Land & space consulting · Surrey, BC
You have a place in mind. Let’s work out what growing use could fit it, what it would take, and how to bring a sensible first stage into use.
Discuss your land or spaceUnused agricultural land, an existing greenhouse, an empty building or spare commercial space can open up very different possibilities. The right choice depends on more than floor area: it needs to fit the site’s conditions, the people available and the purpose of the growing operation.
Sustainabite helps you assess the space, compare practical uses and understand the investment and operating work behind them. Once you choose a direction, we can help with layout, equipment sourcing, setup, startup and training for the people who will run it.
In-person across Greater Vancouver through Chilliwack · Remote consulting across Canada and worldwide · Contact for a quote
An operating perspective on an unused space
We built and operate our farm in Surrey, growing basil and supplying produce to retail customers. That work connects the physical setup with crop care, harvest, packaging and delivery.
For your site, we bring those connections into the planning: how people reach crops, move supplies, use water and power, clean equipment and prepare a harvest for its destination. A productive layout needs room for the work around the plants, as well as the plants themselves.
Explore our Surrey farmStart with what is actually there
You may be deciding what to do with a property you own, evaluating a purchase or lease, or looking to bring an underused area back into use. We help separate promising options from the questions that need answering first.
From a property question to practical work
A useful engagement leaves you with something to decide from or work with. The scope can focus on one question or follow a selected option through its first operating stage.
Site assessment
We can review the site’s usable area, light, water, drainage, services and access alongside existing structures and equipment. We consider space for growing, receiving supplies, storage, cleaning, harvest handling and movement, rather than treating every square metre as crop area.
Plans, measurements, photographs and a site visit where needed help build the picture. We identify missing information, relevant soil or water testing and any permit or specialist checks that need resolving before practical changes. If you are considering a purchase or lease, the review can organize the growing requirements to check before that commitment.
Work you can use: a written site assessment or annotated usable-area plan, with opportunities, constraints and prioritized next checks.
Growing uses & scale
We can compare plausible crops and growing approaches against the same site, budget and labour conditions. That may mean seasonal field production versus protected growing, restarting a greenhouse versus changing its layout, or testing a small indoor area before a larger conversion. Hydroponics or a container farm is one possible approach where it fits, not the starting assumption.
The intended customer or use matters too. Crop choice, expected quality, harvest timing, packaging, storage and delivery requirements affect the space and routine you need. For a commercial operation, we can help test the customer assumptions and compare production options with the quantities and supply pattern being considered.
Something to decide from: an options comparison showing the requirements, trade-offs and open questions for each credible use, with a proposed scale for the next stage.
Investment & operating work
We can separate site preparation, retrofit and equipment expenditure from recurring costs such as labour, electricity, water, crop inputs, maintenance, packaging and delivery. Where a commercial project is being considered, working capital and the owner’s own time belong in the comparison too.
Compare an owner-operated approach with hired help or a separate operator. We can organize cost assumptions, equipment quotes and the work needed each day so you can judge the scale you are prepared to support. A phased plan can concentrate spending on a useful first area while leaving later sections for expansion after the crop, customer and operating assumptions have been tested.
A clearer commitment: a cost comparison and phased implementation plan showing what comes first, what can wait and what needs to be learned before expanding.
Reuse, layout & procurement
Once the approach is chosen, we can develop layout and build-planning requirements, review a proposed design or supplier offer, and compare equipment for the actual crop and workflow. Existing irrigation, benches, racks or other equipment can be considered for reuse rather than automatically replaced.
The work can include growing-system selection, equipment requirements, supplier comparison and sourcing or procurement. We connect the growing area with propagation, water and nutrient routines, monitoring, storage and harvest handling. Construction, services and any specialist design work are coordinated around the responsibilities agreed for the project.
A plan to act on: layout or design-review notes, purchasing requirements and an organized sequence for preparation, retrofit and installation.
Setup, first crop & handover
The engagement can continue into agreed installation and commissioning support, hands-on startup and operator training. We help connect the installed setup with crop preparation, irrigation or nutrient routines, growing conditions, cleaning and the checks needed before the first production cycle.
Training and working instructions can cover regular crop care, monitoring, harvest and handling, with responsibilities clear between the owner and the people doing the work. Continuing support can be scoped to review the first cycle, work through operating questions or prepare the next phase.
Help beyond a report: practical startup work, usable operating instructions and training for the chosen setup, with any later review agreed in the scope.
Owning the space and running it are different decisions
You may want to operate the project yourself, hire a grower or make the site available to another operator. That choice changes what you invest in, the layout and how responsibilities are divided.
We can help the owner and intended operator work through access, water and shared utilities, equipment ownership, storage, maintenance and everyday tasks. For a leased area, the length and terms of access matter when comparing movable equipment with permanent improvements.
If an operator is already involved, bring their crop plan and working needs into the site discussion early. Our practical scope can turn an agreed direction into site requirements, a first-phase layout, sourcing, startup and training.
A useful first phase might be: one growing area with the necessary water and access, a clear place to store supplies and handle harvests, and an operator who knows the routine. The rest of the property can follow a later decision.
Choose the help you need
You can start with a call, a written assessment or a design review. A broader scope can combine planning with sourcing, implementation, hands-on startup and training. We quote the agreed work rather than treating every site as the same package.
Share the general location, type and approximate size of the space, whether you own, lease or are considering it, and what you want to decide. We use those details to establish a suitable scope and quote, including outputs, practical activities, responsibilities and delivery. Project equipment and construction costs are considered separately from consulting fees.
Contact for a quoteBased in Surrey, BC
We offer in-person support across Greater Vancouver through Chilliwack, work with projects across Canada and offer remote consulting worldwide.
Remote work can use plans, measurements, photographs, video and observations from someone on site. A visit can be agreed where physical conditions or practical work need an in-person approach. Travel beyond the local area, including accommodation where needed, is quoted with the project.
Equipment purchases, supplier and specialist tasks, and the timing of any continuing support are set out in the agreed scope.
Before you enquire
Yes. We can assess its growing possibilities and what a conversion would require. Usable area and height, light, power, water, drainage, ventilation, moisture management and access all matter. We compare reuse and retrofit needs with the intended crop and scale, then identify any further specialist checks.
No. A smaller first stage can help you test crop care, customer interest and the workload before extending the setup. We can plan that stage so essential access and services are considered alongside possible later use.
Yes. We can help compare the growing requirements of a site you are considering and organize the questions to resolve before a commitment. Tell us the type of property, general location and the decision you need to make. Detailed records and site access can be agreed when scoping the work.
We can plan around an intended operator, including usable space, shared services, equipment and responsibilities. If you are still finding someone, land-matching support can be a useful separate step. Our work focuses on the site-specific planning and practical setup needed to put the chosen arrangement into use.
Yes. We can review the layout and requirements, help with sourcing and agreed installation or commissioning tasks, prepare startup routines and train the operator. The scope starts with what is already decided and the work still needed.
Contact for a quote. The fee depends on the site, decision, information available and work required. A focused review differs from a project involving layout, procurement, on-site startup and training. The quote identifies the work and delivery, with equipment, travel and other project costs made clear where relevant.
Start with the place, not a finished plan
Share the location, type of space and what you would like to use it for. You can enquire before choosing a growing system.
Paid consulting. Scope and fees agreed by quote.
