Is RealDream or Heilman the better fit for a North Vancouver house?
Both companies work on the same housing stock, and it is a specific kind of housing stock. Much of North Vancouver was built between the 1960s and the 1980s. That means 60-amp panels that were never upgraded, galvanized supply lines that have been narrowing for forty years, and foundations poured before the current seismic provisions existed. A renovator who has not opened a hundred of these walls will price the job like it is a clean canvas, then bring you a change order in week three.
Neither of these firms is that renovator. Heilman has been trading under the same name since 2007 and Joey Heilman has 27 years behind him. RealDream's own crews work almost exclusively on the North Shore, which is the whole reason the pre-construction assessment digs into panels, drainage and framing before a number goes on paper.
The split comes down to geography. Heilman publishes service pages for downtown Vancouver, East Vancouver, the West End and Burnaby alongside the North Shore ones. A crew that is on a Coal Harbour condo on Tuesday is not on your Lynn Valley job site on Tuesday. RealDream keeps the core service area to North Vancouver and West Vancouver, with select work in Vancouver, New Westminster and White Rock, and takes on fewer projects as a result.
What does each company tell you before you call?
This is the sharpest difference between the two, and it is easy to check yourself. Open both websites and try to find out what your project might cost.
On Heilman's site, the path to a number runs through a contact form: describe the project in as much detail as possible and they will get back to you to schedule a site visit. That is a completely normal way for a renovation company to work, and there is a reasonable argument behind it, since site conditions really do drive the price.
RealDream publishes the ranges instead. Eleven cost calculators cover renovation cost, secondary suites, laneway houses, home additions, decks, heritage homes, energy savings and more, with 2026 North Vancouver figures behind them: $60,000 to $120,000 for a typical kitchen, $25,000 to $55,000 for a bathroom, $200,000 to $400,000 for a full-home renovation. There is also The Reveal, which generates a visual of your own room in a chosen style before anything is demolished.
- Heilman: site visit first, price after
- RealDream: published ranges first, site visit to firm them up
- Both hold the real number until someone has walked the house
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 gives you a firmer price?
RealDream publishes a fixed-price commitment: once scope and drawings are locked, the price holds, and there are no surprise invoices for conditions an experienced renovator should have expected. That last clause is the part that matters. It puts the risk of a missed pre-existing condition on the contractor who was supposed to find it.
Heilman's website does not state a pricing method one way or the other. That is not a criticism, most renovation sites do not, and plenty of excellent contractors work on a cost-plus basis for good reasons. But it does mean you will need to ask directly, and you should ask both firms the same question: what happens to my price when you open the wall and find something nobody expected?
Where does Heilman clearly come out ahead?
Industry standing. Joey Heilman has chaired the National Kitchen and Bath Association's Remodeler Council and the Greater Vancouver Home Builders' Association Renovation Council. Those are positions you get because other builders put you there, and they signal a level of engagement with the trade that RealDream has not built.
Reach is the other one. If your project is a downtown Vancouver condo or a Burnaby townhouse rather than a North Shore house, Heilman already runs those postcodes as a normal part of the business. RealDream takes select work off the North Shore, but it is not the core, and pretending otherwise would waste your time.
Is RealDream cheaper than Heilman Renovations?
Nobody can answer that honestly, including us, because Heilman Renovations does not publish prices and neither does almost any renovation company on the North Shore. Anybody who tells you a named competitor is more expensive without a quote in hand is guessing.
What can be compared is how each company handles the money conversation. RealDream publishes 2026 North Vancouver ranges up front through eleven calculators, then locks a fixed price once scope and drawings are agreed. Heilman moves you to a site visit and quotes from there.
For reference, the ranges RealDream publishes are: kitchen renovation $60,000 to $120,000, bathroom renovation $25,000 to $55,000, full-home renovation $200,000 to $400,000, second-storey addition $400 to $650 per square foot, laneway house $350,000 to $550,000. Use them to sanity-check any quote you receive, from either company.
