Custom Home Builder in Burnaby, BC
Kyrax Developments builds custom homes in Burnaby as a BC Housing licensed residential builder, licence #57802. Burnaby sets a higher carbon bar for a new house than the Province does: its Building Bylaw requires Step 3 of the Energy Step Code and EL-4, zero carbon performance, where the provincial baseline for most new buildings is EL-1. Replacing an old house also brings a demolition permit, an approved waste diversion plan before any demolition, and development charges set per primary dwelling unit.
A custom home, lot to handover.
Lot, trees & Engineering
The Engineering pre-application approval, a sealed topographical survey, and the protected-tree survey the City wants with demolition and building applications.
Licence & warranty
The home registered and enrolled in home warranty insurance by the licensed builder before the building permit, as BC Housing sets out for a custom-home contract.
Demolition & waste diversion
The demolition permit alongside the building permit, an approved waste diversion plan first, and every old structure gone before new construction starts.
Step 3 & EL-4
A house designed to Burnaby’s energy and zero carbon requirement, with the pre-construction compliance checklist for each building.
Structure & envelope
Structural and geotechnical letters of assurance from a P.Eng, and the envelope and systems the energy requirement calls for.
Charges & handover
Development and amenity cost charges at the building permit, the inspections, and the occupancy and warranty documents at handover.
What the City requires, and in what order.
Burnaby puts Engineering before the building application, a waste plan before demolition, and its development charges on the building permit, so a new-house schedule here is built around those gates.
| Stage | What Burnaby requires | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| The application | The R1 application for new single-family and duplex dwellings, made online; a house needing more than 200 amps uses the City’s other stream | New Home Construction; R1 new single-family and duplex checklist, revised July 2026 |
| Engineering first | Engineering pre-application approvals before the building application; complete submissions typically about 15 business days to review, in the City’s words | New Home Construction |
| Professionals | Structural and geotechnical Schedule B letters from a P.Eng, a sealed topographical survey no more than 12 months old, and an ISA Certified Arborist report | R1 new single-family and duplex checklist |
| Overhead power | A BC Hydro overhead clearance checklist and elevation diagram, signed and sealed by a P.Eng | R1 new single-family and duplex checklist |
| Energy | Step 3 of the Energy Step Code and EL-4 of the Zero Carbon Step Code for Part 9 applications from January 1, 2025, with a pre-construction compliance checklist per building | Building Bylaw 2016 s.9B(2)(d); Step Code bulletin, May 27, 2025 |
| Development permit | Generally not required on R1 lots; a Streamside Protection and Enhancement Development Permit may be | Development Planning |
| Demolition | A demolition permit and a building permit when an existing house is replaced; an approved waste diversion plan before any demolition permit issues | Demolition Permit guide, September 25, 2024; Waste Diversion Bylaw 14461 s.4.2 |
| After demolition | A waste diversion compliance report within 90 days after the demolition is completed | Waste Diversion Bylaw 14461 s.5.2 |
| Old structures and services | All services located and disconnected first; every structure being demolished, including foundations, walls and pools, removed before new construction; storm and sanitary abandonment $1,419 each | Demolition Permit guide; Fees and Charges Bylaw 14485, Schedule C7 |
| Trees | A survey of protected trees with demolition and building applications; permits wait for the tree permit and approved fencing, which goes up before demolition | Tree Permits with Development bulletin; Tree Bylaw s.8(d) |
| Licence and warranty | A licensed residential builder, who registers and enrols the home in a custom-home contract; the registration form comes before the building permit | BC Housing |
| Development charges | Low Density Residential, per primary dwelling unit or lot: $54,870 development cost charges plus $26,963 amenity cost charge, collected at building permit issuance; suites not counted | DCC Bylaw 14645; ACC Bylaw 14646; Development Funding Program; DCC and ACC for SSMUH guide |
| Damage deposit | $8,177 for single or two family dwelling construction, no interest payable | Fees and Charges Bylaw 14485 |
| City property | No construction on City property, sidewalks or lanes; bins and site trailers kept off City property | Engineering Approval Terms and Conditions; Traffic Control Permit |
| Permit life | A permit expires if work is not started within 90 days of issue, unless extended | Building Bylaw 2016 s.18(1)(a) |
| Inspections | Requests received before 3 p.m. on a business day booked for the next business day where the City can | Building Inspections |
| Major renovations | Removing more than 75% of the structure above the foundation makes the building new: BC Housing registration and current code | Building Permit Conditions, condition 9 |
| Pre-reviewed designs | The Housing Design Library is not accepting new designs, and its designs are not expedited or automatically approved | Housing Design Library |
Sources: City of Burnaby, New Home Construction, the R1 new single-family and duplex checklist, Building Bylaw 2016, the Part 9 Step Code bulletin, Development Planning, the Demolition Permit guide, Construction and Demolition Waste Diversion Bylaw No. 14461, Consolidated Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 14485, Development Cost Charges Bylaw No. 14645, Amenity Cost Charges Bylaw, Development Funding Program, the DCC and ACC for SSMUH guide, Tree Bylaw, Tree Permits with Development, Engineering Approval Terms and Conditions, Traffic Control Permit, Building Inspections, Building Permit Conditions and Housing Design Library; BC Housing, Builder Licensing and Register a New Home; Province of British Columbia, Zero Carbon Step Code.
