Should you put an addition on the cottage or build a bunky?
This is a question that I am being asked a lot these days. With aging cottages and ever expanding families people are starting to find their cottages cramped for space.
What to do about the lack of space (personal and private) is what is fueling the debate over whether people should be adding square footage to their cottage or should they be adding a bunky?
There are several questions that you need to ask yourself to decide which one is right for you and your family cottage;
What do you need the extra space for?
If you need the extra space because you don’t have enough bedrooms then a bunky could satisfy that need. But remember that a bunky is only basically good for one extra bedroom, if you require more than that you should think about adding an addition.
If you need that extra space for living, gathering and general enjoyment because the family is out growing the existing cottage then an addition to the cottage would probably be better. This would give people more space to move around and allow for a more enjoyable experience.
Do you want to use the space all year round?
Bunkies are not made to be winter residences. If you require that extra space for winter as well then you should think about adding an addition instead, this way it is easier to heat and people would have access to a washroom without having to trudge through the snow every time nature calls.
How much would you use the extra space?
If you only require the extra space on the long weekends in the summer then a bunky would probably be better for you. The bunky is then used for overflow guests and only for an average of 15 days a year and a two or three days in a row.
What is better for the Resale value of your cottage?
If you care about the resale value of your cottage then you should probably add the addition. Bunkies do not add a lot or any real resale value to your property. A bunky does not last as long as a normal home as well as they usually do not have heat or a proper foundation under them. Winter can be particularly hard on bunkies and they can require a lot of maintenance.
Do you need more bathrooms?
With more space comes more people and more people require more bathrooms, even if the new bathroom is a simple two piece it can alleviate those dreaded line ups (especially in the morning). This becomes extremely expensive to accomplish in a bunky and harder to protect in the winter. Adding an addition to the cottage is an easy way to accomplish much needed bathrooms. Bathrooms are not cheap to put in a home but they do not take up a lot of space, this means that you can easily add a powder room (2 piece) or a larger bathroom with a small stand up shower in the corner without sacrificing on the size of the bedrooms.
What is your Budget?
This is the big question, Money. Bunkies are not cheap to buy or have built per square foot especially compared to what you are getting, 4 walls and a room. But they are a lot cheaper and simpler then putting an addition on your cottage. If you are on a limited budget then the bunky is probably the most preferable way to go about adding sleeping space.
But if you have a healthy budget then you should probably bite the bullet and have the addition added. The additional square footage will never go down in value and with larger families (which are always growing with children and grandchildren) you will always find use for the space. Remember that adding sleeping space doesn’t help the bathroom lineups, it actually makes it worse.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
I'm having house plans drawn do I need cross sections?
Q:
I’m having plans drawn up by an architect, he has given me all the exterior views and the overheads of the house for every floor. The plans look great, is there anything else that I should be asking him to render?
A:
What you have now is the basic package that every architect and draftsmen give you. Those are the drawings that you will need to get a building permit. You could even have contractors give you prices on those drawings, there is one problem, if you don’t have any sectional renderings that cut right through the middle of the house then the contractors who price it will not be able to see all the details in the interior structural framing.
It is extremely important that you ask for cross-sections going both ways through the house, this will make the price you get quoted (from the contractors) to be more accurate and there will be less questions from the contractor you select later.
Chances are if you don’t get cross-sections right away you will end up getting them later when the house is in the middle of being constructed, the contractor will be having trouble figuring out where all the structural supports go and what the interior ceiling heights are suppose to be because there is little to no detail in the plans without cross-sections.
The reason that the architect doesn’t just give you the cross-sections in the first place is because it is an extra, in today’s construction world even architects are feeling the pressure of bringing in more and more work with less people looking to build homes. Architects used to give you a full set of detailed drawings but the overall price was much higher, today’s construction market is much tighter and more competitive so they give you the basic package and then upgrade you from there.
When it comes to architect drawings you can never have too much information, yes it will cost you more money but its money that you will need to spend anyways so that the contractor who builds your home will know all the details before they start.
Remember the more information that your architect gives you the easier it will be for your contractor to build your dream home, the easier it is to build the faster your contractor can build it and in construction time is money.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
I’m having plans drawn up by an architect, he has given me all the exterior views and the overheads of the house for every floor. The plans look great, is there anything else that I should be asking him to render?
A:
What you have now is the basic package that every architect and draftsmen give you. Those are the drawings that you will need to get a building permit. You could even have contractors give you prices on those drawings, there is one problem, if you don’t have any sectional renderings that cut right through the middle of the house then the contractors who price it will not be able to see all the details in the interior structural framing.
It is extremely important that you ask for cross-sections going both ways through the house, this will make the price you get quoted (from the contractors) to be more accurate and there will be less questions from the contractor you select later.
Chances are if you don’t get cross-sections right away you will end up getting them later when the house is in the middle of being constructed, the contractor will be having trouble figuring out where all the structural supports go and what the interior ceiling heights are suppose to be because there is little to no detail in the plans without cross-sections.
The reason that the architect doesn’t just give you the cross-sections in the first place is because it is an extra, in today’s construction world even architects are feeling the pressure of bringing in more and more work with less people looking to build homes. Architects used to give you a full set of detailed drawings but the overall price was much higher, today’s construction market is much tighter and more competitive so they give you the basic package and then upgrade you from there.
When it comes to architect drawings you can never have too much information, yes it will cost you more money but its money that you will need to spend anyways so that the contractor who builds your home will know all the details before they start.
Remember the more information that your architect gives you the easier it will be for your contractor to build your dream home, the easier it is to build the faster your contractor can build it and in construction time is money.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Decks and porch trends in Custom Homes for 2014
2014 Decks and porch trends in Custom Homes
Here are some of the trends in the Decks and Porches of custom homes that are being constructed and planned in 2014. Some of these trends have started this year (2014), a lot of the trends where started in 2013 construction year and continued into this calendar year. There are also trends that have been sustained year over year as well; they are considered the long running trends.
This portion of construction and design has changed so quickly that you should take your time when planning and designing any outdoor space. In the lists below I’m attempting to steer you the reader in a direction that I believe will keep you on trend and give you an overall finish that will not only impress your friends and family but also make you satisfied that you went the direction that you did.
Decks and Porches of Custom homes
Here is a list of the trends that have stayed the same over the last several years;
• Composite decking continues to be extremely popular with new deck tops. The longevity of the product, the amount of different colours and the many different textures that are available has made it a desirable decking material.
• The structural framing that is assembled to support decks and porches are still mostly pressure treated wood. It is still the most cost effective way to build the structural component and have any sort of longevity.
• Less people are using pressure treated for the topping on the deck. This is a trend that has over the years become the norm.
• Glass railings with metal posts to help increase the view from elevated porches and decks is the most common form of railing when considering any kind of view.
• Outdoor spaces have become more important areas, a lot more design is being put into these outdoor spaces with kitchens, seating areas, hot-tubs and firepits all built into the decking plans.
• Iron railings which were more of a trend are now the norm with cheaper versions of it being made available in big box stores.
• LED lighting is a normal thing now in decks. You can find the lighting installed in the top of deck posts, the end joists, the stair treads and around the doors that enter and exit the house on to the deck or porch.
• The foundations of decks and especially porches have changed. In the past normal sauna tubes where used by burying them and then filling them with concrete. Today the trend is to use a “bigfoot” or “footing tube”, these are premade molded plastic forms that you bury in the ground and then fill with concrete. They have a large bell on the bottom of them that create a footing at the bottom, this helps spread the weight of the porch or deck and reduces the likely hood of frost heave in the winter.
• Hidden fasteners are now the norm when installing decking. People like the smooth simple look of no fasteners. The hidden fasteners work by applying the fasteners to the joist and then screwing into the bottom of the decking boards. It’s a little more labour intensive but the look is well worth it.
Here is a list of the trends that have started this year or last year and are growing in popularity;
• The fastest growing segment of material for the tops of decks has to be torrefied or thermally modified wood. This is a decking that is placed in kilns and dried until there is virtually no moisture left in the wood. It turns the colour of the wood a brown colour and is guaranteed to last a lifetime. No chemicals are needed and there are a variety of woods that you can get it in, your choices include most hardwoods like maple and ash and some soft woods like pine.
• Cedar which has been on the decline because of the poor longevity of the product is making a comeback. Cedar decking has dropped in price in the last year or so and that has created a growing trend of people going back to cedar decks, they are choosing to pay a little bit more for the cedar instead of using pressure treated for the tops of their decks.
• The last couple years has seen the evolution of the deck joist, we are now constructing what is called the 100 year deck joist. This is when you wrap the top portion of the deck joist with a waterproofing membrane so that the part of the deck that comes in contact with the most moisture is protected from water penetration.
• Railings with a combination of iron spindles and wood posts with wood top and bottom rails have become trendy. This allows people the option for a classier look then the typical wood railings.
• A growing trend for porches is the use of stone pillars that rise up out of the deck to at least railing height. Some of these have posts in them to hold roofs up and some are to help hold the railings. It makes a very classy look and turns a normal railing into a showpiece.
• Pressure treated wood has taken on a new look. You can now buy pressure treated in several different colours then the typical green that it comes. The colours vary from brown to white and give people the ability to have something different then the norm.
• Powered bug screened porches are now on everyone’s must have list for custom homes. This allows a homeowner to at a push of a button have a bug screen lower out of the ceiling so that the outdoors becomes a bit friendlier to be in.
• Wall or ceiling mounted heaters are being seen everywhere. They are replacing the traditional stand alone heater that was placed around different parts of the deck. They help extend the seasons that you can use your outdoor space.
• Masonry hand built pizza ovens, Rumford fireplaces and stone patios have become all the rage. Everyone wants to sit outside and relax in front of a real roaring fire during the summer.
The rate of which materials, accessories and options are changing is almost staggering when dealing outdoor entertaining. Every year there are dozens of new products on the market to make your deck look bigger and better. It is a radical change compared to how stagnant the decking marker used to be with limited choices and limited products.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders
Here are some of the trends in the Decks and Porches of custom homes that are being constructed and planned in 2014. Some of these trends have started this year (2014), a lot of the trends where started in 2013 construction year and continued into this calendar year. There are also trends that have been sustained year over year as well; they are considered the long running trends.
This portion of construction and design has changed so quickly that you should take your time when planning and designing any outdoor space. In the lists below I’m attempting to steer you the reader in a direction that I believe will keep you on trend and give you an overall finish that will not only impress your friends and family but also make you satisfied that you went the direction that you did.
Decks and Porches of Custom homes
Here is a list of the trends that have stayed the same over the last several years;
• Composite decking continues to be extremely popular with new deck tops. The longevity of the product, the amount of different colours and the many different textures that are available has made it a desirable decking material.
• The structural framing that is assembled to support decks and porches are still mostly pressure treated wood. It is still the most cost effective way to build the structural component and have any sort of longevity.
• Less people are using pressure treated for the topping on the deck. This is a trend that has over the years become the norm.
• Glass railings with metal posts to help increase the view from elevated porches and decks is the most common form of railing when considering any kind of view.
