3667 Strawberry Hill Street, Suite #107 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Where to Build in Nova Scotia
Finding the Right Balance for Your Lifestyle and Investment
Where you choose to build will shape the quality of life for you and your family. It affects your daily rhythm, your stress levels, and your financial future more than almost any other decision.
A good real-estate agent can and should be a helpful guide when exploring land opportunities. However, the reality is that vacant-land sales often generate low commissions, which means they tend to be a lower priority for many agents—leaving many buyers to do much of the research and due diligence themselves.
That’s where BG Custom Homes can help.
Our team maintains an internal list of over 100 active land opportunities throughout Nova Scotia, each vetted with the key details you need: zoning, access, utilities, topography, and development potential. We combine this insight with decades of design-build experience to help you evaluate not just location, but also buildability, budget alignment, and long-term value.
What the market looks like today
- In many rural or less-developed parts of the province, build-ready lots can often be found in the CAD $15,000 – $100,000 range.
- Closer to Halifax, the water, or in higher-demand zones, land prices rise into the CAD $200,000 – $500,000+ range (and in rare cases even more).
- In the Halifax-Dartmouth region specifically, tear-down properties—homes with redevelopment potential (i.e., you purchase an existing house or lot, demolish or extensively renovate, and rebuild)—are becoming a viable alternative to vacant-lot purchases. Typical tear-down lot costs in this region can start around CAD $300,000 – $500,000+ for well-located properties, depending on size, neighbourhood, and redevelopment restrictions. (finding a tear down is very much something an agent can help you with)
- Because of this wide spread, finding the right balance between location, cost, and lifestyle is key.
Each region of Nova Scotia offers a different equation—urban convenience, suburban comfort, rural space, or coastal escape. The right choice depends on what matters most to you.
Commute, Transportation Costs & Time Value
A daily commute is more than just distance—it’s time, money, and opportunity.
Let’s put it in perspective:
- A typical new car payment in 2025 is about $700/month (≈ $8,400 per year)
- Fuel, insurance, and maintenance easily add another $4,000–$5,000 annually
- A 45-minute commute each way equals roughly 1.5 hours per day—over 350 hours per year, or about nine full workweeks behind the wheel
When you factor in the opportunity cost of that time—time you could spend with family, on your business, or simply living—the hidden cost of commuting often exceeds $10,000–$15,000 per year.
At a glance, land outside the city might seem more affordable, but if you’re commuting daily into Halifax, it can become an expensive way to save money. Between car payments, fuel, insurance, and lost time, the financial advantage of cheaper rural land can quickly disappear.
For many people, living closer to work—even on a smaller lot or through a teardown and rebuild—can be economically advantageous in the long run: fewer vehicles, lower fuel costs, less stress, and far more time in your day.
👉 And if you’re one of the growing number of people who work from home—you’re golden. Remote work changes the equation entirely, letting you choose a location based on lifestyle, scenery, and quality of life, not commuting distance. That flexibility opens up incredible options—from a modern farmhouse in East Uniacke to a coastal retreat in Hubbards—without sacrificing productivity.
Live Where You Work — Work Where You Live
The happiest communities in the world—like those in Finland, Denmark, and Norway—consistently rank at the top of the World Happiness Report. They share common traits:
- Short commutes and walkable communities
- Strong social connection and community involvement
- Access to nature and recreation
- A balanced relationship between work, family, and rest
In essence, people in these places live where they work and work where they live. They spend more time outdoors, more time connecting with others, and less time in traffic.
That same principle applies here in Nova Scotia. Choosing the right location for your home can dramatically improve how you live—from how much daylight you see to how much energy you have left at the end of the day.
At BG Custom Homes, we design homes that support how you live—not just where you sleep—integrating work, rest, and wellness into one future-ready design.
The Remote Work Revolution
The world of work has changed forever—and so have the needs of the modern home.
According to Statistics Canada (2024), more than 33 % of Canadian employees now work remotely full- or part-time, and over 60 % of professional roles offer hybrid flexibility. A 2025 RBC Thought Leadership Report projects that by 2030, nearly half of all knowledge-based jobs in Canada will no longer depend on proximity to a downtown office.
That shift is reshaping where people live and how homes are designed. The classic commute to the CBD is being replaced by homes that are part office, part sanctuary, part creative studio.
