Can I Build a Multigenerational Home With Multiple Attached Living Spaces in the Lower Mainland?
If you've ever imagined living on the same property as your parents, adult children or extended family — without necessarily living in the same household — recent changes to housing rules in British Columbia have created new possibilities.
For many families, multigenerational living used to mean adding a basement suite or squeezing another bedroom into an existing home.
That is changing.
Following the introduction of Bill 44 and British Columbia's Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) legislation, many residential properties that were previously limited to a single-family home can now accommodate multiple dwelling units.
Depending on your property, that could open the door to a purpose-built multigenerational home containing two, three or even four separate living spaces — and in some locations, potentially more.
For families in Langley, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Surrey and South Surrey, it's worth understanding what these changes could mean for your property.
What is Bill 44 in BC?
In late 2023, the Province of British Columbia passed Bill 44 – Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, 2023.
Among other housing reforms, the legislation required municipalities to change zoning rules to permit more Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing on many properties that had historically been zoned for single-family homes or duplexes.
Under the provincial framework, qualifying lots generally must allow at least:
3 dwelling units on parcels 280 m² or smaller
4 dwelling units on parcels larger than 280 m²
Additional density can apply in certain transit-served locations. Municipalities have since incorporated the provincial requirements into their own zoning bylaws.
For homeowners, this represents a significant shift.
Instead of automatically thinking:
"Can I add a basement suite for Mom and Dad?"
families can start asking:
"Could we design this property from the beginning for three generations?"
And that's where the opportunity becomes particularly interesting for multigenerational living.
What could a multigenerational home with multiple living spaces look like?
There isn't one correct layout.
Imagine a new home where the main residence is occupied by a family with young children.
Attached to one side is a smaller, completely independent home for the grandparents, with its own entrance, kitchen, living room, bedroom and outdoor space.
Another portion of the building could eventually accommodate an adult child and their family.
The spaces can still be architecturally connected and designed as one cohesive home, while giving each generation considerably more independence than a conventional secondary suite.
Depending on the property and municipality, small-scale multi-unit housing can take forms such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, secondary suites, garden suites and other configurations. For example, Surrey explicitly identifies duplexes, triplexes/houseplexes, secondary suites and detached accessory dwelling units within its SSMUH framework.
For a multigenerational family, the goal doesn't necessarily need to be maximizing the number of units permitted.
It can be about using the new flexibility to create the right number of homes for one family.
What does Bill 44 mean for multigenerational homes in Langley?
Langley is particularly interesting because there's an important distinction between urban residential properties and rural/acreage properties.
The Township of Langley amended its zoning bylaw in November 2024 to implement SSMUH. For eligible properties, the Township permits:
3 units on lots up to 280 m², and 4 units on lots between 280 m² and 4,050 m² (one acre). (Township of Langley)
But this doesn't mean every one-acre-or-smaller property in Langley automatically qualifies.
According to the Township, eligible properties generally need to be inside the Urban Containment Boundary, connected to municipal water and sewer, not heritage-designated, outside a Transit-Oriented Area, no larger than one acre, and not in a zone with a minimum lot size greater than one acre. The Township notes that additional property-specific conditions can apply.
That's a significant consideration in places such as South Langley and Campbell Valley, where many properties rely on wells and septic systems or are located outside the Urban Containment Boundary.
Those properties shouldn't automatically be ruled out for multigenerational living. They simply need to be evaluated under a different set of rules.
The Township says properties that don't meet its SSMUH eligibility criteria may instead be eligible for one residential unit plus a secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit, depending on zoning.
This is why we recommend investigating the property before designing the house.
What about Langley City?
Langley City also changed its zoning in response to the provincial legislation. Its amendments introduced "Plex-Homes" on qualifying RS1 and RS2 properties, with up to four dwelling units generally contemplated and up to six in qualifying locations near frequent bus service.
So even within "Langley," the answer to what can I build? changes depending on whether your property is located in the Township of Langley or City of Langley.
Can I build a multigenerational home in Maple Ridge?
Maple Ridge has also updated its bylaws in response to the provincial housing legislation.
Eligible single-family and duplex properties can now accommodate up to three, four or six units of Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing, provided the property meets applicable zoning, bylaw and Building Code requirements.
The City has identified housing types including secondary suites, detached garden suites, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes.
This creates interesting opportunities for families who own an existing property in Maple Ridge and are considering replacing the house or undertaking a substantial renovation.
Instead of designing solely around today's household, it may be possible to think about the property as a long-term family asset capable of housing several generations.
What about Pitt Meadows?
Pitt Meadows updated its zoning bylaw in June 2024 to accommodate the provincial changes.
The City states that qualifying properties can accommodate up to three units on lots 280 m² or smaller, four units on larger qualifying lots, and up to six units on certain properties near frequent transit.
However, there are important exclusions.
For example, Pitt Meadows notes that the provincial requirements do not apply in the same way to properties larger than 4,050 m² (one acre), properties without water or sewer connections, and certain heritage properties.
Again, the property's characteristics matter just as much as its address.
Can I build multiple units in Port Coquitlam?
Port Coquitlam now permits Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing on RS1 through RS4 residential properties.
Generally, the City says these properties can accommodate three to six units without rezoning, depending on lot size, location and proximity to transit.
Port Coquitlam identifies options including secondary suites, accessory dwelling units, duplexes and triplexes.
There is another step to consider, though: new duplexes, developments containing three or more dwellings, and accessory dwelling units require a Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing Development Permit before a building permit can be issued.
That is a good example of why "the zoning allows four units" and "I can start building four units" are not the same thing.
What are the rules in Coquitlam?
Coquitlam implemented updated Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing zoning in 2025.
