General Contractor
in Richmond, BC

Richmond is built on the Fraser River delta, and that single fact shapes every construction decision on the island. The land is low, the soil is deep alluvial deposit, and the whole municipality sits behind a dike system. Construction here follows rules that do not apply anywhere else in the region.

Contractors who work mainly on the mainland underestimate this regularly. We scope Richmond projects around flood construction levels, soil behaviour, and drainage from the first conversation.

Flood Construction Levels and Why Your Floor Is High

Richmond enforces minimum flood construction levels, which set how high the habitable floor of a building must sit. This is why so many Richmond homes are raised, with the main living floor well above grade and the lower level either a garage, storage, or a partially below-grade space with restrictions on its use.

For renovation, this matters most when a homeowner wants to convert a lower level into living space. Depending on the property's elevation and the applicable flood construction level, that conversion may be limited or may require the floor to be raised. It is one of the first things we check, because it can determine whether a project is viable at all.

Additions face the same requirement. New habitable floor area generally needs to meet the current flood construction level, which can mean the addition sits at a different height than the existing house and requires a transition in the floor plan.

Delta Soil, Settlement, and Foundations

The soil under Richmond is soft, deep, and compressible. Buildings settle, and they do not always settle evenly. Older Richmond homes frequently show the signs: sloping floors, doors that will not latch, cracks in drywall at consistent points, and separation at exterior stairs or walkways.

Some of that is normal settlement that has stabilized and needs only cosmetic correction. Some of it is ongoing and needs a structural assessment. We do not guess. Where settlement is evident, we bring in the right assessment before quoting finishes, because levelling a floor that is still moving is money spent twice.

New construction and significant additions in Richmond commonly require preload, ground improvement, or a piled foundation, and geotechnical engineering is a standard part of the process rather than an exception.

Steveston, Seafair, and the Neighbourhoods

Steveston combines genuine heritage fabric near the village with newer construction further out, and there are design guidelines in parts of the village area that influence how buildings present to the street. Work near the waterfront also contends with salt air, which is hard on exterior finishes and metal components.

Seafair, Broadmoor, and Blundell hold a lot of 1960s through 1980s housing that is prime renovation stock, while Terra Nova and parts of West Richmond are newer. City Centre is heavily multi-family and much of our work there is strata unit renovation, which brings its own approval process and building access requirements.