Gutting a Condo in Downtown Vancouver: What Stays, Who Approves, and the Order of Work

What a gut renovation means in a condo

In a condo, the work stops at the edge of what you own. Section 68(1) of the Strata Property Act puts the boundary of a strata lot, the Act's name for your unit, midway through the wall, floor or ceiling that separates it from a neighbour or from the common property, unless the strata plan shows a different line. The strata plan is the registered drawing of the building.

In a concrete tower, the slabs above and below you and the concrete walls are the building's structure. A gut renovation removes what sits on and between them: flooring, drywall walls, cabinets, tile, fixtures, doors and trim, and the wiring and pipes that serve your unit alone.

Downtown in the City's own figures

The City of Vancouver's 2026 property tax roll lists 139,127 strata lots. The Downtown local area holds 42,221 and the West End 9,888, together 37.5 percent of the city's total. In Downtown, 13,640 were built from 1990 to 1999 and 17,590 from 2000 to 2009. In the West End, 4,242 were built before 1990. The year a building went up changes what the hazardous materials inspection looks for.

From January 3, 2017 to October 2, 2026, the City issued 7,206 permits with the type of work "Addition / Alteration" in Downtown and 2,364 in the West End. In 2025 the counts were 667 and 227. These are permits already issued. Which permits your own scope needs is a question we put to the City for each job.

We read these figures from the City of Vancouver Open Data Portal on October 4, 2026. The permit data changes daily.

The order of a gut renovation

This is the order we follow. The last column names the rule behind each step.

What stays: the structure and the shared pipes

Section 1 of the Act defines common property, the part of the building all owners own together. It includes pipes, wires, cables and ducts for water, drainage, gas, electricity, heating and cooling that sit inside a wall, floor or ceiling between two units, or between a unit and the common property. It also includes those inside your unit that are capable of being, and intended to be, used by another unit. A vertical drain carrying water from the units above is common property where it passes through your wall, so the new kitchen and bathroom are planned around it.

Standard Bylaw 5(1) requires the strata's written approval before you alter the structure, the exterior, exterior doors and windows, doors that front on the common property, or common property inside the unit. Your entry door fronts on the hallway, so it is on that list. Treat the concrete as structure until the building's drawings say otherwise.

Altering common property needs written approval under Standard Bylaw 6(1). The Province of BC adds that a 3/4 vote at a general meeting of the owners is needed if an alteration will result in a significant change in the use or appearance of common property.

What the strata must approve

Plan on sending the whole scope to the strata in writing. Standard Bylaw 5(1)(g) adds the parts of the unit the strata must insure. Section 149(1)(d) of the Act makes the strata insure fixtures the original developer installed, and section 9.1 of the Strata Property Regulation defines fixtures as items attached to a building, including floor and wall coverings and electrical and plumbing fixtures. A gut renovation removes all of them.

Under Bylaw 5(2), the strata must not unreasonably withhold its approval, and it may require the owner to agree in writing to take responsibility for any expenses relating to the alteration. Read that agreement before you sign the renovation contract.

Your building's own bylaws come first: section 120 makes the Standard Bylaws apply except where different bylaws are filed in the land title office. The Province's bylaws page says bylaws may require written permission for changes "such as moving walls, changing flooring or making plumbing or electrical changes". Under section 36(3), the strata must give you the bylaws and rules within one week of a request.

The hazardous materials inspection comes before demolition

Section 20.112(2) of BC's Occupational Health and Safety Regulation says that before renovation work begins, the employers responsible for it and the owner must ensure that a qualified person inspects the building and the worksite to identify hazardous materials, which include asbestos and lead. The qualified person's written report gives the location and approximate quantity of each hazardous material found.

A tower built in the 1990s or 2000s needs the inspection too, because the regulation sets no age limit. WorkSafeBC says asbestos was used in more than 3,000 building materials from the 1950s to the 1990s, that a home built before 1990 is likely to contain some, and that "newer homes can also have asbestos if they were built with older materials".

If the report finds a hazardous material, removal comes first. Under section 20.112(7) and (8), work that may disturb it waits until it is safely contained or removed and a qualified person confirms that in writing. WorkSafeBC states that as of January 1, 2024, asbestos abatement contractors must be licensed to operate in BC. Abatement means removing or containing the asbestos.

City permits and licensed electrical and gas work

The strata and the City decide separately. The Province of BC states: "BC Codes don't apply in the City of Vancouver which has its own building bylaw." The City sets its own permit rules, fees and processing times, and they change, so this page quotes none of them. We confirm with the City what your scope needs before we give a start date.