• Outdoor spaces have become more important areas, a lot more design is being put into these outdoor spaces with kitchens, seating areas, hot-tubs and firepits all built into the decking plans.
• Iron railings which were more of a trend are now the norm with cheaper versions of it being made available in big box stores.
• LED lighting is a normal thing now in decks. You can find the lighting installed in the top of deck posts, the end joists, the stair treads and around the doors that enter and exit the house on to the deck or porch.
• The foundations of decks and especially porches have changed. In the past normal sauna tubes where used by burying them and then filling them with concrete. Today the trend is to use a “bigfoot” or “footing tube”, these are premade molded plastic forms that you bury in the ground and then fill with concrete. They have a large bell on the bottom of them that create a footing at the bottom, this helps spread the weight of the porch or deck and reduces the likely hood of frost heave in the winter.
• Hidden fasteners are now the norm when installing decking. People like the smooth simple look of no fasteners. The hidden fasteners work by applying the fasteners to the joist and then screwing into the bottom of the decking boards. It’s a little more labour intensive but the look is well worth it.
Here is a list of the trends that have started this year or last year and are growing in popularity;
• The fastest growing segment of material for the tops of decks has to be torrefied or thermally modified wood. This is a decking that is placed in kilns and dried until there is virtually no moisture left in the wood. It turns the colour of the wood a brown colour and is guaranteed to last a lifetime. No chemicals are needed and there are a variety of woods that you can get it in, your choices include most hardwoods like maple and ash and some soft woods like pine.
• Cedar which has been on the decline because of the poor longevity of the product is making a comeback. Cedar decking has dropped in price in the last year or so and that has created a growing trend of people going back to cedar decks, they are choosing to pay a little bit more for the cedar instead of using pressure treated for the tops of their decks.
• The last couple years has seen the evolution of the deck joist, we are now constructing what is called the 100 year deck joist. This is when you wrap the top portion of the deck joist with a waterproofing membrane so that the part of the deck that comes in contact with the most moisture is protected from water penetration.
• Railings with a combination of iron spindles and wood posts with wood top and bottom rails have become trendy. This allows people the option for a classier look then the typical wood railings.
• A growing trend for porches is the use of stone pillars that rise up out of the deck to at least railing height. Some of these have posts in them to hold roofs up and some are to help hold the railings. It makes a very classy look and turns a normal railing into a showpiece.
• Pressure treated wood has taken on a new look. You can now buy pressure treated in several different colours then the typical green that it comes. The colours vary from brown to white and give people the ability to have something different then the norm.
• Powered bug screened porches are now on everyone’s must have list for custom homes. This allows a homeowner to at a push of a button have a bug screen lower out of the ceiling so that the outdoors becomes a bit friendlier to be in.
• Wall or ceiling mounted heaters are being seen everywhere. They are replacing the traditional stand alone heater that was placed around different parts of the deck. They help extend the seasons that you can use your outdoor space.
• Masonry hand built pizza ovens, Rumford fireplaces and stone patios have become all the rage. Everyone wants to sit outside and relax in front of a real roaring fire during the summer.
The rate of which materials, accessories and options are changing is almost staggering when dealing outdoor entertaining. Every year there are dozens of new products on the market to make your deck look bigger and better. It is a radical change compared to how stagnant the decking marker used to be with limited choices and limited products.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders
Saturday, August 23, 2014
What is the legal relationship between covenants and building codes?
Q:
What is the legal relationship between covenants and building codes?
A:
Some planned communities have legal covenants—more formally known as "codes, covenants, and restrictions," that govern the types of alterations that can be done to a home. In most cases, covenants are considered a civil contract and are not enforced or monitored by the city or town. A community's covenants may be more restrictive than the jurisdiction as a whole, but they cannot allow something that the city, town, or building code would prohibit.
In planned communities where there are “fees” for outside services such as grass cutting and maintenance the changing of anything on the outside of the building usually must be approved by the board. Those changes will only be approved if they fall into the guidelines of existing rules and covenants of the community.
If you plan to alter the outside of your townhouse, condo or home in one of these communities I suggest that you obtain permission for whatever you want to do first.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
What is the legal relationship between covenants and building codes?
A:
Some planned communities have legal covenants—more formally known as "codes, covenants, and restrictions," that govern the types of alterations that can be done to a home. In most cases, covenants are considered a civil contract and are not enforced or monitored by the city or town. A community's covenants may be more restrictive than the jurisdiction as a whole, but they cannot allow something that the city, town, or building code would prohibit.
In planned communities where there are “fees” for outside services such as grass cutting and maintenance the changing of anything on the outside of the building usually must be approved by the board. Those changes will only be approved if they fall into the guidelines of existing rules and covenants of the community.
If you plan to alter the outside of your townhouse, condo or home in one of these communities I suggest that you obtain permission for whatever you want to do first.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Don’t be the Yo-Yo client when building your custom home
Don’t be the Yo-Yo client.
You might be wondering what a Yo-Yo client is, well let me tell you; the yo-yo client is one of the most frustrating clients to work with when building or renovating their home.
A yo-yo client is the kind of client that changes their mind so often about everything that you begin to think of them as a human yo-yo. When building a custom home or renovating a home you try to give the client as many options as possible, you give them enough options so that it is customized but you do not overload them with too many so they are able to still make a decision. There is no way to give a yo-yo client small enough choices. If there is more than one then they will go back and forth between the two of them until you the contractor and them the homeowners are completely confused.
