The Harbour Deck Addition
DECK ADDITION · HARBOUR CHIMES · COQUITLAM, BC
A second-storey cantilevered steel deck added to the back of a spectacular Coquitlam property — engineered to float above the yard and open the home to a breathtaking view of Eagle Mountain. Eight months of complex permitting, structural work, and precision building. Every detail earned.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
A Deck Built for a Property That Deserved It
The view from this Harbour Chimes property looks out over Eagle Mountain. It is the kind of vista that earns a home its value — and this family had been living beside it without a proper place to take it in.
Kerr Design Build was brought in to change that. The result is a second-storey cantilevered steel deck added to the back of the house — engineered to float above the yard, angled to follow the site’s irregular boundary, and finished to a standard that matches the setting it was built to celebrate.
Project consultant Elton Donald and senior designer Nisha McNeil led the project from design through to completion. Construction took approximately eight months, a timeline that reflects the complexity of what was built rather than any shortcuts along the way.
TYPE OF PROJECT: Home Addition — Second-Storey Deck
LOCATION: Harbour Chimes, Coquitlam, BC
VIEW: Eagle Mountain
DESIGNER: Nisha McNeil, Kerr Design Build
STATUS: Completed
SCOPE: Steel Cantilevered Deck · Structural Upgrades · Concrete Privacy Wall & Planters · Built-in Hutch & Wine Chiller · Fire Table · Overhead Heaters · Garage Car Lift
Where Structural Thinking Becomes Outdoor Living
Steel, because the site demanded it
Steel minimizes support columns, keeping the yard below clear. The deck appears to hover over the property. The floating effect isn’t accidental. It’s engineered.
Shaped by the boundary line
The property is irregular, so the design follows the rear yard setback line precisely — claiming every allowable inch. What could have been a constraint became the defining feature of the space.
The doors that connected two rooms
Large sliding glass doors open the deck directly to the dining room — but required major structural upgrades to install. Open them and inside and outside become one space. The family practically lives out here all summer.
Finishes built for permanence
Concrete privacy wall, site-formed concrete planters and cabinetry, a built-in hutch, exterior wine chiller, overhead heaters, and a fire table. Everything permanent was built in. The clients brought the furniture.
Getting the City to Yes
Projects of this scale require more than design and construction skill — they require persistence at city hall. The site had existing non-conforming work, and a tight sideyard right of way created complications that a straightforward submission couldn’t resolve.
Elton Donald took the project to the Board of Variance and worked directly with the head of the city’s engineering department to find a path forward — retaining work the city had flagged and building the case for the addition on top of it. It was slow, careful, and necessary.
That kind of navigation is part of what Kerr Design Build does. The permit process is not something the firm hands off. It’s something they see through.
PROJECT TEAM
Nisha · Senior Designer
Nisha McNeil is a senior designer at Kerr Design Build with deep experience across complex residential projects in Greater Vancouver. She brings a considered eye to outdoor and addition work — treating a deck as part of the home, not a feature bolted onto it. Elton Donald served as project consultant, overseeing approvals, construction coordination, and client communication throughout the eight-month build.