From Engineering to warranty handover.
Lot, trees & Engineering
The Engineering pre-application, the topographical and tree surveys, and what the lot’s overhead lines and services mean for the design.
Design, energy & registration
A design to Step 3 and EL-4, the engineers’ letters and checklist documents, and the home registered with BC Housing.
Demolition & waste diversion
The waste diversion plan, services disconnected, trees fenced, the old house and foundations removed, and the compliance report after.
Building permit & charges
The development and amenity cost charges and damage deposit at issue, then work started well inside the 90-day window.
Construction & handover
Construction kept off City property, inspections booked a business day ahead, then occupancy and the warranty package.
What's different about building here.
Burnaby’s Building Bylaw asks new Part 9 homes for EL-4, zero carbon performance, where the Province’s baseline for most new buildings is EL-1.
No demolition without an approved waste diversion plan, and a compliance report within 90 days after the demolition is done.
A new house pays $54,870 in development cost charges and $26,963 in amenity cost charges per primary dwelling unit, with suites not counted and credit for construction removed.
A Burnaby permit expires if the work has not started within 90 days of issue, unless it is extended.
No two custom homes price the same.
We don't publish a price per square foot for a Burnaby custom home, because the lot, the form of housing and the energy level move the number too far for a single figure to be honest. These are the factors that move it.
House or duplex
Development charges are set per primary dwelling unit, so a duplex counts two primary units where a house with a suite counts one.
Demolition & diversion
The demolition, the waste diversion plan and report, removing foundations and pools, and abandoning old services.
Step 3 & EL-4
Burnaby’s energy and zero carbon requirement drives the envelope, the mechanical systems and the modelling behind them.
Development & amenity charges
Paid when the building permit issues, alongside the damage deposit.
Permits & replacements
Protected trees from 20.3 cm, a tree permit before demolition, and one to three replacement trees for each tree removed.
Engineering & the 90-day start
The Engineering review ahead of the application, and a construction start inside the permit’s 90-day window.
Answers before you ask.
Yes. BC Housing says a general contractor, developer or building envelope renovator who wants to build a new home in B.C. must first become a licensed residential builder, and that in a custom-home contract the general contractor is the licensed party who registers and enrols the home, not the homeowner. A New Home Registration Form, as proof of licensing and home warranty insurance, is needed before a building permit can be obtained. Kyrax Developments Ltd. holds BC Housing Residential Builder Licence #57802, in good standing, as a General Contractor and Developer; verify it on the BC Housing Licence Registry. Sources: BC Housing, Builder Licensing and Register a New Home, verified September 2026.
More than the provincial baseline on carbon. Burnaby’s Building Bylaw requires Step 3 of the Energy Step Code and emission level EL-4 of the Zero Carbon Step Code for Part 9 building permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2025, and the City’s bulletin applies that to residential buildings of up to 3 storeys and 600 m² of building area, which covers a custom house. The Province’s own requirement, from March 10, 2025, is that most new buildings meet or exceed EL-1. A new house application includes a pre-construction Step Code compliance checklist for each building on the lot. Sources: City of Burnaby, Building Bylaw 2016, section 9B(2)(d), the Energy & Zero Carbon Step Code (Part 9 Buildings) bulletin (revised May 27, 2025) and the R1 new single-family and duplex checklist; Province of British Columbia, Zero Carbon Step Code, verified September 2026.
An Engineering approval first, then a long checklist. The City requires Engineering pre-application approvals before a building application and says complete pre-application submissions typically take about 15 business days to review. The application itself goes online, and the City’s July 2026 checklist for new single-family and duplex dwellings asks for structural and geotechnical Schedule B letters of assurance sealed by a P.Eng, a sealed topographical survey no more than 12 months old, an arborist report by an ISA Certified Arborist, a Step Code compliance checklist, and a BC Hydro overhead clearance checklist and elevation diagram signed and sealed by a P.Eng. A house needing more than 200 amps of electrical service uses the City’s other application stream. Sources: City of Burnaby, New Home Construction and the R1 new single-family and duplex checklist, verified September 2026.
