Insights & Ideas

Journal.

Practical thinking on home building, interior design, and living well, from the Rexford team.

Construction · January 2023 · 3 min read

Essential Steps for Hiring Builders and Designers When Building Your New Home

Building a new home is an exciting journey, but finding the right team is crucial to avoiding delays, unexpected costs, and a final result that doesn’t match your expectations.

Interior Design · January 2023 · 3 min read

Top 5 Tips from Interior Designers for Renovating Your Kitchen

Kitchen renovations can transform your home’s functionality and appeal. Interior designers share what actually minimizes time, costs, and stress before the first wall comes down.

Design · January 2023 · 3 min read

Should You Add a Secondary Suite? Essential Tips for a Successful Design

A secondary suite offers extra living space, potential rental income, and increased property value, but only if the design and planning are done right from the start.

Materials · January 2024 · 4 min read

Top Flooring Options for Western Canada Based on Climate & Design

Choosing the right flooring requires more than picking a style you like, as Western Canada’s varied climate has a major say in how materials perform over time.

Design · June 2026 · 4 min read

How Much Do Architectural Drawings Cost in BC?

Architectural drawing fees vary significantly by project scope, but there are clear patterns that help you understand what to expect before you start making calls.

Building · June 2026 · 5 min read

What Your BC Building Permit Drawings Need to Include

The most common reason a permit application gets rejected in BC is an incomplete drawing set. Here is a practical breakdown of every sheet your municipality needs to see.

Design · June 2026 · 4 min read

Architectural Design vs. Drafting: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters

Two terms that get used interchangeably but mean different things. Understanding the distinction will help you hire the right people and avoid the coordination gaps that slow most projects down.

Building · June 2026 · 5 min read

How Long Does It Take to Build a Custom Home in BC?

A realistic phase-by-phase breakdown from design and drawings through construction and possession, including the factors that most reliably extend a build timeline.

Design · June 2026 · 5 min read

Home Addition vs. Moving: Which Makes More Financial Sense?

In BC’s current market, the full cost of selling and buying often exceeds what a well-designed addition costs. Here is how to run the numbers honestly.

Design · June 2026 · 4 min read

What Is a Design-Build Firm and Why Does It Matter?

What design-build actually means, how it differs from hiring a designer and builder separately, and why the distinction matters for your project budget and timeline.

Design · July 2026 · 5 min read

Designing a Fourplex People Actually Want to Live In

SSMUH told us how many units we can put on a lot. It said nothing about whether they would be any good. What separates a fourplex people want from one they tolerate.

Development · July 2026 · 6 min read

The Fourplex Pro Forma: Where Design Decisions Quietly Eat Your Margin

By the time you are in construction, most of your cost is already committed. The drawings decided it. Seven places margin quietly disappears on small multi-unit projects.

Renovations · July 2026 · 6 min read

Renovate or Rebuild? How to Make the Call Honestly

Renovate the house you have, or tear it down and start over? An honest framework for making a defensible decision instead of a hopeful one, before you spend money either way.

Interior Design · July 2026 · 5 min read

The Finish Schedule: The Least Glamorous Document That Saves the Most Money

A decision made on paper costs design time. The same decision made on site costs a change order. Why the least glamorous document in interior design is the one that pays for itself.

Development · July 2026 · 6 min read

SSMUH After Bill 25: What Your Lot Actually Allows in 2026

The June 30, 2026 deadline has passed. What Bill 25 changed, how many units your lot now allows, the exemptions people forget to check, and what still gets projects stuck.

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