The City now permits a range of ground-oriented housing forms in many lower-density residential areas, including single-detached homes, secondary suites, garden cottages, carriage houses, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and multiplexes.
For existing properties where triplexes and fourplexes are permitted, Coquitlam identifies a minimum existing lot size of 280 m², although other eligibility requirements and property-specific conditions still apply.
For families considering a purpose-built multigenerational home, these new housing forms create considerably more flexibility than the traditional house-plus-basement-suite model.
What does Bill 44 mean in Surrey and South Surrey?
Surrey amended its zoning bylaw in July 2024 to implement Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing.
Depending on the lot, Surrey's framework can allow three or four dwelling units, with as many as six units on certain eligible properties within 400 metres of frequent bus service.
This applies across Surrey, so when we're talking about South Surrey, the same City of Surrey framework applies — although the zoning, lot size, servicing, development permit requirements and other conditions of the individual South Surrey property still need to be reviewed.
Surrey's SSMUH framework includes options such as duplexes, houseplexes, coach houses, garden suites and secondary suites.
Surrey also notes that existing restrictive covenants can still affect a property's development potential and that infrastructure capacity — including sewer, water and drainage — needs to be considered when additional housing is proposed.
Does Bill 44 mean I can automatically build four homes on my property?
No — and this is probably the most important thing to understand.
Seeing that your municipality allows "up to four units" doesn't necessarily tell you what can actually be built on your particular property.
Before deciding what's possible, we need to consider things such as:
Current zoning and land-use designation
Lot size and dimensions
Municipal water and sewer availability
Septic and well systems
Urban Containment Boundaries
Agricultural Land Reserve considerations
Existing buildings
Setbacks and lot coverage
Building height
Parking
Driveway and site access
Trees and environmental setbacks
Creeks, slopes and floodplain requirements
Utility capacity
Development Permit Areas
Easements and restrictive covenants
BC Building Code requirements
And then there's another important question:
Just because you're allowed four units, should you build four?
For a multigenerational family, not necessarily.
Designing for your family instead of maximum density
This is where we believe multigenerational housing becomes especially interesting.
A developer might look at a property that permits four units and ask:
"How do we fit four units onto this lot?"
A family may need to ask a completely different question:
"How do we create a property that works for our family for the next 30 years?"
Maybe the right answer is three residences instead of four.
Perhaps Mom and Dad want a smaller single-level home with their own kitchen, laundry, patio and entrance.
The primary family may need three or four bedrooms and a larger shared living area.
An adult child might need a smaller residence today that could accommodate a partner or children later.
You may want connected outdoor spaces so the grandchildren can easily visit their grandparents — while still allowing everyone to close their front door at the end of the day.
Good multigenerational design creates opportunities to be together without requiring everyone to always be together.
Should the homes be attached or detached?
This is another question that needs to be evaluated property by property.
Some families picture several detached homes spread across a larger property.
Others prefer an attached configuration that reads architecturally as one cohesive home.
An attached multigenerational home can have several advantages. It can allow families to remain physically close, potentially make better use of a constrained property, and create shared areas while still providing independent living spaces.
Depending on the design, residences could have their own:
entrances, kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry, mechanical considerations, storage and outdoor spaces.
There might then be intentionally shared spaces — a large family dining room, mudroom, garden, workshop, play area or outdoor entertaining space.
The appropriate configuration depends on both what the municipality permits and how your family actually wants to live.
What if our Langley property is on well and septic?
This deserves special attention because many families looking at multigenerational living in Langley own larger rural properties.
Bill 44's SSMUH provisions don't simply mean that every acreage property can now contain four residences.
In the Township of Langley, properties qualifying for its three- and four-unit SSMUH provisions generally need municipal water and sewer connections and must be within the Urban Containment Boundary, among other requirements.
That makes early feasibility particularly important for properties in rural Langley.
Homestead has experience with homes on well and septic systems, including our own home, and we understand how decisions around septic capacity, filtration, servicing and house placement can affect what you may want to do with the property in the future.
Even when a particular property doesn't qualify for the standard SSMUH pathway, there may be other options worth investigating based on its zoning and circumstances.
Where should I start if I want to build a multigenerational property?
Start with the property — not the floor plan.
Before spending significant money designing your dream three-generation home, determine what your property can reasonably support.
At Homestead Design Build, the early planning process can include reviewing the property and helping coordinate the professionals required to determine feasibility, such as designers or architects, engineers, municipal planning departments, septic professionals, energy advisors and other consultants.
Once we better understand the opportunities and limitations of the property, the design can begin responding to both.
This is also where getting a builder involved early can be valuable.
Instead of designing a home first and determining what it costs afterward, design, feasibility and construction considerations can inform one another from the beginning.
A different way to think about the family home
For decades, the typical housing path looked fairly predictable.
Parents bought a home. Children grew up and moved out. Aging parents eventually downsized or moved into another form of housing.
For some families, that model no longer makes as much sense.
A thoughtfully designed multigenerational property can allow grandparents to live independently while remaining close to their grandchildren. Adult children can have a path toward independent living without necessarily leaving the family property. Childcare, caregiving and everyday life can be shared more naturally.
And the home can change as the family does.
That's why we don't think of multigenerational construction simply as putting several units on one lot.
It's about creating a home for generations.
Thinking About Building a Multigenerational Home in the Lower Mainland?
Homestead Design Build specializes in custom homes, whole-home renovations and multigenerational living throughout the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, including Langley, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Surrey, South Surrey, Vancouver, North Vancouver and surrounding communities.
If you're wondering whether your existing property could accommodate multiple generations — or you're searching for a property specifically to build a multigenerational home — you don't need to have the design figured out before contacting us.
Tell us about your property, who you're hoping to create a home for and how you'd like to live together. We can help you determine what the next steps should be.