A yo-yo client is the kind of person that will actually slow a whole job down and cost themselves money by not being able to make a decision. The old adage time is money, that also pertains to the building industry. The longer you have carpenters and tradesmen onsite either changing things or waiting for you to make a decision the longer that you will be paying their salaries.
A yo-yo client is the kind of person who is shocked at the end of the job because things ended up costing more money. In their minds since they were constantly making decisions and when they weren’t making decisions they were under pressure from the builder to make decisions they believe that they did nothing to slow the job down. In reality because the builder had to constantly pressure the client to make decisions they had to work at a slower pace or hold off on certain things altogether until the decisions were made. Because it’s custom a lot of material must be pre-ordered and even though a decision was finally made to keep the job moving the material would take time to arrive grinding the job to a halt.
The best way to avoid becoming a yo-yo client is to do as much research as possible before the construction starts, come up with a really good plan and stick too that plan as closely as you can.
The more things that you can decide on in advance of the pressures of construction the better those decisions will be when the time comes to construct them. There will always be a lot of decisions to make when getting anything built that is custom, a lot of them will be things that you never even thought of until your contractor asked you. These decisions are made easier if they are the only ones that you have to make, if you are going week to week making decisions on your construction project just to keep the job moving then you are wasting your money and your contractors time.
Being short sighted when doing construction always ends up costing you more money than having a well defined plan that you stick too.
Remember fail to plan, you might as well plan to fail.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
You might be wondering what a Yo-Yo client is, well let me tell you; the yo-yo client is one of the most frustrating clients to work with when building or renovating their home.
A yo-yo client is the kind of client that changes their mind so often about everything that you begin to think of them as a human yo-yo. When building a custom home or renovating a home you try to give the client as many options as possible, you give them enough options so that it is customized but you do not overload them with too many so they are able to still make a decision. There is no way to give a yo-yo client small enough choices. If there is more than one then they will go back and forth between the two of them until you the contractor and them the homeowners are completely confused.
A yo-yo client is the kind of person that will actually slow a whole job down and cost themselves money by not being able to make a decision. The old adage time is money, that also pertains to the building industry. The longer you have carpenters and tradesmen onsite either changing things or waiting for you to make a decision the longer that you will be paying their salaries.
A yo-yo client is the kind of person who is shocked at the end of the job because things ended up costing more money. In their minds since they were constantly making decisions and when they weren’t making decisions they were under pressure from the builder to make decisions they believe that they did nothing to slow the job down. In reality because the builder had to constantly pressure the client to make decisions they had to work at a slower pace or hold off on certain things altogether until the decisions were made. Because it’s custom a lot of material must be pre-ordered and even though a decision was finally made to keep the job moving the material would take time to arrive grinding the job to a halt.
The best way to avoid becoming a yo-yo client is to do as much research as possible before the construction starts, come up with a really good plan and stick too that plan as closely as you can.
The more things that you can decide on in advance of the pressures of construction the better those decisions will be when the time comes to construct them. There will always be a lot of decisions to make when getting anything built that is custom, a lot of them will be things that you never even thought of until your contractor asked you. These decisions are made easier if they are the only ones that you have to make, if you are going week to week making decisions on your construction project just to keep the job moving then you are wasting your money and your contractors time.
Being short sighted when doing construction always ends up costing you more money than having a well defined plan that you stick too.
Remember fail to plan, you might as well plan to fail.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
How are purchase orders used?
Q:
How are purchase orders used?
A:
A purchase order (PO) is basically a price agreement between a remodeling contractor and a subcontractor or supplier. With a PO system, subs and suppliers who find they need to do something on the job that will incur extra cost have to clear it with the remodeling contractor first.
An example would be an electrician discovering, after the existing drywall has been removed, that old wiring needs to be brought up to code. This extra work was not in the electrician’s original quote and will cost the electrician labour and supplies to complete above their approved quote.
Although POs take time to create, they are a valuable management tool, and most professional remodelers insist on them.
In a renovation that is large in scale and also takes a significant amount of time there could literally be dozens of PO’s that could and should be created. This could add up to a large amount of money that neither the homeowner or sub-contractor or the remodeling contractor could have foreseen. If no PO’s are created and the homeowner is just billed for the extra work after it happens than the remodeling contractor and the sub contractor run the risk of the homeowner forgetting about the earliest ones and coming to the conclusion that the job has become well over budget or the remodeling contractor is overcharging the homeowner for the work created. This is the opportunity (if you have taken the time to do PO’s ) where you are able to bring out all of the PO’s from the entire job and go through each one with the homeowner.
This process works very well to dispel any thoughts from your clients of wrong doing and it also keeps everything when it comes to billing above board. This should help the remodeling contractor to leave their client with the feeling that they have been treated fairly and professionally. With the PO’s in hand everyone can come to an agreement that the homeowner was billed the appropriate amount of money for the work completed and the contractors received the appropriate compensation.
Remember get it in writing and everything will go a little smoother.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
How are purchase orders used?
A:
A purchase order (PO) is basically a price agreement between a remodeling contractor and a subcontractor or supplier. With a PO system, subs and suppliers who find they need to do something on the job that will incur extra cost have to clear it with the remodeling contractor first.
An example would be an electrician discovering, after the existing drywall has been removed, that old wiring needs to be brought up to code. This extra work was not in the electrician’s original quote and will cost the electrician labour and supplies to complete above their approved quote.
Although POs take time to create, they are a valuable management tool, and most professional remodelers insist on them.
