The Snuneymuxw Big House is built with traditional Redcedar planks, but as a modern building, it is fitted with electrical wiring, hinged doors, sheet metal roofing and other 20th century architectural materials. Although the plank houses were once the dwellings of the Snuneymuxw, today the Snuneymuxw people live in individual family houses made of cement, brick, milled lumber and glass windows. The Big House has taken on the special role as the centre of important community events, including potlatches, naming ceremonies, winter dancing, memorials and decision-making. The construction of the Big House was also a community event, drawing donations and volunteers from all over Nanaimo.

The desire to use the traditional language within the Big House has been one of the reasons behind the revival and teaching of Hul'q'umin'um'. To fully participate and act as a Speaker at the Big House requires teachings from the Elders and a deep understanding of protocol, which is also tied to the language. Proper training can take between five and ten years, out of respect to Elders, ancestors and the Snuneymuxw culture. Darren Good notes that the atmosphere and attitudes in the Big House change when other languages, such as English, are spoken. "It seems like it isn't the longhouse without our language."

The current Snuneymuxw Big House was built in 1993, on the reserve in Cedar. It replaced another beloved Big House, also in Cedar, which burned down in a fire in 1991. Some families, who are preparing to mark important points in their lives, live in the warmth of the Big House through the dark, rainy months of winter. A kitchen was once part of the longhouse structure, but they must now be constructed separately for insurance purposes. The community kitchen, just outside the Big House, hosts many guests at its long tables, where many meals are shared.