Design-Build · Burnaby
Burnaby Mountain Residence
Location
Burnaby
Year
2023
Size
4,800 sq ft
Duration
14 months
About This Project
A complete vision, realized without compromise.
The Burnaby Mountain Residence began as a concept sketch on a napkin — the clients' architect had moved abroad mid-project and they needed a partner who could inherit that vision, refine it, and build it without the usual translation loss between design and construction.
Our design-build process proved ideal for this handoff. We absorbed the original drawings, conducted a rigorous constructability review, and returned to the clients with a refined set of documents that preserved every meaningful design intention while eliminating approximately $180,000 in unnecessary complexity. The kitchen, for example, originally specified a custom millwork system requiring four subcontractors. We consolidated it to one specialist, improving both quality and timeline.
The home's defining feature is a 22-foot-tall entry atrium with a floating steel staircase — a detail we insisted on keeping despite early value-engineering pressure. Standing in that space, you understand immediately why it was worth fighting for.
Challenges & Solutions
Challenge
Inheriting a partially-designed project mid-stream meant reconciling two years of client expectations with a construction budget that had shifted significantly since the original drawings were made.
Solution
We restructured the project delivery around a fast-track design-build process, running structural engineering in parallel with architectural refinement. A dedicated cost model was updated weekly throughout design, eliminating budget surprises entirely and allowing the clients to make informed trade-off decisions in real time.
Photography
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