A Real Number, in Seconds — Not a Follow-Up Call
Your client asks "roughly what would this cost to build?" in the first meeting. Now you have an answer on the spot, without waiting on us or guessing wrong. Use this calculator live with clients, or send them the link directly.
Calibrated to current Lower Mainland construction costs — Metro Vancouver & the Fraser Valley.
We're built to be brought in at the start of a project, not after the drawings are done. When we're introduced during planning, we manage and oversee the entire pre-construction phase — permitting, budgeting, scheduling, consultant coordination — at no additional cost to you or your client. You keep control of the design. We handle the execution and the fixed price that makes it real.
What Will Your Custom Home Cost?
A rough estimate based on your square footage, finish level, and the features that matter to you. For an exact number, we'll walk your lot and give you a fixed price.
- Laminate or engineered hardwood flooring
- Quartz countertops
- Stock cabinetry, semi-custom finishes
- Standard windows, single-zone HVAC
- Wide-plank hardwood throughout
- Quartz or natural stone countertops
- Custom cabinetry, upgraded hardware
- High-efficiency windows, zoned HVAC
- Natural hardwood & imported stone flooring
- Book-matched natural stone countertops
- Fully custom millwork throughout
- Triple-glazed windows, full climate control
What is Step Code, and why does it affect cost? The BC Energy Step Code is a province-wide performance standard (Steps 1–5) that sets increasingly strict energy-efficiency requirements for new construction. Each step up requires real, priced changes to the build — thicker wall and roof insulation, higher-performance (often triple-glazed) windows, more airtight construction with mandatory blower-door testing, upgraded mechanical systems, and third-party energy modelling to prove compliance before a permit is issued. None of that is optional once a municipality adopts a step level, which is why a Step 5 requirement (like the North Shore) genuinely costs more to build than a Step 3 project of the same size and finish.
Step Code levels shown are current as of early 2026 and are set by municipal bylaw — subject to change. Confirm requirements for your specific project and permit date before design work begins.
Feature costs shown are planning-stage estimates, not final pricing. Every feature's real cost depends on decisions made during architecture, design, and engineering — site conditions, structural requirements, and material selections all move the number once your project is actually drawn and engineered. These figures exist to help you plan, not to be held to before that work is done.
Added features can extend the timeline too, not just the price. A pool, helipad, or private gate can trigger additional variance applications or environmental review during permitting. An elevator, home theatre, or wine cellar adds specialized trades and inspections to the construction schedule. Sauna, cold plunge, and outdoor kitchen installations need to be sequenced around plumbing and electrical rough-in. None of this is a reason to skip a feature you want — it's just why your actual schedule gets finalized once your specific feature list is known, not from this calculator alone.
Are you one of Mavish Homes' next three home builds? See our promotion
How Do You Get a Fixed-Price Quote?
This calculator gives you a real starting number. Here's what actually happens between this estimate and a contract you can trust.
The bigger and more complex the home, the longer the planning and permitting phase takes. A straightforward build might be ready for a fixed price in a few months. A large, highly custom project — especially one with a difficult lot, a higher Step Code requirement, or an ambitious feature list — can take up to two years of planning before every drawing, engineering report, and permit is finalized.
On projects that long, we don't ask you to wait two years before anything happens. Early physical work that doesn't depend on final drawings — demolition, excavation, and site preparation — can move forward under a partial cost-plus arrangement while design and engineering continue in parallel. A full fixed-price quote is then issued once the design is locked, typically heading into the finishing phase, when every material and system is actually known.
Most horror stories in custom home building don't start on the job site — they start months earlier, when a project moves into permitting or construction without accurate drawings, real pricing, or a genuine read on site conditions. What follows is predictable: timelines that were never realistic in the first place, "estimates" that quietly become 20–30% higher, constant change orders, and delays that stack on top of each other until a one-year build becomes two.
This isn't a small inconvenience. It's your money, your time, and often years of your life spent managing a project that was set up to go wrong from the start.
This is likely the single biggest investment you'll ever make. It deserves to be planned properly, priced accurately, and built by someone who's already done the hard part before you sign anything — not figured out as you go.
Start With a Planning RetainerCommon Questions From Design Partners
Bring us in during planning and we'll manage pre-construction at no cost to your client.
Partner With Us — ArchitectsSend your clients a real number instantly, and let us handle the execution behind your design.
Partner With Us — DesignersWho You're Actually Working With
- BCIT-trained carpenter
- Former project manager for a local luxury custom home builder
- Fully licensed, certified builder
- 15 years in the construction industry
- Relentless focus on self-improvement, health, fitness, and wellbeing
- Leader and mentor of The Founders Standard, teaching other founders the importance of discipline and a well-balanced life
- Hosts a community walk every Wednesday morning at 6:45am around beautiful Deer Lake in Burnaby
This isn't a builder chasing volume. It's someone genuinely dedicated to living the most beautiful, fulfilling life British Columbia has to offer — and building that same standard into every home and every relationship along the way.
What Kind of Relationship Do You Get With Mavish Homes?
The number one goal of our entire business isn't the square footage, and it isn't even the finished home — it's a long-lasting, vibrant, healthy relationship that outlives the build. We treat our clients the way great friends and family treat each other: occasional lunches, a round of golf, taking the motorcycles out for a ride and lunch together. We're not here to build your home and disappear once the keys are handed over. We're here to create a real connection, one that's still there long after move-in day.
Partnering with Mavish Homes from the very beginning means you're not guessing on who to hire. We recommend our highly vetted architects and designers for your project, so you're never left sourcing and screening a team on your own — you're working with people we already trust and have built with before.
Talk to Us Before You Hire Anyone