In a renovation that is large in scale and also takes a significant amount of time there could literally be dozens of PO’s that could and should be created. This could add up to a large amount of money that neither the homeowner or sub-contractor or the remodeling contractor could have foreseen. If no PO’s are created and the homeowner is just billed for the extra work after it happens than the remodeling contractor and the sub contractor run the risk of the homeowner forgetting about the earliest ones and coming to the conclusion that the job has become well over budget or the remodeling contractor is overcharging the homeowner for the work created. This is the opportunity (if you have taken the time to do PO’s ) where you are able to bring out all of the PO’s from the entire job and go through each one with the homeowner.
This process works very well to dispel any thoughts from your clients of wrong doing and it also keeps everything when it comes to billing above board. This should help the remodeling contractor to leave their client with the feeling that they have been treated fairly and professionally. With the PO’s in hand everyone can come to an agreement that the homeowner was billed the appropriate amount of money for the work completed and the contractors received the appropriate compensation.
Remember get it in writing and everything will go a little smoother.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
Sunday, August 17, 2014
The mighty 3 is what you need when you build a custom home
The mighty 3 is what you need when you build a custom home
When you are looking to build a custom home there are 3 professionals that you will require to make your custom home build go smoothly, that it looks like a proper custom home and that it gives you the most bang for your buck.
Those 3 are an Architect, a General Contractor and an Interior Designer.
Those 3 are the most important professionals, they will all cost you money, but they all have the ability to save you money in the long run.
The process of building a home basically goes as follows when you are the homeowner;
1. You find and buy a piece of land.
2. You employ an architect to draw your custom home.
3. You hire a general contractor to price and construct the home. (The hiring of an architect can actually come after your hire your general contractor, especially if you are having trouble finding the right architect)
4. You hire an interior designer to help you with the decisions that you must make for what you want the interior of your home to look and feel like.
What most people don’t realize is that all three of these professionals work together to help bring your dreams of a custom home to life.
The architect and the general contractor will work together when drawing and budgeting your home. This will help get you your custom home within the budget that you require and also reduce the sticker shock when you are handed the initial estimate for the home.
The general contractor and the interior designer work together so that the choices you do make in finishing the house doesn’t affect anything as it pertains to the actual construction, having to move walls, electrical or plumbing because of new visions for spaces can become costly. Since the general contractor is the one that created the detailed budget for your home they will have to communicate with the interior designer into what the different allowances are for the finishing’s. If the interior designer knows the allowances for things such as tile and hardwood then they can direct the homeowner to choices that will fall within the budget.
One of the biggest problems when building a home is when the clients do not make choices quick enough for the general contractor that is constructing the home. This causes delays in the construction of the building and pushes the timeline of the complication date further back. Depending on the size and scope of the home there are literally 100’s of decisions that will have to be made once the building of the home has started. A lot of these decisions will have a tight timeline so as not to slow down construction.
In construction time is money and the slower a build goes the more it ends up costing the homeowner. The cost of hiring professionals like architects, general contractors and interior designers will save you more money as the build commences. Most often than not when the final cost is reviewed it shows that the mighty 3 saved more money for the homeowner then what the fee’s for their services cost.
In every other business people rely on professionals to give them advice and to help them with decisions that they know little to nothing about. This should be the same thinking when it comes to constructing homes, you should rely on professionals to help you make the appropriate decisions in a timely manner.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
When you are looking to build a custom home there are 3 professionals that you will require to make your custom home build go smoothly, that it looks like a proper custom home and that it gives you the most bang for your buck.
Those 3 are an Architect, a General Contractor and an Interior Designer.
Those 3 are the most important professionals, they will all cost you money, but they all have the ability to save you money in the long run.
The process of building a home basically goes as follows when you are the homeowner;
1. You find and buy a piece of land.
2. You employ an architect to draw your custom home.
3. You hire a general contractor to price and construct the home. (The hiring of an architect can actually come after your hire your general contractor, especially if you are having trouble finding the right architect)
4. You hire an interior designer to help you with the decisions that you must make for what you want the interior of your home to look and feel like.
What most people don’t realize is that all three of these professionals work together to help bring your dreams of a custom home to life.
The architect and the general contractor will work together when drawing and budgeting your home. This will help get you your custom home within the budget that you require and also reduce the sticker shock when you are handed the initial estimate for the home.
The general contractor and the interior designer work together so that the choices you do make in finishing the house doesn’t affect anything as it pertains to the actual construction, having to move walls, electrical or plumbing because of new visions for spaces can become costly. Since the general contractor is the one that created the detailed budget for your home they will have to communicate with the interior designer into what the different allowances are for the finishing’s. If the interior designer knows the allowances for things such as tile and hardwood then they can direct the homeowner to choices that will fall within the budget.
One of the biggest problems when building a home is when the clients do not make choices quick enough for the general contractor that is constructing the home. This causes delays in the construction of the building and pushes the timeline of the complication date further back. Depending on the size and scope of the home there are literally 100’s of decisions that will have to be made once the building of the home has started. A lot of these decisions will have a tight timeline so as not to slow down construction.
In construction time is money and the slower a build goes the more it ends up costing the homeowner. The cost of hiring professionals like architects, general contractors and interior designers will save you more money as the build commences. Most often than not when the final cost is reviewed it shows that the mighty 3 saved more money for the homeowner then what the fee’s for their services cost.
In every other business people rely on professionals to give them advice and to help them with decisions that they know little to nothing about. This should be the same thinking when it comes to constructing homes, you should rely on professionals to help you make the appropriate decisions in a timely manner.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
Friday, August 15, 2014
The water in the great lakes is up! It’s time for dock maintenance
The water in the great lakes is up! It’s time for dock maintenance
Well we waited years but the water in the great lakes is up, it might only be a short term thing but here’s hoping that this is a long term trend in the proper direction of water levels in the great lakes returning to a more normal level.
