Friends’ infill complexes ensure designs fit, respect older neighbourhoods

A couple of childhood friends are taking a sensitive approach to infill housing, including a recently completed fourplex in Norwood they say fits the mature neighbourhood.

B2K Builders, co-founded by Matt Vis and Brandon Bunkowsky, incorporated their company in 2024, but are already in the process of breaking ground on their third project.

“It takes so much time for neighbourhoods to really come alive. And so we really see the value in infill in these more centralized, mature neighbourhoods,” Bunkowsky said.

A fourplex on Des Meurons Street is a new build in the established Norwood area, but Bunkowsky believes infill housing is the best way to densify neighbourhoods, increase property values and address Winnipeg’s urban sprawl.

It’s also a way for people who can’t afford a home to live in desirable areas.

“People still want to live in these in these neighbourhoods because there are desirable locations in terms of how close to they are to downtown, or how close to parks and things like that,” Vis said.

The fourplex is among a few infill projects taking off in the area. A five-unit complex is next door and a 12-unit build is going up down the street.

The B2K building will have room for four families, and offers three-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom units and two-bedroom, one-bathroom suites.

“Densifying these neighbourhoods, putting more people in them attracts more businesses…. It just creates a more vibrant neighbourhood, in general,” Bunkowsky said.

The “gentle density” approach has allowed the builders to execute their plans with little pushback from neighbours. Bunkowsky’s design is mindful of height, so the structure doesn’t tower over existing houses, and incorporates elements from homes nearby so it blends into the area while maintaining signatures distinct to the B2K brand.

In 2025 the city amended its zoning bylaws to accommodate infill housing, including allowing the construction of duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes in neighbourhoods traditionally filled with single-family dwellings.

The city also relaxed height requirements to allow for buildings up to four storeys (nearly 12 metres) near locations close to frequent transit routes.

The amendments were to made to secure necessary federal funding for upgrades to the North End sewage treatment plant, which is estimated to cost $1.3 billion.

Bunkowsky said the new homes will use existing waste-water infrastructure and eliminate the need to install new pipes in suburbs that push the edges of the city out further, costing the municipal government more money in the run.

Bunkowsky, whose background is in architecture, and Vis, who has an engineering degree but worked in carpentry and renovation, are lifelong friends who joined forces to launch the company, which is currently breaking ground on a triplex on Weatherdon Avenue in Grant Park.

B2K has also acquired a property for another fourplex on Jessie Avenue near Confusion Corner.

“The goal is to keep going,” Vis said.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca