The short answer
A basic professional office buildout in Vancouver runs $80 to $140 per square foot, while a design-forward creative office runs $150 to $250 or more. Commercial permit review through Development, Buildings and Licensing runs 6 to 10 weeks for a straightforward tenant improvement, and 8 to 16 weeks or longer for heritage buildings or a change-of-use application.
Heritage Commercial Renovations in Gastown and Chinatown
Gastown and Chinatown contain some of Vancouver's most compelling commercial spaces, and some of the most challenging to renovate. These heritage buildings, many dating to the 1890s and early 1900s, have unreinforced masonry walls, timber framing, limited ceiling heights, and building systems that predate modern code requirements by a century.
Renovating a heritage commercial space in Gastown triggers Heritage Commission review. The exterior of the building is typically protected, which means storefronts, signage, and any visible alterations need heritage approval. Interior work is less restricted, but structural modifications (adding mezzanines, removing walls, changing floor openings) may trigger seismic upgrade requirements under the BC Building Code.
We've built out restaurants, retail spaces, and creative offices in Gastown and Chinatown heritage buildings. The work requires trades who understand old-building construction and a project manager who can navigate the heritage review process efficiently. Permit timelines for heritage commercial work in Vancouver run 8 to 14 weeks: longer than non-heritage, but predictable if the submission is thorough.
Restaurant Buildouts Across Vancouver
Vancouver's restaurant scene is competitive, and the buildout quality matters: both for the dining experience and for operational efficiency. We've done restaurant buildouts from fast-casual concepts to full-service dining rooms across Main Street, Commercial Drive, Kitsilano, and the West Side.
Every restaurant buildout starts with the kitchen. The cooking equipment drives the ventilation requirements, the ventilation drives the ductwork routing, and the ductwork routing affects the ceiling plan in the dining room. Getting this sequence wrong (designing the dining room first and trying to fit the kitchen in afterward) is the most common mistake in restaurant construction. We plan the kitchen and mechanical systems first and design the front-of-house around them.
Restaurant permits in Vancouver require coordination between the building department, the fire department, and Vancouver Coastal Health. Liquor primary applications add another layer. We manage all of these reviews in parallel and build the schedule around the longest review timeline so one process doesn't hold up the others.
Office and Professional Space Buildouts
The office market in Vancouver is evolving. Hybrid work has changed what tenants need: more collaboration space, fewer private offices, better technology infrastructure, and upgraded ventilation. We build out offices that reflect these shifts, from small professional suites to larger corporate floors.
Tenant improvement budgets in Vancouver range widely. A basic professional office buildout (new partitions, flooring, lighting, and paint) runs $80 to $140 per square foot. A design-forward creative office with custom millwork, exposed structure, and upgraded mechanical systems runs $150 to $250+ per square foot. Medical and dental offices are at the top of the range due to specialized plumbing, ventilation, and infection control requirements.
We work with commercial interior designers or provide our own design services for smaller tenant improvements. Either way, the design is completed and approved before construction begins: no building on incomplete drawings that lead to field decisions and cost overruns.
Retail Renovations
Retail construction in Vancouver moves fast: tenants need to be open, and every week of construction is a week of lost revenue. We build retail spaces on aggressive timelines without compromising quality. A typical 1,500 to 3,000 sqft retail buildout in Vancouver takes 6 to 10 weeks from permit to occupancy.
For national and regional retail chains rolling out new locations, we provide consistent execution across multiple sites. Standardized designs, approved materials, and established relationships with the trades and suppliers these projects require. We can manage multiple concurrent retail buildouts across Metro Vancouver.
Vancouver Commercial Permits
Commercial permits in Vancouver go through the Development, Buildings and Licensing department. Review timelines depend on the scope: a straightforward tenant improvement in a newer building may take 6 to 10 weeks. A heritage building conversion or a change-of-use application takes longer, sometimes 12 to 16 weeks or more.
We submit complete applications with all required documentation: architectural drawings, mechanical and electrical plans, fire protection drawings, and any required studies (heritage, environmental, accessibility). The building department's review is faster when they don't have to ask for missing information. We also coordinate health authority review for food-service establishments and fire department review for all commercial occupancies.