Since the water is starting to rise now is the time to inspect that existing dock that has been sitting high out of the water. If the trend of raising lakes levels continues into next year your dock might have water around it again. This is why it is crucial that you take the time to inspect the foundations of your dock and make sure they are still in good repair.
It’s especially important with the amount of ice we ended up having all over the great lakes this winter, ice can cause a lot of damage to docks and their foundations.
It becomes a lot harder job if you have to repair your dock next spring or summer when they are half submerged in water.
When the water dropped to almost record lows most people stopped using or maintaining their docks. Now that the trend of water is starting to come the other way it is more important than ever to check your dock for structural defects or old and rotten boards.
Another reason to inspect your dock now is if you wanted to extend your dock a little farther out or make changes to it now is the time before the water makes it impossible to work out around it.
I extended my dock in a pair of sandals in the spring and now there is a foot of water where only dirt and rock were 3 months ago. Don’t wait, do your dock work this summer.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
Well we waited years but the water in the great lakes is up, it might only be a short term thing but here’s hoping that this is a long term trend in the proper direction of water levels in the great lakes returning to a more normal level.
Since the water is starting to rise now is the time to inspect that existing dock that has been sitting high out of the water. If the trend of raising lakes levels continues into next year your dock might have water around it again. This is why it is crucial that you take the time to inspect the foundations of your dock and make sure they are still in good repair.
It’s especially important with the amount of ice we ended up having all over the great lakes this winter, ice can cause a lot of damage to docks and their foundations.
It becomes a lot harder job if you have to repair your dock next spring or summer when they are half submerged in water.
When the water dropped to almost record lows most people stopped using or maintaining their docks. Now that the trend of water is starting to come the other way it is more important than ever to check your dock for structural defects or old and rotten boards.
Another reason to inspect your dock now is if you wanted to extend your dock a little farther out or make changes to it now is the time before the water makes it impossible to work out around it.
I extended my dock in a pair of sandals in the spring and now there is a foot of water where only dirt and rock were 3 months ago. Don’t wait, do your dock work this summer.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Can you over design a custom home?
Q:
Is it possible to over design a custom home?
A:
Absolutely.
I can’t tell you the amount of times I have clients bring me plans that were so elaborate that it was almost shocking.
You’re probably wondering what I mean by this and how it affects the home.
When a home is over designed it basically means that they have designed the home in a very elaborate way.
Here is a list of things that can make the design of the home elaborate;
• Multiple pitches in a roof, large complicated roofs, roofs with excessive dormers/valleys, roofs with eye brows.
• Roofs with flat spots in them.
• Homes with round walls.
• Homes with an overabundance in corners.
• Homes with different ceiling heights from one room to the next.
• Finishing’s of the home are multiple materials with complicated patterns.
• An overabundance of windows and doors.
• Overly large windows and doors.
• Multiple mason built fireplaces throughout the home.
• Overly complicated framing specifications.
• Over engineered steel beams and posts throughout the home.
• Overly large hallways and odd shaped rooms.
• Oddly shaped windows.
• Over engineered foundations and walls.
• Overly complicated framing speciations.
• Elaborate insulation specs with multiple different techniques to achieve needed R-value and air barrier ratings.
• Homes that have in-door hot tub rooms or in-door pools.
All of these things are prevalent in custom homes, but homes that have all of them and have them in excess find that their homes end up being extremely costly per sqft. So expensive that they have to either compromise on the finishing’s or go back to the drawing board and have the house redrawn costing more money.
When having your custom home designed you should be trying for a balance of everything, remember that the fancier the outside and more elaborate the design the less money you will have for the finishes that you will want on the inside.
When talking to the designer or architect about your new home show them picture of homes you like, this will help focus the design so that it ends up being more of what you want and help curve the overdesign of the building envelope.
There are new materials that cost a little bit more but save on labour that do what overly designed techniques used to do in the past. When designing your custom home you should have your architect and your builder agreeing on the best practices. This communication between the two parties will save you money in the long run.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
Is it possible to over design a custom home?
A:
Absolutely.
I can’t tell you the amount of times I have clients bring me plans that were so elaborate that it was almost shocking.
You’re probably wondering what I mean by this and how it affects the home.
When a home is over designed it basically means that they have designed the home in a very elaborate way.
Here is a list of things that can make the design of the home elaborate;
• Multiple pitches in a roof, large complicated roofs, roofs with excessive dormers/valleys, roofs with eye brows.
• Roofs with flat spots in them.
• Homes with round walls.
• Homes with an overabundance in corners.
• Homes with different ceiling heights from one room to the next.
• Finishing’s of the home are multiple materials with complicated patterns.
• An overabundance of windows and doors.
• Overly large windows and doors.
• Multiple mason built fireplaces throughout the home.
• Overly complicated framing specifications.
• Over engineered steel beams and posts throughout the home.
• Overly large hallways and odd shaped rooms.
• Oddly shaped windows.
• Over engineered foundations and walls.
• Overly complicated framing speciations.
• Elaborate insulation specs with multiple different techniques to achieve needed R-value and air barrier ratings.
• Homes that have in-door hot tub rooms or in-door pools.
All of these things are prevalent in custom homes, but homes that have all of them and have them in excess find that their homes end up being extremely costly per sqft. So expensive that they have to either compromise on the finishing’s or go back to the drawing board and have the house redrawn costing more money.
When having your custom home designed you should be trying for a balance of everything, remember that the fancier the outside and more elaborate the design the less money you will have for the finishes that you will want on the inside.
