Commercial tenant improvement framing, residential basement development, shaft walls, fire separations, and load-bearing steel stud assemblies across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Colin Hamilton and direct crew only — no subcontracting. 48-hour mobilization. 30 years BC construction experience on every estimate.
SteelStud.ca is Metro Vancouver's specialist steel stud framing contractor — serving general contractors, developers, architects, and property owners across 20 communities from Vancouver to Chilliwack. Founded by Colin Hamilton, a 30-year BC construction veteran who spent 15 years as a licensed general contractor before launching SteelStud.ca, our framing operation is built around one principle: deliver the quality, speed, and documentation that GCs actually need.
Steel stud framing is our only trade. We don't do a bit of everything — we specialize in cold-formed steel stud systems for commercial tenant improvements, multi-family residential, basement development, and complex structural applications. That specialization means our crews are faster, better documented, and more consistently precise than generalist framers who pick up steel stud work as a secondary scope.
Every project is estimated by Colin Hamilton personally. Every crew is employed directly by SteelStud.ca — no labour brokers, no subcontracting. When the job is done, it reflects our standard, not a subcontractor's interpretation of it.
Commercial TI framing is the core of our business. Office fit-outs in downtown Vancouver, retail build-outs in Surrey's Guildford area, medical clinic TI in Burnaby and Richmond, tech campus fit-outs in Coquitlam — we've executed framing scopes across every commercial TI category in the Lower Mainland market. Our TI framing packages include partition walls, demising walls, soffit systems, bulkheads, shaft wall assemblies, and complete ceiling grid frameworks.
What separates SteelStud.ca on commercial TI projects is Colin's background: 15 years managing TI projects as the GC means he estimates and manages framing scopes the way a GC thinks. He understands your downstream trades, your inspection timeline, and your schedule pressure. He flags coordination conflicts before they become field problems. He provides the documentation your permit application needs. He makes framing the part of your TI project you don't have to worry about. See our Tenant Improvement page for full TI package details.
Basement development is one of the most active residential markets across the Lower Mainland, and steel stud is consistently the right material for below-grade framing in BC's coastal climate. We serve homeowners and renovation contractors across Surrey, Langley, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Delta, Abbotsford, and surrounding communities with complete basement framing packages — perimeter walls, partition systems, utility rooms, and suite separation assemblies.
For secondary suite applications, our basement framing packages include the 1-hour fire separation assemblies required by BC Building Code and local municipal requirements. ULC-rated assemblies, correct board type and fastener schedules, and coordination with the building inspection process are all included as standard. Our drywall crew follows the framing — see our Drywall Services page for complete package options.
ULC-rated shaft wall assemblies are a critical specialty — stairwell enclosures, elevator hoistway walls, mechanical shaft walls, and suite separation assemblies that require documented fire ratings. Every rated assembly we install is specified to the tested ULC assembly: correct stud gauge, track specifications, board type, fastener type and spacing, and joint treatment. We provide full documentation for permit applications — ULC reference numbers, gauge schedules, and fastener patterns — as part of every fire-rated framing scope.
Load-bearing structural steel stud walls for multi-storey residential and commercial applications require engineering and precise installation. We work directly with your structural engineer of record to execute the specified assembly, maintaining the fastener patterns, gauge specifications, and connection details required by the structural drawings. Load-bearing steel stud installation on every SteelStud.ca project is managed by Colin Hamilton personally — because 30 years of BC construction experience means understanding where the structural risk is.
Mechanical chases, plumbing soffits, architectural bulkheads, curved feature walls, and complex ceiling geometry are standard scope for our crews. Commercial projects in Vancouver's Class A office market and residential renovation projects in West Vancouver and North Vancouver regularly demand tight tolerances on complex geometries. Our crews are trained to execute these elements with the dimensional precision that drywall and millwork contractors downstream depend on.
Send drawings to [email protected] or call 604-761-1518. Colin reviews the scope personally and provides a detailed estimate — material quantities, labour, timeline, and blocking schedule — within 24 to 48 hours for projects across the Lower Mainland. No auto-responses, no junior estimators. The person who estimates your project is the person who manages it.
Steel stud framing in BC must comply with the BC Building Code and local municipal requirements. Load-bearing assemblies require structural engineer stamps. Fire-rated assemblies require ULC certification documentation. Framing inspections are required before drywall installation on permitted projects. We manage all of this — providing the documentation your permit office needs and coordinating directly with inspectors across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
Colin's 15 years as a GC includes extensive experience with the permit offices of Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond, Langley, Coquitlam, and every other municipality in the Lower Mainland. Our permit documentation packages — ULC assembly references, structural specifications, and fastener schedules — are prepared to the standards that BC permit offices expect, reducing review times and avoiding requests for information that delay your project.
The choice between steel stud and wood framing depends on the application. For commercial tenant improvements and fire-rated assemblies, steel stud is essentially the default in BC's construction market — it's dimensionally stable, moisture resistant, non-combustible, and the foundation of all ULC-rated fire separation systems. For residential basement applications, steel stud consistently outperforms wood in BC's coastal climate: no moisture absorption, no mould risk, no shrinkage or warping over time.
For above-grade structural residential framing, wood remains common — though structural steel stud systems are increasingly specified for mid-rise and commercial applications where engineering requirements, fire performance, and dimensional precision are priorities. Our team can advise on the right framing system for your specific application, budget, and project requirements anywhere in the Lower Mainland.
There are a lot of framing contractors in Metro Vancouver. Here's what actually differentiates SteelStud.ca: Colin Hamilton is a former GC who understands your project from the owner's perspective. He estimates accurately because he's managed hundreds of similar scopes as the GC. He coordinates proactively because he knows what happens when framing creates problems for downstream trades. He documents completely because he's seen what happens when permit applications are incomplete.
The direct crew model means accountability. When something goes wrong — and in construction, something always does — you talk to Colin, not an account manager. The person who made the decision is the person who fixes it. That's how SteelStud.ca has operated for 15 years, and it's why GCs across the Lower Mainland continue to call 604-761-1518 for every framing scope.
We maintain crews and material inventory for rapid deployment across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Same crew, same standard, same 48-hour mobilization whether your project is in downtown Vancouver or Chilliwack.