Does an engineering background change how a renovation gets built?
On some projects, yes. Pedram Shayan holds a B.Eng, and structural decisions come up constantly in renovation work: removing a bearing wall, adding a storey to a house that was framed for one, cutting a new opening into a foundation for an egress window. Having someone at the principal level who reads a structural drawing fluently is not nothing.
The practical caveat is that a B.Eng is not a P.Eng, and any structural change on a North Shore permit still needs a registered professional's stamp. Both companies engage structural engineers for the work that requires it. So treat the credential as a signal about how the principal thinks, not as a substitute for the engineering the municipality will insist on regardless.
Is a three-sector contractor better or worse for your house?
It depends what else you own. Arani lists office renovations, retail space upgrades, tenant improvements, warehouse renovations, facility upgrades and custom industrial construction alongside the residential work. For an owner with a house and a commercial property, one contractor across both is a genuine convenience, and the same relationship carries through.
For an owner with one house, the spread cuts the other way. Industrial and commercial work runs on tenant deadlines, landlord agreements and opening dates that do not move. When a schedule conflict comes up between a warehouse handover and a kitchen, nobody has to guess which one wins.
RealDream's answer is to keep the mix narrow: residential renovation with commercial renovation alongside, no industrial. Kitchens, bathrooms, basements and whole-home rebuilds are the entire business, not a side line next to new construction. Fewer sectors, fewer competing deadlines.
Want a number before you shortlist anyone?
Eleven free calculators give you 2026 North Vancouver ranges for kitchens, bathrooms, suites, laneway houses and additions. No phone number required to see a result.
Which one knows the North Shore better?
Both know it well, and both publish the neighbourhood lists to prove it. Arani names Lower Lonsdale, Lynn Valley, Edgemont, Deep Cove, Blueridge, Capilano and Seymour on the North Vancouver side, and Ambleside, Dundarave, British Properties, Horseshoe Bay, Caulfeild and Altamont on the West Vancouver side. That is not a generic service-area page.
Arani also lists Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Coquitlam and Vancouver. RealDream's core stays North Vancouver and West Vancouver with select work in Vancouver, New Westminster and White Rock, and the founder lives on the North Shore, which is why the pre-construction assessment starts from known local conditions: panels from the 1970s, galvanized supply lines, drainage failures on steep lots, foundations that predate current seismic rules.
What can you learn from each website before contacting anyone?
Arani's site is strong on portfolio, sector coverage and neighbourhood detail. It states 120-plus completed renovation projects and describes an end-to-end process with one point of contact, covering permits, design, trades coordination and final handover.
What it does not give you is a number. That is standard for the industry, and it is not a criticism. But it does mean the first useful budget signal arrives after a site visit.
RealDream publishes the ranges first. Eleven free calculators cover renovation cost, secondary suites, laneway houses, additions, commercial fit-outs and more, using 2026 North Vancouver figures. The Reveal produces a styled visual of your own room before anything gets demolished. Both are free and neither asks for a phone number to see a result.
Is RealDream cheaper than Arani Construction?
Arani Construction does not publish prices, and neither company can be ranked on cost without two quotes on the same scope. That is the honest answer.
The difference in approach is visible though. RealDream publishes 2026 North Vancouver ranges before contact and commits to a fixed price once scope and drawings are locked. Arani's website describes an end-to-end managed process but does not state a pricing method.
RealDream's published figures for reference: kitchen $60,000 to $120,000, bathroom $25,000 to $55,000, full-home renovation $200,000 to $400,000, ground-floor addition $350 to $550 per square foot, office refresh $50 to $80 per square foot, retail buildout $100 to $170 per square foot.
Which company should you hire for your project?
4 common project types, and the honest answer for each. Two of them point at Arani.
Renovating a warehouse, facility or industrial space
Hire Arani Construction
RealDream does not do industrial work at all. Arani lists warehouse renovations, facility upgrades and custom industrial construction as a stated service line. There is no comparison to make here.
An owner with both a house and a commercial unit who wants one contractor
Hire Arani Construction
Arani spans residential, commercial and industrial in the same business, which makes a single relationship across a mixed property portfolio realistic. RealDream covers residential and commercial renovation but not industrial.
A whole-home renovation on an older North Vancouver house with a hard budget ceiling
Hire RealDream Contracting
Renovation is the whole business, the assessment is built around known 1960s to 1980s North Shore conditions, and the price holds once scope and drawings are locked. When the ceiling is firm, that commitment is the thing that protects it.
A legal secondary suite or a laneway house
Hire RealDream Contracting
Arani lists basement conversions but not legal secondary suites or laneway and coach houses. RealDream builds both, publishes calculators for each, and handles the egress, fire separation, parking and zoning requirements that determine whether the unit can be rented legally.
Looking for an Arani Construction alternative in North Vancouver?
The common reason to look elsewhere is focus. A contractor running house renovations, retail fit-outs and warehouse upgrades in the same month is a strong choice for a mixed portfolio and a less obvious one for a single family home.
RealDream Contracting narrowed on purpose. New custom home construction came off the list in 2026, and industrial work was never on it. What is left is renovation on North Shore houses plus commercial renovation, which is a smaller business with fewer competing deadlines.
If breadth is what attracted you to Arani, My House Design/Build/Team is the larger version of the same idea and is compared on this site: roughly 40 staff, in-house design departments, custom homes and multi-family work alongside renovation.
Common questions about RealDream and Arani
Is RealDream Contracting better than Arani Construction?
For a North Shore house renovation with a firm budget, RealDream Contracting is the closer fit because renovation is its entire business and it publishes both cost ranges and a fixed price after scope lock. For industrial or mixed residential and commercial portfolios, Arani Construction is the better hire because it covers all three sectors. Arani was founded in 2011 by Pedram Shayan, B.Eng, and states more than 120 completed renovation projects.
How many projects has Arani Construction completed?
Arani Construction Inc. states more than 120 completed renovation projects and more than 120 clients since being founded in 2011. The projects span residential, commercial and industrial work across the North Shore and Greater Vancouver.
Does Arani Construction do industrial work?
Yes. Arani Construction lists warehouse renovations, facility upgrades and custom industrial construction among its services, alongside commercial office and retail fit-outs and residential renovation. RealDream Contracting does not do industrial work.
Who owns Arani Construction?
Arani Construction Inc. was founded in 2011 by Pedram Shayan, who holds a B.Eng. The company is based in North Vancouver, BC.
Do both companies build secondary suites?
RealDream Contracting builds legal secondary suites and publishes a secondary suite cost calculator covering egress, fire separation and municipal requirements. Arani Construction lists basement conversions but does not list legal secondary suites or laneway and coach houses as of August 2026.
Which one has more awards?
Neither. As of August 2026, neither Arani Construction nor RealDream Contracting publishes an industry awards record. Among the North Shore firms compared on this site, Goldcon Construction and Platinum Contracting have the deepest award histories.
Where these facts came from
RealDream Contracting wrote these pages. We have an obvious interest in how they read, so we have kept every competitor claim to what that company publishes on its own website and linked the source at the bottom of each page. Where another firm is the better hire for a particular project, we say so by name. If you spot something out of date about your company here, email info@realdream.ca and we will correct it.
Company details last checked 2026-08-04. Arani Construction is an independent company and is not affiliated with RealDream Contracting. All company names and trade marks belong to their owners.