Coach House Builder in North Vancouver, BC
The City of North Vancouver lets you add a detached coach house as a third unit on the right lot. We design and build to the City's own rules, not a template borrowed from next door.
North Vancouver is two municipalities, not one. The City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver each carry their own bylaws, and this page is about the City's program specifically. As a coach house builder North Vancouver BC homeowners turn to, we work to the City's own accessory dwelling rules rather than assuming one set of rules covers both jurisdictions. Getting that distinction right at the start is the difference between an application that moves and one that stalls.
On RS-1 zoned properties, the City of North Vancouver allows a total of three dwelling units on one site: the principal home, one secondary suite built inside it, and one detached Accessory Coach House. That coach house must be fully self-contained, its own full bathroom, kitchen, and living/sleeping space, not a partial unit that leans on the main house. The City also asks for a 0.9 m landscape buffer along the rear lot line and exterior side yard, kept within 4.6 m of the coach house, to soften its presence for neighbouring properties. We design the unit and its landscaping against these specifics from the first sketch.
Wondering what fits on your North Vancouver lot?
Get a free, no-obligation quote built around the City of North Vancouver's RS-1 coach house rules.
Four ways we build on North Vancouver lots
Every service below is shaped by the City of North Vancouver's own accessory dwelling program, its unit limits, its self-contained requirement, and its buffer rules.
Custom Homes
Purpose-built custom homes on North Vancouver lots, from design and permitting through construction, tailored to your site and budget.
Learn more
Multi-Family
End-to-end management of your North Vancouver build, with permits, trades, schedule, and budget held by one accountable team.
Learn more
Laneways / Garden Suites
End-to-end management of your North Vancouver build, with permits, trades, schedule, and budget held by one accountable team.
Learn more
Project Management
End-to-end management of your North Vancouver build, with permits, trades, schedule, and budget held by one accountable team.
Learn moreWhy North Vancouver homeowners work with us
City vs. District, handled correctly
We confirm whether your lot falls under the City of North Vancouver or the District before anything else, and design to the correct bylaw, so the application goes to the right municipality with the right rules from day one.
RS-1 three-unit planning
On RS-1 lots we plan the principal home, the secondary suite inside it, and the detached Accessory Coach House as one coordinated three-unit site, not a coach house designed in isolation from the rest of the property.
Built to the self-contained standard
The City requires the coach house to be fully self-contained with its own full bathroom, kitchen, and living/sleeping space. We design the unit to clear that bar cleanly, with no dependence on the main house.
Buffer and siting done right
We work the 0.9m landscape buffer along the rear lot line and exterior side yard, within 4.6m of the coach house, into the site plan early, so the unit reads well to neighbours and clears the City's softening requirement.
North Vancouver coach house questions
They are two separate municipalities with their own bylaws. This page covers the City of North Vancouver's program specifically, where the detached form is called an Accessory Coach House and is allowed on RS-1 lots as a third unit. The District of North Vancouver has its own rules, so the first step is confirming which jurisdiction your lot sits in.
On an RS-1 zoned property, the City of North Vancouver allows a total of three dwelling units on one site: the principal home, one secondary suite built inside it, and one detached Accessory Coach House. We'll confirm what your specific lot and zoning support in a free review.
The City requires the Accessory Coach House to be fully self-contained, its own full bathroom, kitchen, and living/sleeping space, not a partial unit that shares facilities with the main house. The City also asks for a 0.9m landscape buffer along the rear lot line and exterior side yard, within 4.6m of the coach house, to soften its presence for neighbouring properties.
Ready to build a coach house in North Vancouver?
We'll review your RS-1 lot and show you what the City of North Vancouver allows, three units, self-contained, with the buffer done right. Free.