Modern homeowners now prioritize:
- Dedicated home-office spaces with natural light and acoustic privacy
- Fast, stable internet as a top utility (often above cable or gas)
- Flexible layouts supporting work, exercise, and rest in the same footprint
- Access to nature or local trails to offset digital isolation
Remote work has unlocked rural and coastal living for thousands of Canadians. As long as there’s a reliable internet connection, you can work from a lakeside lot in East Uniacke, a forested acreage in Hammonds Plains, or a seaside cottage in Chester Basin—without sacrificing career growth.
At BG Custom Homes, we’re designing live-work spaces that merge productivity with peace of mind—helping you thrive wherever you choose to call home.
Rent vs Own — Finding the Right Path for You
Owning a home isn’t always the right answer, and sometimes renting makes perfect sense.
In The Wealthy Renter, Alex Avery argues that renting can be a financially strategic move when paired with smart investing. For people who value mobility, low maintenance, or want to allocate capital toward business or markets, renting can actually accelerate wealth.
But for those with the justified need to own—building equity, creating stability, or crafting a home that reflects your lifestyle—ownership can be deeply rewarding.
Our job is to help you make that decision with clarity and intention.
Urban Convenience vs Rural Space
Building within Halifax or the inner HRM provides immediate access to employment, schools, healthcare, and culture—but available land is limited.
Buying an older home may seem convenient, yet most lack the fundamentals to be true “forever homes.”
Common issues include: inefficient layouts, poor insulation, aging systems, and limited accessibility. Visit our Hazards in Older Homes section to learn more about what can be hiding in that old house.
Our Future-Proofing philosophy emphasizes designing homes that are energy-efficient, healthy, and adaptable. That’s why teardown + rebuild projects within HRM make so much sense: they combine city convenience with new-home performance.
Servicing, Sitework & Permitting
Urban and suburban lots are typically fully serviced, simplifying approvals and maintenance. Rural or coastal properties will often require well + septic, and sometimes additional drainage trenching, extensive roadways, carefully engineered fill, retaining walls and foundations—manageable, but essential to budget for.
Long-Term Property Value
Over 125 years, Halifax home values have grown from about $3,000 (1900) to $700,000 (2025)—a 233× increase or roughly 5 % annualized growth (Statistics Canada + NSAR data).
Even adjusted for inflation, Halifax real estate has consistently outperformed most asset classes.
Perspective on Short-Term Thinking
A mortgage might last 25 years, but a well-built home is a multi-generational asset.
If you build a $700 K home today and Halifax continues its historic growth:
FV = 700,000 × (1.05)²⁵ ≈ $2.37 million.
That’s nearly $1.7 million in appreciation, not counting equity gains.
What will your home be worth in 25 years?
The data speaks for itself—Halifax values have historically moved in only one direction.
The Case for Building a High-Performance Home
Over 25 years, a high-performance home can yield $75 K–$100 K in savings while delivering quieter, healthier living. Add incentives and lower insurance, and payback typically occurs within 10 years.
A high-performance home doesn’t cost more — it performs better.
When a Major Renovation Becomes More Expensive Than Starting Fresh
Structural overhaul + New roof + windows + siding + insulation + plumbing + HVAC + finishes = a renovation that often exceeds a the cost of a new build. Starting fresh gives you a clean slate, faster delivery, and a better-performing structure for decades to come.
Strategic Housing Solutions & Phased Approaches
Today’s homeowners are adopting creative strategies:
- Income Suites for rental income or family housing
- ADUs for flexibility and property value
- Multi-Unit Designs for multi-generational living
- Phased Builds to spread cost and manage timing
BG Custom Homes specializes in phased, strategic housing solutions that evolve with you—balancing today’s budget with tomorrow’s opportunities.
Let’s Talk About Your Options
BG Custom Homes provides Design + Build services anywhere in Nova Scotia, from Halifax to the Valley, South Shore, and Eastern Shore. Renovation services are limited to HRM + surrounding areas, where we can maintain hands-on quality control.
We maintain an internal list of 100 + land parcels for sale, and a portfolio of customizable design concepts in every size and performance level.
Finding the right path always comes down to balance — and there’s a delicate equation to consider:
Cost of land + soft costs + sitework + build cost (based on size, shape, finish) + HST.
If you already own land, are shopping for land, or are evaluating a lot for a new build, we’d be happy to assess it with you and help with your preliminary planning.
Whether you’re envisioning a retirement home, a remote-work residence, or exploring a tear-down, rebuild, or major renovation, our team can craft a curated, strategic solution aligned with your goals and lifestyle.