Technical Safety BC lists the City of Vancouver among 10 municipalities that issue their own electrical and gas permits. It states that owners of a strata cannot obtain homeowner permits and must hire a licensed contractor, who applies for the permit on the owner's behalf. Its examples of work needing a permit include moving switches or outlets, replacing light fixtures, connecting a dishwasher or hood, and installing a gas range or gas piping.

Strata corporations with five or more lots in Metro Vancouver must have an electrical planning report by December 31, 2026. The Province says that when an owner wants to add equipment that increases electrical demand, the strata needs to ensure a qualified professional selects the equipment and confirms the capacity.

Concrete dust during demolition

WorkSafeBC says cutting, breaking, drilling or grinding concrete releases silica dust, which can cause silicosis, a serious and irreversible lung disease. Section 6.112(2) of the regulation requires a risk assessment by a qualified person before workers do that work, and section 6.112.1 requires a written exposure control plan where they may be exposed. Ask your contractor how the dust will be captured at the tool and kept out of the hallway.

Sound rules for the new floor

Replacing the original floor needs approval under Standard Bylaw 5(1)(g), and Standard Bylaw 3(1)(b) forbids using a unit in a way that causes unreasonable noise. Use your building's own sound figure for floors: since BC Codes don't apply in Vancouver, the building's bylaws or rules are where the number comes from. We install the sound-rated layer where the bylaws require one and attach the maker's test data to the strata request.

Moving demolition waste through the elevator

The Province of BC says a condominium's common property typically includes hallways and elevators. Section 125 of the Act lets a strata make rules for their use, safety and condition. Section 6.9 of the Strata Property Regulation allows a fee for that use only if the amount is reasonable and the fee is set out in a bylaw or in a rule the owners have ratified.

Damage falls on the owner. Standard Bylaw 3(2) forbids damage to common property beyond reasonable wear and tear. Section 130(1) of the Act lets the strata fine an owner when a person admitted for business reasons breaks a bylaw or rule, and section 133 lets it charge the reasonable cost of fixing it. We book each elevator trip under the building's rules, cover the surfaces it asks us to protect, and take waste out in the loads the booking allows.

How long the steps take, where a source gives a number

The list below holds every time a source gives for these steps. We found no published time for the gut work itself, for a council's answer to an ordinary request, or for a City permit.

• Bylaws and rules from the strata: within one week of a request; other records, within 2 weeks (Strata Property Act, s. 36(3)).
• A council hearing: within 4 weeks of a written request, with a written decision within one week after it (s. 34.1).
• Strata entry to repair common property: on 48 hours' written notice, or without notice in an emergency (Standard Bylaw 7).
• Our published figures for a North Shore house: 10 to 16 weeks from demolition to completion for a kitchen with permits, 4 to 6 weeks for a single bathroom, 8 to 12 weeks for a cabinet order. They hold no time for strata approval.

What the quote must cover

Ask about any of these items the quote leaves out before you sign.

• The scope room by room, in the same words as the strata request.
• Who prepares the strata request, its drawings and its product sheets.
• Who arranges the hazardous materials inspection, and how removal is priced once the report arrives.
• The licensed electrical and gas contractors by name, and who applies for each permit.
• Dust control, elevator bookings, protection of common areas and the waste route.
• Each building fee or deposit, and whether the price includes it.
• The sound-rated layer under the new floor, where the bylaws require one.
• How the price and dates change if the council sets a condition.

Price and insurance

We price a condo after a site visit and a read of the bylaws, and we publish no condo price list. For comparison, our published 2026 ranges for a North Shore house are $65,000 to $110,000 for a full kitchen replacement in the same layout and $28,000 to $48,000 for a full bathroom in the existing layout. Both are house figures.

Call your insurance broker before the work starts. The Province of BC says strata insurance deductibles can range from $100,000 to $750,000 or higher, and that an owner can be deemed responsible for the deductible even if not at fault or negligent.

How we plan a gut renovation downtown

RealDream Contracting is based in North Vancouver and takes on full condo interiors downtown. We read the building's bylaws and rules and arrange the hazardous materials inspection before we quote. We prepare the strata request with you, in the same words as our contract, and set the start date after the written approval arrives and the permit question is settled with the City. To start, send us your building's bylaws and floor plan through the contact form, or email info@realdream.ca.