Custom New Home Design & Drafting Services

 Designing a new home is one of the largest investments most people will ever make. A well-designed house is not just about appearance — it is about creating a home that functions properly for your lifestyle, fits your property, complies with local building regulations, and remains practical for decades to come.

At Dave Nicol Design, we provide custom home drafting and residential design services for homeowners, builders, and developers throughout the Lower Mainland and British Columbia. With more than 40 years of construction experience behind the drafting process, every project is approached with a strong understanding of how homes are actually built in the field — not just how they appear on paper.

Whether the project involves a modern custom residence, mountain home, infill development, multiplex, or a large family home, the goal is always the same: create clear, accurate permit drawings that support efficient construction and thoughtful design.

A custom home is more than a collection of rooms. It is a place where families gather, memories are made, and daily life unfolds for years to come. Good design creates spaces that are comfortable, welcoming, and enjoyable to live in, while reflecting the homeowner's personality and lifestyle.

Our new home design services focus on creating attractive, functional homes that make the most of each property's unique opportunities. Large windows, open living areas, outdoor connections, and thoughtful room layouts help create bright, inviting spaces that feel larger, more comfortable, and more enjoyable to use every day.

Whether your vision is a modern contemporary home, a traditional family residence, a mountain retreat, or a rural estate, we work closely with you to develop a design that is both visually striking and tailored to your needs. Every home is carefully planned to take advantage of views, natural light, privacy, and the surrounding environment.

From the initial concept through permit drawings, our goal is to help bring your vision to life while creating a home that is beautiful, practical, and built to be enjoyed for generations.

Permit requirements can vary significantly between municipalities. Projects in Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Langley, Surrey, Maple Ridge, Mission, Squamish, Whistler, and other municipalities throughout British Columbia all involve different zoning bylaws, building department expectations, and submission requirements.

Dave Nicol Design prepares residential permit drawing packages that may include:

• Site plans 
• Floor plans 
• Roof plans 
• Exterior elevations 
• Building sections 
• Construction details 
• Code analysis notes 
• Lot coverage and floor area calculations 
• BC Building Code and zoning compliance information 
• 3D renderings and visualization 

These drawing packages are prepared to support permit applications while also helping contractors build efficiently and accurately in the field.

A successful home design is not determined solely by square footage. The best homes feel comfortable, efficient, and connected to how the occupants live day to day.

That may include:

Open-concept living spaces with improved natural light
Large kitchens designed for entertaining and family use
Legal secondary suites or mortgage helpers
Home offices and flexible workspaces
Aging-in-place considerations for long-term accessibility
Covered outdoor living areas for year-round use
Functional mudrooms, pantries, and integrated storage solutions
Vaulted ceilings and engineered beam spans for open interiors

Some clients arrive with a fully developed vision, while others simply know they want a better home than the one they currently have. The design process is collaborative and tailored to the needs of the project, whether working directly with a homeowner, builder, or developer.

Projects range from smaller custom homes to large-scale residences, ski chalets, multi-family developments, and modern infill housing throughout the Lower Mainland.

 Building a new home in British Columbia involves far more than choosing a floor plan and exterior finishes.  Modern homes must comply with evolving energy-efficiency requirements that can affect wall assemblies, insulation levels, ventilation systems, window specifications, and overall construction costs.  Homeowners interested in understanding how these requirements may affect their project can read our article, "Understanding the BC Energy Step Code: What Homeowners Need to Know Before Building a New Home." 

Whether you are planning a custom home, a major renovation, a multiplex project, or a residential redevelopment, thoughtful planning and detailed permit drawings can help streamline both the approval process and construction.  Dave Nicol Design focuses on practical, buildable residential design solutions shaped by decades of hands-on construction experience.   Modern homes rely on a wide range of advanced building materials and engineered structural components.  Homeowners interested in learning more about LVL beams, glulam beams, PSL and LSL products, engineered wood posts, fire performance, and seismic considerations can read our article Engineered Wood in Residential Construction: LVL, PSL, LSL, Glulam, Parallam & Engineered Wood Posts in British Columbia.