Most development goes wrong between the firms.
A typical multiplex passes through an architect, a planner, two or three engineering consultants, a general contractor and the trades under them. Each one protects its own scope. The drawings are priced by one firm and built by another, so every gap between them becomes a change order. Designs that were never tested against zoning go back to the city again and again. And when the schedule slips, the architect blames the contractor, the contractor blames the drawings, and the owner pays the carrying costs.
None of that is anyone's fault. It is what happens when five companies with five agendas share one project and nobody owns the whole.
Costs that grow after you commit
Drawings priced by one firm, built by another. Every gap between them becomes a change order.
Approvals that stall for years
Designs that were never tested against zoning come back from the city again and again.
Nobody accountable when it slips
Everyone points at everyone else, and you carry the delay.
Everyone who touches your building sits in the same office.
At CitiBuild the people who draw your building sit beside the people who price it, approve it and build it. Where competitors subcontract, we keep every stage in-house.
Architecture
In-house architects design around what can actually be approved and built, not what looks good in a brochure.
Planning
Our planners work with the city on zoning, variances and permits every week. When there is a problem, we find a way to make it work.
Engineering coordination
Mechanical, structural, electrical and plumbing drawings are coordinated before submission, so the permit set agrees with itself.
Development
Feasibility, budgets, financing programs and the schedule are managed by the same people who will be on site.
Construction
Our own construction managers and trades build it, with component costs fixed in advance and one team accountable for the schedule.
Tarion and HCRA
CitiBuild is a registered Ontario builder, which means warranty coverage and licensing you can verify.
The usual way and ours.
Where the time and money go in a typical 4 to 6 unit multiplex, and where they go with one team.
| Stage | Typical route | CitiBuild |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Custom design by an outside architect, 1 to 2 months, often revised after zoning review | Pre-tested multiplex models adapted to your lot in month 1 |
| Permits | 8 to 9 months of city comments relayed between firms | 3 to 4 months, with comments answered directly by our planners and architects |
| Pricing | Tendered after design; change orders when drawings and site disagree | Component costs fixed in advance by the team that drew the building |
| Construction | 14 to 18 months with a general contractor managing subcontracted trades | About 12 months with our own construction managers and trades |
| Lease-up | Begins after completion, rent around month 26 to 28 | Begins at occupancy permit in month 16, rent from month 18 |
| Accountability | Five contracts, five firms | One agreement, one team |
Typical-route figures reflect our experience with multiplex projects in the GTA and are illustrative. Timelines depend on the municipality, site and approvals, and are confirmed for your property during feasibility.
"Development is not just about maximizing yield. It is about creating buildings that are profitable, meaningful, and make their communities better."
Fewer surprises. Sooner rent.
Because design, permits and construction sit in one office, changes are caught early and priced before they become problems. A CitiBuild multiplex starts earning roughly ten months before one built the traditional way, and every month saved is a month of carrying costs you do not pay.