Winnipeg, Manitoba
Residential Drafting & Design in Winnipeg
Residential design and drafting for basements, secondary suites, renovations, additions, custom homes and permit projects throughout Winnipeg and southern Manitoba.
Drafting Smith works with homeowners, builders, renovators and contractors through phone, email, online meetings and digital plan review.
Every estimate request is reviewed within 24 hours.
Plans That Work
Drawings for New Homes and the Houses People Already Have
Winnipeg has a large stock of existing homes, which makes basements, secondary suites and renovations particularly practical residential drafting projects. New homes and infill projects bring a different set of site and zoning questions.
Drafting Smith works through the design where needed, then prepares residential drawings that make sense to the homeowner, contractor and permit reviewer.
The company is based in Saskatoon, but there is no separate remote service model. Digital collaboration is simply how Drafting Smith works.
Residential Projects
What We Help With in Winnipeg
Basement & Secondary Suite Design
Layouts for unfinished or previously developed basements, attached secondary suites and detached suite projects, designed around the existing home and applicable requirements.
Renovation & Addition Design
Existing and proposed drawings for reworking older homes, opening layouts, changing rooms or adding new living space.
Custom Home Design
New homes developed around the property, layout priorities, exterior and the way the homeowner wants the house to function.
Building Permit Drawings
Residential drawing packages for applicable City of Winnipeg or surrounding-municipality review.
Selected Work
Winnipeg Projects
Explore our residential drafting projects in Winnipeg and surrounding communities, featuring custom home designs, functional layouts and detailed plans tailored to local homeowners and builders.
Existing Conditions
A Finished Basement Still Has to Work With What Is Already There
Basement projects can start with bare concrete, a partially finished lower level or rooms that were built years ago and no longer work well.
The design has to account for stairs, windows, beams, posts, plumbing, mechanical equipment, ceiling heights and whatever construction is already in place.
If original plans are not available, that is common. Photos, old drawings, homeowner or contractor measurements and other project information can be reviewed to determine what still needs to be confirmed.
Previously unpermitted work can sometimes be documented after the fact, but the existing conditions and applicable permit requirements need to be reviewed before the scope is confirmed.
Current Local Requirements
What to Know Before Permit-Related Drafting Begins
Winnipeg’s permit and zoning rules depend on the project and property. Drafting Smith checks the current requirements before finalizing permit-related drawings.
Secondary Suites Need Development and Building Approval
The City states that homeowners need both a development permit and a building permit before building a secondary suite. Attached and detached suites have different zoning and site requirements.
Detached Suites Have More Site Information to Resolve
For detached secondary suites, the City requires site and design information such as location, floor plans and elevations, and separate servicing information may be required depending on how sewer and water are proposed.
Winnipeg's Residential Zoning Changed in 2025
Citywide zoning amendments approved in June 2025 expanded as-of-right infill housing, including up to four dwelling units on many residential lots and taller four-unit forms in specified areas near frequent transit. That makes current zoning more useful than older online assumptions for infill or redevelopment projects.
Electrical Permit Administration Changes Outside Winnipeg
Within Winnipeg city limits, electrical permits and inspections are handled by the City. Manitoba Hydro states that it provides electrical wiring permits and inspections for applicable work outside Winnipeg city limits.
New Homes Have Manitoba Warranty Requirements
Manitoba’s New Home Warranty Act ties building-permit issuance to evidence that the home will be built by a registered, authorized or exempt builder and, where required, covered by an approved home warranty.
Drafting Smith Prepares the Plans
The homeowner or builder submits the applicable application, and the City, municipality or planning authority makes the approval decision. Engineering, surveying and other regulated professional services are separate where required.
Greater Winnipeg
More Land Still Creates Site Decisions
Communities around Winnipeg include suburban properties, larger residential lots and country-residential acreages.
Access, drainage, setbacks, private servicing, existing buildings and future garages or shops can all affect how a home or addition should sit on the property.
The permit authority also changes outside Winnipeg. Depending on the location, a municipality, planning district or another local office may administer the applicable approvals. The property location is confirmed before permit-related drafting begins.
Digital From the Start
Working From Winnipeg Is Not a Workaround
Start With What You Have
Send the address or community, the project type and whatever information already exists – a sketch, old floor plan, photos, property information or simply a clear description of the goal.
Review Plans Online
Design reviews and revisions happen by phone, email and online meeting so everyone can look at the same drawings.
Receive the Finished Plans
Completed drawings are supplied as PDFs. Printed sets can be provided for an additional fee. Drafting Smith retains the editable working files.
Estimate Requests Are Reviewed Within 24 Hours
The project schedule itself depends on the scope, complexity and current workload and is discussed after the project is reviewed.
Winnipeg & Southern Manitoba
Winnipeg and the Communities Around It
Drafting Smith works with residential projects throughout Winnipeg and in nearby communities such as Headingley, East St. Paul, West St. Paul, Selkirk, Stonewall and Niverville, along with surrounding rural municipalities.
Appropriate projects can also be handled in communities such as Portage la Prairie, Brandon, Steinbach, Winkler and Morden.
Those communities are treated as their own jurisdictions, not as Winnipeg suburbs. Local planning and permit requirements are checked for the actual project location.
Winnipeg Area
Winnipeg
Headingley
East St. Paul
West St. Paul
Selkirk
Stonewall
Niverville
Southern Manitoba
Portage la Prairie
Brandon
Steinbach
Winkler
Morden
Winnipeg home owner
Great experience from start to finish. We made a few changes along the way and nothing was ever a hassle. Would definitely recommend.
Rick L. — Custom Home
Winnipeg FAQs
Questions About Residential Drafting in Winnipeg
Do secondary suites in Winnipeg need both development and building permits?
Yes. The City of Winnipeg states that homeowners need a development permit and a building permit before building a secondary suite.
Can Drafting Smith design detached backyard or garden suites in Winnipeg?
Yes, where the property and current zoning allow the project. Detached secondary suites have their own site, size, access, servicing and design requirements.
Can you work with an older basement that has already been finished?
Yes. We can review the existing information and prepare drawings showing current and proposed conditions. Previously unpermitted work needs to be reviewed individually before the scope is confirmed.
Did Winnipeg residential zoning change recently?
Yes. In 2025, Winnipeg approved amendments that expanded as-of-right infill housing, including up to four units on many residential lots. The current zoning for the property should be checked before an infill or redevelopment design relies on older assumptions.
Do you work outside Winnipeg city limits?
Yes. We take appropriate projects in surrounding communities and elsewhere in southern Manitoba. The applicable municipality, planning district and permit authority are confirmed for the property.
Do I need to meet with Drafting Smith in person?
No. The normal process uses phone, email, online meetings and digital plan review.
Official Information
Useful Winnipeg / Manitoba Starting Points
Winnipeg
Permits for new homes, secondary suites, basement developments, additions and garages.
Headingley
Building permits for custom homes, acreages, additions, garages and renovations.
East St. Paul
Residential permits for new homes, renovations, additions and accessory buildings.
West St. Paul
Building permit information for new homes, additions, garages and renovations.
Selkirk
Permits for new homes, basement developments, additions and accessory buildings.
Niverville
Residential permits for new construction, garages, additions and decks.
Planning a Winnipeg-Area Project?
Start With the Property and What You Want the Space to Do
Send the property location, project type and whatever photos, plans, measurements or sketches you already have. We will review the project and let you know what is needed to define the design and drawing scope.
Every estimate request is reviewed within 24 hours.