- Lease review and scope assessment
- Design and permit coordination
- Heritage Commission review where required
- Full construction management
- Multi-trade coordination and quality control
- Occupancy permit and business licence coordination
How a commercial renovation project runs in Vancouver
- 1
Lease and heritage status review
Confirms whether the building triggers Heritage Commission review before design work begins.
- 2
Kitchen-first design for restaurants
Cooking equipment and ventilation are designed before the dining room ceiling plan, avoiding the most common restaurant buildout mistake.
- 3
Permit submission
6 to 10 weeks for a straightforward tenant improvement, 8 to 16 weeks or more for heritage buildings or a change-of-use application.
- 4
Parallel authority review
Fire department, Vancouver Coastal Health, and liquor primary applications run in parallel, scheduled around the longest review.
- 5
Construction
Sequenced for aggressive but realistic timelines given the revenue cost of downtime to the tenant.
- 6
Occupancy and business licence
Final inspections coordinated with business licence issuance before opening.
Frequently asked questions
What triggers Heritage Commission review for a Gastown commercial renovation?
Any visible alteration to the exterior, storefronts, signage, or other changes, needs heritage approval since these buildings, many from the 1890s and early 1900s, are typically protected on the outside. Interior work faces less restriction, but structural changes like adding a mezzanine or removing walls can trigger seismic upgrade requirements under the BC Building Code. Permit timelines for heritage commercial work run 8 to 14 weeks.
What should drive the design of a Vancouver restaurant buildout?
The kitchen equipment, not the dining room. Cooking equipment drives ventilation requirements, ventilation drives ductwork routing, and ductwork routing shapes the dining room ceiling plan. Designing the front-of-house first and trying to fit the kitchen in afterward is the most common mistake we see. Permits also require coordinating the building department, fire department, Vancouver Coastal Health, and liquor primary applications where relevant.
What does a professional office buildout cost per square foot in Vancouver?
A basic buildout with new partitions, flooring, lighting, and paint runs $80 to $140 per square foot. A design-forward creative office with custom millwork and upgraded mechanical systems runs $150 to $250 or more. Medical and dental offices sit at the top of that range because of specialized plumbing, ventilation, and infection control requirements.
How long does a retail buildout take in Vancouver?
A typical 1,500 to 3,000 square foot retail space takes 6 to 10 weeks from permit to occupancy. Because every week of construction is a week of lost revenue for a retail tenant, we build these on aggressive but realistic timelines, and for chains rolling out multiple locations, we provide consistent execution using standardized designs and approved materials across sites.
Which departments review a commercial renovation permit in Vancouver?
The Development, Buildings and Licensing department leads the review, with fire department review for all commercial occupancies and Vancouver Coastal Health review added for food-service establishments. We submit complete applications with architectural, mechanical, and electrical drawings plus any required heritage, environmental, or accessibility studies, since missing documentation is what slows a review down.
Can commercial renovation work start in a heritage building's interior without Heritage Commission review?
Interior work generally faces less restriction than exterior changes, but structural modifications such as adding a mezzanine, removing walls, or changing floor openings can trigger seismic upgrade requirements under the BC Building Code, which brings the project back under closer municipal review even without touching the protected exterior.
How has hybrid work changed Vancouver office renovations?
Tenants now ask for more collaboration space, fewer private offices, better technology infrastructure, and upgraded ventilation, a shift from the private-office-heavy layouts common before. We build out offices to reflect this, from small professional suites to larger corporate floors, and complete the design before construction begins so field decisions do not drive cost overruns.
Does a Vancouver restaurant permit require liquor licensing to run in parallel?
Where a liquor primary application applies, yes, it adds another layer alongside the building department, fire department, and Vancouver Coastal Health reviews. We manage all of these in parallel and build the schedule around the longest review timeline, so one process does not hold up the others and delay the opening date.
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This page covers the rules and the process. For scope, pricing and how we run the work, see commercial renovation in vancouver and the north shore .