When talking to the designer or architect about your new home show them picture of homes you like, this will help focus the design so that it ends up being more of what you want and help curve the overdesign of the building envelope.
There are new materials that cost a little bit more but save on labour that do what overly designed techniques used to do in the past. When designing your custom home you should have your architect and your builder agreeing on the best practices. This communication between the two parties will save you money in the long run.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
Monday, August 11, 2014
The Impact of Change when renovating
The
Impact of Change
Minimizing change orders is one of the most effective things homeowners can do to control costs during a remodel. This is especially true when you have a fixed-price contract. The reason is that seemingly small changes can have cost impacts beyond the remodeler’s control—costs that ultimately are borne by the customer.
We’re not talking about unscrupulous contractors who write vague specifications to create low bids and then nickel-and-dime clients with change orders to increase profits. We mean honest remodelers who write detailed specs, price accurately, and manage their jobs in a professional manner.
Arriving at a contract price for a complex remodel that gives the clients value for their money and provides the remodeler with a fair profit takes a lot of time and experience. The remodeler must plan the job down to the last detail. Deviations from that plan after project kickoff tend to raise the budget.
The kickoff usually happens at the preconstruction meeting, where the remodeler and clients review and sign off on product and design choices. Purchase orders are then generated and sent to subcontractors and suppliers, setting firm prices for every part of the job. If clients request changes after this point, they are responsible for any extra cost.
How much cost? That depends not only on what is being changed, but also when. For example, suppose a major kitchen remodel includes a new door to a deck or patio. If the clients decide later that they want a sliding door rather than a standard door, it will cost less if they decide before or soon after demolition. If they wait until the standard door has been installed and the walls around it wired, insulated, and drywalled, the change is more costly.
Less obvious are seemingly minor changes that have a ripple effect. These can multiply the cost of an item to several times what it would have been as part of the original specs.
Suppose the kitchen remodel also includes a nearby powder room, and the homeowners decide they prefer a pedestal sink over the small vanity they had chosen. The remodeler’s staff has to cancel the order for the vanity and possibly for a granite top. If those items have already shipped, the supplier will likely charge a restocking fee.
The pedestal must be ordered from the plumbing supplier, taking additional time. If the hot and cold water pipes are already in place, the plumber has to move them, and the plumbing inspector has to inspect the change. If the wall has already been finished, the drywaller must be called back. This minor change may throw off everyone’s schedule by a week or more.
Every change also requires time from the remodeler’s staff—time to complete and track orders, to reschedule workers and subcontractors, and to update the budget. That’s why change orders include an administrative fee.
This explanation is not given to discourage important changes. Clients are entitled to make their home their own, and most clients decide to make at least some changes during a project. But they should do so with a clear understanding of the costs those decisions will bring. It’s a reminder that making firm selections up front is in the clients’ best interest.
Warm Regards,
Doug Abbott
Village Builders
This is an excerpt from a newsletter that is distributed to all former, current and future clients of Village Builders Inc. If you would like to receive this newsletter feel free to email me at www.robabbott@villagebuilders.ca
Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc
Friday, August 8, 2014
Proper humidity control is the key to maintaining your custom home
Proper humidity control is the key to maintaining your custom home.
If you have built or you are thinking of having a custom home built you should know that one of the most important things you can do is keep the home properly heated and cooled all year. If you want a nice custom home to look like a nice custom home in the future then you need to make sure that you keep the heat at a regular temperature in the winter and the air conditioning on in the summer at all times. If you spend a little money on energy you can help make sure that you custom home will still look nice and new for years into the future.
Not properly heating and cooling your home can cause the wood in your home to shrink and expand more than is expected. This can cause;
• drywall cracking
• nail pops in the drywall
• extreme shrinkage in the framing of the home
• interior doors to stick or rub on the frames
• Interior door handles will not shut properly or lock properly.
• Trim will swell and then separate as it dry’s.
• Condensation will build up on the windows, cracking of the moldings and swelling of the window jambs that will restrict the movement of windows overtime
• Paint will start to peel from condensation
• Cabinetry will become out of square and allow the paint to crack
• Wood floors to separate and even buckle from swelling
• The wood sub-floor can swell; the wood joists will swell and expand while the steel beams that are attached to will not, this will create an uneven floor.
• The expansion and contraction of the wall studs can cause glass mirrors that have been glued to the wall to crack and break.
All the things that I have listed above are not covered under your builder’s new home warranty. As the homeowner it is up to you to take care to maintain the humidity/de-humidity of your home during all four seasons. A little time and money spend to climate control your home will go along way into maintaining the overall fit and finish of your home.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
If you have built or you are thinking of having a custom home built you should know that one of the most important things you can do is keep the home properly heated and cooled all year. If you want a nice custom home to look like a nice custom home in the future then you need to make sure that you keep the heat at a regular temperature in the winter and the air conditioning on in the summer at all times. If you spend a little money on energy you can help make sure that you custom home will still look nice and new for years into the future.
Not properly heating and cooling your home can cause the wood in your home to shrink and expand more than is expected. This can cause;
• drywall cracking
• nail pops in the drywall
• extreme shrinkage in the framing of the home
• interior doors to stick or rub on the frames
• Interior door handles will not shut properly or lock properly.
• Trim will swell and then separate as it dry’s.
• Condensation will build up on the windows, cracking of the moldings and swelling of the window jambs that will restrict the movement of windows overtime
• Paint will start to peel from condensation
• Cabinetry will become out of square and allow the paint to crack
• Wood floors to separate and even buckle from swelling
• The wood sub-floor can swell; the wood joists will swell and expand while the steel beams that are attached to will not, this will create an uneven floor.
