Luxury Renovations
A renovation is not a simplified new build. In many ways it’s the harder job.
Working inside walls you didn’t build, around structure you have to respect, to a standard the house already set.
Whole-home and major-system renovation
Kitchens, primary suites, structural reconfiguration and the quiet modernization of a home’s building systems, done on character-grade houses without losing the bones. Renovating a fine home asks for more restraint than a new build, not less: you’re matching what’s there, protecting the structure, and improving what the family actually lives in.
Working with your designer on a renovation
Existing conditions create constant field decisions, so documentation and fast answers matter even more than they do on a new build. We surface what’s behind the walls to the design team rather than quietly making the call ourselves, and we build to the drawings as drawn. We don’t design, we build for the people who do, and we credit them on the project.
We surface the surprises. We don’t bury them.
Award-grade kitchens
The kitchen is where a renovation is won or lost. Our work has been recognized with a Georgie Award for Best Single Family Kitchen and, more recently, as a HAVAN finalist for a kitchen renovation , judged by peers who understand the craft. The proof is in the joinery and the stone, not the brochure.
Adding to a home: additions and second storeys
When a family changes faster than its house, the answer is often more finished floor, a second storey, a rear addition, an in-law or secondary suite, a multi-generational reconfiguration. We treat it as structural reconfiguration of an estate, not a quick bump-out, and we know the ground beneath it: BC’s Bill 44 secondary-suite rules and the multi-generational households they’re built for.
Living-in or moving-out: our process
The promise is a simple one: no surprises. A single point of contact, documented site walkthroughs, decisions logged and shared, and joint sign-off on any change to a specified detail. The same transparency that lets a design team trust their work won’t drift is what lets a family trust the schedule and the budget.
Pre-construction and planning, value engineering done with the design team, construction with documented weekly walkthroughs, a collaborative punch list, and handover, then the warranty period, which we treat as part of the relationship, not the end of it.
Warranty and assurance
Every home is covered by BC’s 2-5-10 New Home Warranty, two years on materials and labour, five on the building envelope, ten on the structure, backed by a licensed third-party insurer. GD Nielsen is a Licensed Residential Builder, and our Avid Customer Choice recognition reflects a 100% client recommendation rate. The lived experience of the build is the part we’re judged on, and the part we protect.
Common questions
Will you work with our interior designer?
Yes, we build to the design team’s drawings and credit them on the project. There’s no in-house design here competing for the work; the relationship with your client stays yours.
Is renovating an older West Vancouver home harder than building new?
Often, yes. You’re working around structure you have to respect, matching a standard the house already set, and solving what you find behind the walls. It asks for more restraint, not less, which is the work we’re known for.
Can you renovate a kitchen to an award standard?
Yes. Our kitchens have earned a Georgie Award for Best Single Family Kitchen and a recent HAVAN finalist nod for a kitchen renovation. The work is in the joinery and the stone.
Can we add a second storey or an addition to our home?
Yes, framed as structural reconfiguration of the home rather than a bump-out, including in-law and secondary suites and multi-generational layouts under BC’s Bill 44. We’ll also tell you honestly when a tear-down and rebuild is the better move.
Should I renovate or rebuild my West Vancouver home?
It depends on the bones, the lot and what you want to change. A renovation protects an existing home’s character and is often the better move when the structure is sound; a tear-down and rebuild makes sense when the lot is extraordinary and the house has reached the end of its life. We’ll walk you through the trade-offs honestly, FSR, the tree bylaw, what you’d gain and what you’d lose, before either one commits.
Can we live in the home during the renovation?
Sometimes, it depends on the scope. Where it’s workable we plan occupancy, dust control and sequencing around your family and document it, so the disruption is managed rather than improvised.
How do you control cost and changes on a renovation?
Value engineering that protects the design, documented decisions, and joint sign-off on any change to a specified detail. The unknowns are surfaced to the design team, never quietly absorbed.