Which company should you hire for your project?
4 common project types, and the honest answer for each. Two of them point at Heilman.
A 1970s Lynn Valley house needing a full interior renovation
Hire RealDream Contracting
This is the exact project RealDream is shaped around: North Shore housing stock of that vintage, a scope that touches structure and systems, and an owner who wants a number that holds. The pre-construction assessment is built to find the panel, plumbing and drainage problems before they become change orders.
A downtown Vancouver or Coal Harbour condo renovation
Hire Heilman Renovations
Heilman runs dedicated downtown Vancouver and West End operations and knows the building-access, elevator-booking and strata-approval routine those towers demand. RealDream takes select Vancouver work but that is not where its crews live.
Adding a legal secondary suite or a laneway house for rental income
Hire RealDream Contracting
Heilman's website does not list secondary suites or laneway homes. RealDream builds both, publishes calculators for each, and handles the egress, fire separation and municipal requirements that decide whether the suite is legal or just finished.
A kitchen or bathroom where design awards and industry pedigree carry weight
Hire Heilman Renovations
If you want a renovator whose peers elected them to run the NKBA Remodeler Council, that is Heilman, not RealDream. RealDream's case rests on process and pricing, not on a trophy shelf.
Looking for a Heilman Renovations alternative on the North Shore?
Homeowners usually go looking for an alternative for one of three reasons: the schedule does not line up, the quote came back higher than expected, or they want a contractor whose whole business is on their side of the bridge.
RealDream Contracting answers the third one directly. North Vancouver and West Vancouver are the core service area, not two entries on a longer list. Nima Gerani runs the company day to day, meets owners at the first site visit, sets the scope with them, and stays on the file until the last deficiency item is signed off.
The other North Shore firms worth putting on the same shortlist are Goldcon Construction, which has a deeper awards record than either company here, and Renovate Me, which runs a family-owned in-house design team. Both are compared on this site.
Common questions about RealDream and Heilman
Is RealDream Contracting better than Heilman Renovations?
Neither is better across the board. RealDream Contracting is renovation-only, concentrated on North Vancouver and West Vancouver, publishes eleven free cost calculators and commits to a fixed price once scope and drawings are locked. Heilman Renovations, founded 2007, covers North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Vancouver and Burnaby, and its owner Joey Heilman has chaired two industry councils. For a North Shore house renovation with a firm budget, RealDream fits better. For a downtown Vancouver condo, Heilman fits better.
How long has Heilman Renovations been in business?
Heilman Renovations was established in 2007 and is based in North Vancouver, BC. Owner Joey Heilman states 27 years of experience as a renovation contractor, which predates the company itself.
Does Heilman Renovations build secondary suites or laneway houses?
Heilman Renovations does not list secondary suites or laneway and coach houses among its services as of August 2026. Its published services are kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations, home renovations, deck building, commercial renovations and renovation design. RealDream Contracting builds legal secondary suites and laneway houses and publishes cost calculators for both.
Which company covers more of Metro Vancouver?
Heilman Renovations. Its website publishes service pages for North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Vancouver, downtown Vancouver, East Vancouver, the West End and Burnaby. RealDream Contracting's core service area is North Vancouver and West Vancouver, with select projects in Vancouver, New Westminster and White Rock.
Do either of these companies publish renovation prices?
RealDream Contracting does. Eleven free calculators publish 2026 North Vancouver ranges, including $60,000 to $120,000 for a kitchen renovation and $200,000 to $400,000 for a full-home renovation. Heilman Renovations does not publish prices and quotes after a site visit, which is the normal practice among North Shore renovation contractors.
Who should I call first?
Call both. Any renovation over about $75,000 deserves at least two site visits and two written scopes, and the way a contractor behaves during that visit tells you more than any website. Ask each of them the same question: what happens to my price if you open a wall and find something unexpected.
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. Heilman Renovations is an independent company and is not affiliated with RealDream Contracting. All company names and trade marks belong to their owners.