Front elevation rendering of 917 Richard Street 6-unit development in Kentville, Nova Scotia
Case Study

917 Richard Street

Complete construction documents and building permit delivered in two months across two jurisdictions.

6
Units
2 months
Total Timeline
2
Jurisdictions
10+
Drawing Sheets

A developer needed a 6-unit apartment building permitted in Kentville — but this wasn’t a single-jurisdiction project. The site required approvals from two separate authorities: Kings County for land-use and the Town of Kentville for building permits. The traditional route — separate architects and engineers juggling both jurisdictions — would take 6 to 8 months. Our integrated team of architects and engineers handled everything in parallel, delivering a complete construction document set in two months with revisions resolved in days, not weeks.

6–8 months vs. two

Traditional: 6–8 months
Ours: 2 months

One team — both architects and engineers — working all disciplines in parallel across two jurisdictions. No handoffs, no rework, no coordination between separate firms.

Month 1

Design & engineering

Site assessment, zoning review across both jurisdictions, architectural design and structural/mechanical engineering progressed in parallel.

Month 2

Submission & approval

Complete P.Eng-stamped CD set submitted to Kings County and Town of Kentville. Revisions addressed in days. Permit in hand by ~day 45.

Renderings

D5-rendered views of the completed building from multiple angles.

Corner perspective rendering of 917 Richard Street showing parking side and front entries
Front elevation rendering showing all six unit entries and balconies
Rear corner rendering showing brick walkway and side elevation
Interior rendering of open-concept kitchen and living area with marble island and pendant lights
Interior rendering of kitchen with island facing sliding balcony door
Interior rendering of living room with sectional sofa looking toward kitchen
Interior rendering of kitchen from entry hallway showing built-in appliances

Video walkthrough

A D5-rendered fly-through of the building interior and exterior.

Video walkthrough poster — click to play

The drawing set

Every sheet produced by one integrated team — architects and engineers working from the same model.

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The result

Both jurisdictions approved the permit with minimal revisions — and the few that came back were resolved in days, not weeks. When every sheet is produced by the same team referencing the same model, nothing falls through the cracks — structural assumptions match the architectural design, mechanical routing doesn’t conflict with beams, and spatial separation calculations are consistent with the elevations.

For the developer, this meant 4–6 months saved compared to the traditional approach, reduced carrying costs, a single point of contact navigating two jurisdictions, and a fixed price with no change orders from interdisciplinary conflicts.

Value beyond the permit

The permit was the milestone, but our integrated approach delivered more than just approval documents:

  • Renderings for pre-leasing — The developer used our D5-rendered exterior and interior views to market units before construction started, securing tenants early.
  • Bill of materials for builders — Detailed door, window, and material schedules gave contractors exact quantities for accurate bids and vendor pricing.
  • P.Eng-stamped engineering — Structural and mechanical engineering came from the same team as the architecture — no coordination gaps, no finger-pointing.
  • One team, one price — No separate invoices from an architect, structural engineer, and mechanical engineer. One fixed quote covered the entire package.

“Two jurisdictions. One integrated team. Complete construction documents and building permit delivered in two months.”

Project details

Type6-unit residential
Address917 Richard St, Kentville
JurisdictionsKings County + Town of Kentville
BuildingTwo-storey, wood frame
Footprint81’-6” × 33’
Roof apex32’-8”
Timeline2 months (~45 days to permit)
CodeNBC 2020, Part 9
DrawnHelio, Dec 2025

Location

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From Permit to Construction

This project is construction-ready

917 Richard Street was designed to go straight from permit to build. Our construction partner, Helio Urban Development, specializes in turning permitted multi-unit designs into finished buildings — with fixed pricing and zero rework.

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Get results like these

Whether you’re building one suite or twelve units, our integrated approach delivers permits faster with zero coordination headaches.