SMALL HOUSING
Build high-performance gentle density right the first time.
A practical field guide to getting airtight homes, continuous air barriers, and all-electric systems right. Drawn from data on thousands of real BC projects.
Built specifically for:
- Building Designers
- Mechanical Contractors
- Building Officials
- Local Government Staff
High performance is becoming the baseline, not the exception.
Small-scale, multi-unit housing is scaling fast. The projects are coming. The question is how well they get built. Stay ahead of building code updates with our best practices guide.
Building Designers
Guidance on wall assemblies, continuous air barriers, thermal bridging, and the trade-offs that decide performance. All designed in from the first sketch.
Mechanical Contractors
Right-size heat pumps with room-by-room CSA F280 load calculations, commission systems properly, and avoid the oversizing and duct problems that drive callbacks.
Building Officials
Know what to look for at inspection. From air-barrier detailing to mechanical siting. Practical guidance those reviewing high-performance small-scale housing.
Local Government Staff
Help staff review, inspect, and set policy with more confidence, catching costly problems early so quality, cost effective gentle density housing actually gets built.
What’s in the Free Resource Pack
The Full High Performance Guide
A comprehensive guide for residential construction leaders. Best practices in designing and detailing high performance homes.
Plan-Checker Checklist
Catch the energy-modelling red flags that lead to failed inspections and costly rework. Review faster, with more confidence
Building Inspector Checklist
Catch defects on site while they’re still cheap to fix. Focused attention on where failures are most likely. Protect build quality without slowing the job.
Policy Maker Scorecard
See exactly where your jurisdiction helps or hinders high performance gentle density, then fix the gaps. More affordable, resilient homes actually getting built.
Get your free high-performance gentle density resource pack
Sign up today to get the Best Practices Guide plus the Plan Checker Checklist, Building Inspector Checklist and Policy Maker Scorecard
Small Housing Academy
Get ahead of the gentle-density shift
Courses are organized by role, online and self-paced, and accredited by BC Housing for CPD credits. Build the skills to apply gentle density on real projects.
Small Housing is a BC-based nonprofit. We work with partners across Canada to remove the barriers to gentle density, and to train the people who build it. As a nonprofit, 100% of course proceeds go back into this mission.
Get your free high-performance gentle density resource pack
Sign up today to get the Best Practices Guide plus the Plan Checker Checklist, Building Inspector Checklist and Policy Maker Scorecard
Developed with Canada's leading housing organizations
Tier 4/5
Written for the top tiers of the BC Energy Step Code and national model codes
2027
Target year for next jump in energy code requirements
60%
Of homeowners call rising energy bills a burden
3.5 Million
Homes needed. Many will be missing middle gentle density homes
61%
Homebuyers say energy efficiency is a purchasing decision
241
Canadian communities that have legalized gentle density
Continue learning
Gentle Density Housing Bylaw Guide: A Pathway for Local Governments
Released in April 2025, this Guide aims to provide local governments with a roadmap for changing their zoning bylaws to allow gentle density housing, based on experiences from jurisdictions leading the way.
Solutions to unlock the full potential of Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Homes
Small Housing’s latest position paper (Sept 2024), detailing the most effective means of removing the remaining barriers that impede the feasibility of gentle density projects for homeowner developers.
Join the Gentle Density Network
Get the latest research and policy developments in gentle density housing.
Gentle Density Toolbox
Check out our full library of guides, checklists, and reference material.
Bylaw Guide (2025)
The municipal implementation reference for enabling gentle density.
Latest from the field
Will Your Infill Project Trigger a Costly Electrical Upgrade?
As a builder, you did everything right. Bill 44 gave you the zoning. Your design works, the units are sized well, the pro forma pencils. Then the servicing conversation happens—
What Does It Actually Cost to Build a High-Performance Multiplex in BC?
Ask any builder what it costs per square foot to build a Step 5 multiplex and the honest ones all start the same way: “it depends.” It sounds like a
Gentle Density Is Law: Here’s What You Can Actually Build on Your Lot
The single-family lot as most people picture it (one house, maybe a basement suite) is quietly becoming a thing of the past across much of British Columbia. A provincial law