covers construction only. It excludes land, City of Vancouver permit fees and development cost charges, which are significant here and should be confirmed with the City for your specific project, plus design and consultants, survey, financing, marketing and landscaping. Underground parking, if you build it, is a separate and substantial cost.

It is a planning range for deciding whether to keep going. The number we stand behind is the fixed price we give once the design is complete.

How we work

Frontage and area first. Two measurements tell you the unit ceiling. We do that before anything else, because it decides whether there is a project at all.
A number, early. A construction range and a permit timeline before drawings, so the design is calibrated to the budget rather than the other way round.
Design and approvals. Drawings, the reports the City needs, and the submission, coordinated with your consultants or ours.
Fixed price and build. Priced from a complete design, with performance bonding available on qualifying projects, $5M general liability, WorkSafeBC coverage and a written workmanship warranty.

Eurohouse has been a licensed BC general contractor since 2009, building custom homes, multi-unit housing and renovations across Vancouver and the North Shore.

Vancouver multiplexes: common questions

How many units can I build on a Vancouver R1-1 lot?

Three or four homes need a site of at least 306 m² with 10.0 m of frontage. Five needs 464 m² and 13.4 m. Six to eight needs 557 m² and 15.1 m. Six is the maximum for a strata or freehold project. Eight is only available where the entire building is secured as 100 per cent residential rental.

Can I build a multiplex on a standard 33-foot lot?

Yes. A 33 by 122 foot lot is about 4,026 ft² with 10.06 m of frontage, which clears the threshold for four homes. At a floor space ratio of 1.0 that is 4,026 ft² of total floor area, so roughly 1,000 ft² per home. It is legal and it is tight, and whether it is worth doing depends on what those homes are worth in your neighbourhood against the fixed cost of the project.

What is the floor space ratio in R1-1?

1.0 for a multiple dwelling of three to eight units. For other uses in the zone it is 0.6, and 0.7 for a duplex with a secondary suite. Because it is a ratio, a bigger lot gives you more homes rather than bigger ones.

How tall can a Vancouver multiplex be?

11.5 m and three storeys for the front building, and 8.5 m and two storeys for a rear building. The rear building is deliberately held lower.

Is eight units worth it?

Only if you want to be a landlord. Eight is available solely where the whole building is secured as 100 per cent residential rental, so there are no unit sales, the financing is different and you are holding an asset rather than developing and exiting. Most owners who start at eight end up at six.

What does a Vancouver multiplex cost to build?

Our construction cost for new multi-unit work runs $450 to $650 per square foot, with a flat Vancouver lot with lane access usually in the lower half of that range. On a 33-foot lot that is roughly $1.8M to $2.6M, on 44 feet roughly $2.4M to $3.5M, and on 50 feet roughly $2.7M to $4.0M. It excludes land, City fees and development cost charges, consultants, financing and landscaping.

How is this different from West Vancouver?

Vancouver's rules are in force. West Vancouver's equivalent, Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 5446, goes to first, second and third reading on 21 September 2026 and still requires Ministry of Transportation and Transit approval before it can be adopted. West Vancouver would also allow a townhouse assembly at a 1.2 floor area ratio across two or more combined lots, which has no direct Vancouver equivalent in R1-1.

Do you build multiplexes in Vancouver?

Yes. Eurohouse is a licensed BC general contractor working on fixed-price contracts, with performance bonding available on qualifying projects, across Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Whistler, Squamish and Lions Bay.

Send us the frontage and the address

Two measurements tell us your unit ceiling, and the address tells us the rest. We will confirm what R1-1 allows on your lot, what it would realistically cost to build, and whether the project is worth pursuing, before anyone draws anything.

Ask about your lot → Infill & Multiplex →

Sources and status. Unit thresholds, site area and frontage minimums, floor space ratios and height limits are from the City of Vancouver Zoning and Development By-law, R1-1 District Schedule. Lot arithmetic on this page is our own calculation from those figures and is illustrative, not an approved scheme for any specific property. Zoning changes, and site-specific conditions, development permit areas, heritage designations and covenants can all affect what is achievable. This page is general information, not planning, legal or design advice. Confirm current requirements and fees with the City of Vancouver before making decisions. Last updated 1 September 2026.