Does it matter that Goldcon also builds new homes?
It matters, though not in the direction most marketing suggests. A company that builds new custom homes has structural, mechanical and permit experience that a renovation-only firm may lack, and Goldcon's coach house work in particular overlaps closely with the laneway builds homeowners ask about.
The cost shows up in scheduling. New construction runs on a predictable critical path. Renovation does not, because the schedule bends every time somebody opens a wall. When both project types share a crew and a project manager, the renovation is usually the one that flexes, since the new build has a framing inspection booked and a trade sequence that cannot slip.
RealDream took new construction off the menu in 2026 for exactly this reason. Kitchens, bathrooms, basements and whole-home rebuilds are the entire business now, not a side line next to new construction. That is a narrowing, and narrowing has a cost: if you want a new house built, RealDream will not be quoting it.
How much should Goldcon's awards weigh in your decision?
More than most people give them credit for. Georgie Awards and HAVAN Awards are judged by industry peers against submitted project documentation, not voted on by the public, so they are harder to game than a review count. Goldcon's 2019 CHBA National Award for Best Kitchen Renovation Over $100,000 was a country-wide category.
What awards do not tell you is how a company runs the project you are actually hiring for. An award-winning $400,000 condo renovation and a $90,000 kitchen in Delbrook are different jobs with different crews and different levels of principal attention. Ask which projects were the award winners, then ask who ran them, and whether that person will be running yours.
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 company will you actually talk to during the build?
RealDream publishes an answer to this. Nima Gerani started the company and still runs it day to day, meets owners at the first site visit, sets the scope with them, and stays on the file until the last item on the deficiency list is signed off. Changes get reported the day they come up rather than at the end of the week.
Goldcon's site describes project management, design consultation, budgeting and scheduling, and its testimonials repeatedly name Kav and Karim. That reads like principal involvement too. The honest position is that both companies appear to be principal-led, and the difference is volume: a firm carrying new custom homes, coach houses, renovations and commercial construction is spreading that attention across more concurrent files.
What can you find out before you pick up the phone?
Goldcon's site is portfolio-led. Project galleries, awards, testimonials, and a contact form. It is a well-built site and it does what it is meant to do.
RealDream's site is built to answer the question people are actually asking at 11pm, which is what will this cost. Eleven calculators publish 2026 North Vancouver figures: $60,000 to $120,000 for a kitchen, $25,000 to $55,000 for a bathroom, $200,000 to $400,000 for a full-home renovation, $350,000 to $550,000 for a laneway house. The Reveal generates a styled visual of your own room before demolition.
Neither approach is wrong. But if you are early in planning and trying to work out whether your budget is even in the right postcode, one of those sites helps you tonight and one asks you to book a meeting first.
Is RealDream cheaper than Goldcon Construction?
Goldcon Construction does not publish prices, so any claim about which company is cheaper would be invented. What is verifiable is positioning: Goldcon's own site leads with luxury custom homes and high-end residential projects, and its award entries sit in categories like Best Condo Renovation Over $250,000. Firms competing at that level generally price at that level.
RealDream publishes its ranges openly and commits to holding the price once scope and drawings are locked. The published 2026 North Vancouver figures are 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, second-storey addition $400 to $650 per square foot.
Get both quotes. Then compare the scopes line by line rather than the totals, because on renovation work the cheaper number is usually the one with the smaller allowance for what is behind the walls.
Which company should you hire for your project?
4 common project types, and the honest answer for each. Two of them point at Goldcon.
Building a new custom home on a North Shore lot
Hire Goldcon Construction
RealDream does not build new homes and stopped quoting them in 2026. Goldcon does, has done for over 20 years on the North Shore, and has the awards record to back the finished quality. This one is not close.
A high-end condo or penthouse renovation where finish quality is the whole point
Hire Goldcon Construction
Goldcon won the 2021 Georgie for Best Condo Renovation Over $250,000 and a 2019 CHBA National Award for a kitchen renovation over $100,000. If your project sits in that bracket and you want a proven record in it, hire the firm that has one.
A whole-home renovation on a 1960s to 1980s North Vancouver house with a firm budget ceiling
Hire RealDream Contracting
Renovation is the entire business, the pre-construction assessment is built around known North Shore conditions like old panels and galvanized plumbing, and the price holds once scope and drawings are locked. When the budget has a hard ceiling, that commitment is worth more than a trophy shelf.
A basement suite conversion for rental income
Hire RealDream Contracting
Goldcon's site does not list secondary suites. RealDream builds them, publishes a secondary suite calculator, and handles the egress, fire separation and parking requirements that decide whether the suite is legal.
Looking for a Goldcon Construction alternative in North Vancouver?
The usual reasons homeowners look past Goldcon are budget fit and project size. A firm whose award entries sit in the over-$250,000 categories is not always the right shape for an $80,000 kitchen, and their calendar for renovation work competes with new home builds.
RealDream Contracting is renovation only, works North Vancouver and West Vancouver first, and publishes the cost ranges so you can check budget fit before either of us spends an afternoon on a site visit.
If awards are what drew you to Goldcon in the first place, Platinum Contracting is the closest comparable on this site: a HAVAN 2024 finalist and Georgie 2025 finalist, Renomark certified, and a Pacific Home Warranty licensed builder.
Common questions about RealDream and Goldcon
Is RealDream Contracting better than Goldcon Construction?
For renovation-only work on the North Shore with a published price commitment, RealDream Contracting is the closer fit. For new custom home construction or a high-end condo renovation where an awards record matters, Goldcon Construction is the stronger choice. Goldcon has served the North Shore for over 20 years and holds a 2019 CHBA National Award, a 2021 Georgie Award, and Georgie or HAVAN finalist placements from 2019 through 2026. RealDream has no awards record and does not build new homes.
What awards has Goldcon Construction won?
Goldcon Construction's published record includes a 2019 CHBA National Award for Best Kitchen Renovation Over $100,000, a 2021 Georgie Award for Best Condo Renovation Over $250,000, two 2019 Ovation Award wins, and Georgie or HAVAN finalist placements in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2025 and 2026, plus Top Choice Awards recognition from 2016 to 2019.
Does RealDream Contracting build custom homes?
No. RealDream Contracting stopped taking new custom home construction in 2026 and now does renovation only: kitchens, bathrooms, basements and secondary suites, whole-home renovations, home additions, laneway and coach houses, and commercial renovation. Goldcon Construction does build new custom homes and coach houses.
Do both companies work in West Vancouver?
Yes. Goldcon Construction serves North Vancouver, West Vancouver and the wider Lower Mainland. RealDream Contracting's core service area is North Vancouver and West Vancouver, with select projects in Vancouver, New Westminster and White Rock.
Which company is more expensive?
Goldcon Construction does not publish prices, so a direct comparison is not possible without quotes from both. Goldcon's own site leads with luxury custom homes and high-end residential work, and its award entries sit in the over-$250,000 categories. RealDream Contracting publishes 2026 North Vancouver ranges through eleven free calculators and holds the price once scope and drawings are locked.
Should I get quotes from both?
Yes, and from a third as well. On any renovation over roughly $75,000, compare the scopes rather than the totals. The lower number is often the one carrying a thinner allowance for what turns up behind the walls, which on a 1970s North Shore house is usually a panel, a drain, or both.
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. Goldcon Construction is an independent company and is not affiliated with RealDream Contracting. All company names and trade marks belong to their owners.