Two permits and a waste plan. The City says that to demolish an existing house and build a new one you need a demolition permit and a building permit, and an approved waste diversion plan is required before any demolition permit issues; the Construction and Demolition Waste Diversion Bylaw has applied to single and two family dwellings since March 1, 2023, bars demolition without an approved plan, and wants a compliance report within 90 days after the demolition is finished. Before applying, owners should contact WorkSafeBC about a hazardous materials assessment, and the owner or contractor must locate and disconnect all services first. Every structure being demolished, including concrete foundations, walls and swimming pools, has to be gone before new construction starts. Sources: City of Burnaby, Demolition Permit guide (revised September 25, 2024) and Construction and Demolition Waste Diversion Bylaw No. 14461, sections 3.1, 4.2 and 5.2, verified September 2026.
Burnaby charges a new house as Low Density Residential, a single building with no more than two primary dwelling units and any secondary suites. The rates are $54,870 in development cost charges and $26,963 in amenity cost charges per primary dwelling unit or lot, $81,833 combined in the City’s rate table effective July 1, 2024. The City’s guide says only primary units are charged at low density, so a suite is not counted, and that credit is given for existing construction removed from the site. Both charges are collected when the building permit is issued. Sources: City of Burnaby, Development Cost Charges Bylaw No. 14645, Amenity Cost Charges Bylaw (consolidated), Development Funding Program, the DCC and ACC for SSMUH developments guide and New Home Construction, verified September 2026.
Only under a tree permit, and protected trees start small. On a property with a development application, any tree 20.3 cm in diameter or more is protected, and demolition and building applications in R1 need a survey showing every protected tree on the lot. Demolition or building permits are not issued until the tree permit is issued, its fees are paid and any tree protection fence is installed and approved, and the fences have to go up before demolition starts. Removed trees are replaced by size: one for a tree from 20.3 to 30.5 cm, two from 30.5 to 61 cm, and three at 61 cm or more. Sources: City of Burnaby, Tree Bylaw, section 8, the Tree Permits with Development bulletin and Tree removal and replacement, verified September 2026.
On our projects, a custom home runs 12 to 18 months from permit to handover. That is our own clock, and it starts once the permit is in hand. Before it, the City says complete Engineering pre-application submissions typically take about 15 business days to review; after it, the Building Bylaw lets a permit expire if the work is not started within 90 days of issue, unless extended, and the City tries to book inspections requested before 3 p.m. for the next business day. Sources: City of Burnaby, New Home Construction, Building Bylaw 2016, section 18(1)(a), and Building Inspections, verified September 2026.
Not through the City’s library. Burnaby’s Housing Design Library is not accepting new designs, and the City says all of its designs still require a building permit application, which will not be expedited or automatically approved. A custom house goes through the regular new-home application. Source: City of Burnaby, Housing Design Library, verified September 2026.
A damage deposit and a clear line at the property. Burnaby’s fees bylaw sets a damage deposit of $8,177 for single or two family dwelling construction, with no interest paid on it, and the same amount for an addition or demolition. The City’s engineering approval terms say no construction takes place on City property, including sidewalks and lanes, and its traffic control page says garbage bins and site trailers should not be placed on City property. Where old services are abandoned, storm and sanitary service connection abandonment is $1,419 each. Sources: City of Burnaby, Consolidated Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 14485, Engineering Approval Terms and Conditions and Traffic Control Permit, verified September 2026.
Yes, through the same application. The City’s R1 checklist covers new single-family and duplex dwellings together, and Low Density Residential takes in a building with up to two primary dwelling units and any secondary suites. Two things change with the form: the City places a condition to reserve space for a transformer on projects with more than 3 dwelling units, which includes every duplex with secondary suites, and its optional AI PreCheck opened to duplexes on July 2, 2026. Sources: City of Burnaby, R1 new single-family and duplex checklist, Amenity Cost Charges Bylaw, New Home Construction and AI PreCheck, verified September 2026.
When most of the structure goes. The City’s building permit conditions say that if more than 75% of the existing structure above the existing foundation is removed, the building will be considered new: a BC Housing New Home Registration Form must be submitted, and the building must be upgraded to comply with the current BC Building Code and City bylaws. Source: City of Burnaby, Building Permit Conditions, condition 9, verified September 2026.
Yes to both. Kyrax Developments Ltd. holds BC Housing Residential Builder Licence #57802, in good standing, as a General Contractor and Developer; verify it on the BC Housing Licence Registry. Laneway homes in Burnaby are covered on our Burnaby laneway home page, renovations on our Burnaby home renovations page, and custom homes elsewhere on our Surrey and Langley pages.
Ready to build your home?
We start with a walkthrough, a scope document, and a straight answer on which permits and approvals apply. Initial consultations are complimentary.
Start a project