• The expansion and contraction of the wall studs can cause glass mirrors that have been glued to the wall to crack and break.
All the things that I have listed above are not covered under your builder’s new home warranty. As the homeowner it is up to you to take care to maintain the humidity/de-humidity of your home during all four seasons. A little time and money spend to climate control your home will go along way into maintaining the overall fit and finish of your home.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Clearview Township is lowering their building and development fees
Clearview Township is lowering their building and development fees
It took a hired consultant to convince the township of Clearview to lower the building fees that they drastically raised some 5 years ago. At the time they did this our President Doug Abbott attended the
Council meeting to urge them not to do this, that doing this would have a negative effect on development and growth in the entire township.
Cut to 2014 and Clearview Township is one of the only townships that I know of that has a negative growth rate. The council at the time was attempting to raise money by charging people who wanted to move here a surplus “just to have the right to live here”. What has happened is that building in Clearview Township has slowed to a crawl with only the affluent building homes in the area.
When you included all the fees for obtaining a building permit in the Township, especially if you were building in a village or town were so outrageous that most towns and villages experienced little to no new construction.
The new building fees are now more in-line with other municipalities around the area and should help spur on some growth in the region.
The new development fees can be viewed on the Clearview Township website
www.clearview.ca
This should help grow the tax base which will help pay for new services instead of what was previously attempted that of making money off one time building fees that little to no one wanted to pay.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
It took a hired consultant to convince the township of Clearview to lower the building fees that they drastically raised some 5 years ago. At the time they did this our President Doug Abbott attended the
Council meeting to urge them not to do this, that doing this would have a negative effect on development and growth in the entire township.
Cut to 2014 and Clearview Township is one of the only townships that I know of that has a negative growth rate. The council at the time was attempting to raise money by charging people who wanted to move here a surplus “just to have the right to live here”. What has happened is that building in Clearview Township has slowed to a crawl with only the affluent building homes in the area.
When you included all the fees for obtaining a building permit in the Township, especially if you were building in a village or town were so outrageous that most towns and villages experienced little to no new construction.
The new building fees are now more in-line with other municipalities around the area and should help spur on some growth in the region.
The new development fees can be viewed on the Clearview Township website
www.clearview.ca
This should help grow the tax base which will help pay for new services instead of what was previously attempted that of making money off one time building fees that little to no one wanted to pay.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
Monday, August 4, 2014
The finishing schedule on your custom home
Finishing schedule on your custom home
The finishing schedule on a custom home is usually a moving target. Why you ask? Because things come up that the contractor and the homeowner don’t expect. When things come up that one of these parties doesn’t expect changes are made and when changes are made it usually adds more time to the finishing of the house.
A lot of time changes come about when people have picked their finishing’s and realize that they don’t blend together like they thought they would or the cost of them is more then they wanted to pay or that they cannot be installed like they believed and they are forced to start over again.
Sometimes materials ordered for finishing are backordered or of a limited supply or the order is simply less material then is required not allowing the full installation of the product. This all ends up costing time, time to wait for more material, time to pick it up and time to re-schedule the sub-contractors that have to install it.
When you build a custom home the general contractor uses up to 30 different sub-contractors along with their own employee’s to build your home. When materials delay the installation then the sub-tractors find other work at other building sites. You then have to wait for them to become free or work at both places slowing the progress they make down at both ends.
Weather can play a key part in the finishing schedule as well. If your home is already enclosed then you don’t have to worry about rain slowing down production, but finishing houses in the middle of winter can cause delays depending on the availability or accessibility of the home after a snow storm. This past winter was a prime example of this, in our area we had highways and roads closed for more than 2 full weeks over a 3 month period in the middle of winter. Trades men, material delivery and clients all had trouble getting to projects in the area and that delayed everything about the finishing of projects.
So when you ask your contractor for the finish date of your home, don’t be surprised if the date changes the more finishing gets completed. It’s not that they don’t want to finish it’s more because they can’t until all the material has arrived and all the decisions have been finalized.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
The finishing schedule on a custom home is usually a moving target. Why you ask? Because things come up that the contractor and the homeowner don’t expect. When things come up that one of these parties doesn’t expect changes are made and when changes are made it usually adds more time to the finishing of the house.
A lot of time changes come about when people have picked their finishing’s and realize that they don’t blend together like they thought they would or the cost of them is more then they wanted to pay or that they cannot be installed like they believed and they are forced to start over again.
Sometimes materials ordered for finishing are backordered or of a limited supply or the order is simply less material then is required not allowing the full installation of the product. This all ends up costing time, time to wait for more material, time to pick it up and time to re-schedule the sub-contractors that have to install it.
When you build a custom home the general contractor uses up to 30 different sub-contractors along with their own employee’s to build your home. When materials delay the installation then the sub-tractors find other work at other building sites. You then have to wait for them to become free or work at both places slowing the progress they make down at both ends.
Weather can play a key part in the finishing schedule as well. If your home is already enclosed then you don’t have to worry about rain slowing down production, but finishing houses in the middle of winter can cause delays depending on the availability or accessibility of the home after a snow storm. This past winter was a prime example of this, in our area we had highways and roads closed for more than 2 full weeks over a 3 month period in the middle of winter. Trades men, material delivery and clients all had trouble getting to projects in the area and that delayed everything about the finishing of projects.
So when you ask your contractor for the finish date of your home, don’t be surprised if the date changes the more finishing gets completed. It’s not that they don’t want to finish it’s more because they can’t until all the material has arrived and all the decisions have been finalized.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
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