Spring Construction Season Has Arrived

The sun is shining, birds are signing and soon the framing guns will be ringing. That's right it's the official start to construction!

Now construction never actually stops anymore in this area but this time of the year is when most people start thinking about their own construction projects.

Whether you are thinking about building a;

• New House
• An addition to your home or cottage
• Renovating your home or cottage
• Adding or repairing decks or porches
• Building a treehouse for the little ones
• Adding bathrooms
• New kitchens

Or a combination of any of the above, if you are planning on any of these then you best get started with your plans and budgeting soon. Because soon all the contractors that you are interested in talking too might be either booked up for the rest of the summer or so busy quoting other projects that they can't quote yours in a timely manner.

To avoid this you need to make sure that you start the process early and focus on what you really want in a contractor. You need to find someone that you can work with, someone that doesn't just know what you are doing but also works well with you the homeowner. Because depending on the size and scope of the project you could end up working with this person for a while and if you don't get a long then your project will not be enjoyable.

One thing to remember about the spring is that the real estate market really picks up, with the increase in home sales comes the increase in demand for contractors to help repair, renovate or add to homes that have just recently been purchased. These projects usually come about quickly and start just as fast. They can take a contractor in the spring from being available to completely booked for most of the spring and summer. The hotter the real estate market the worse this problem becomes. 

In a lot of cases contractors can find themselves booked all the way until next year with the work they pick up in the spring from people buying and selling real estate.

All of these market forces can affect your efforts to get your project priced and completed, that's why the number one thing I tell people is to start early and keep at it until you find what you need to get your project completed.

If you have a project that you are wanting completed this spring/summer send us an email at info@villagebuilders.ca and lets see if we can help.

Rob 

Village Builders Inc. 

Lack Of Homes Pushes People To Build New Custom Homes In Collingwood Area

If you are looking to move up to the Collingwood/Thornbury/Town of The Blue Mountains area and you just started looking at real estate, you might be disappointed at the utter lack of houses that are for sale in the area.

This is because there are simply not enough homes in the area for the amount of people that want to move here. There is also not a lot of people that are moving out of the area to go somewhere else. There has been enough development in infrastructure that people of all ages can now live here.

This has created a scenario that has seen the price of homes rise and the demand for those homes rise as well. Supply and demand in action.

What is a person to do if they can't find a house that properly suits their needs?

You could always build yourself a new house.

That's right you could build a new custom home for yourself. There are still pieces of property inside and outside of town that you can buy and build a new house on.

How do you get started?

1. Look on the real estate listings for a home that will suit your family, if you can't find anything there then you might need to build a new home.
2. Once you have decided on building a new home you will need to figure out what your budget is, remember that a new custom home might cost you a little more then buying a used home, but its a brand new home not something some else has already used.
3. Start looking around through the real estate listings for the perfect piece of property to build a new custom home on, this is were real estate agents really come in handy. Remember that the cost of your lot will come out of the new home budget.
4. Find yourself an architect/builder. Why do I say both? Because you need at least one of them, an architect can find you a builder, but also a builder can find you an architect. They both can advise you on how much building a new home will cost and what you can afford.
5. Once you have both then you can plan your new home and budget for it.This might take longer then you think as architects are fairly busy these days, every time you change the drawings or adjust something in the plan you extend the design time that it takes to get the plan completed.
6. Secure your financing. If you don't have the luxury of having all the money already to build your new home then you will need to take your plans and the budget that your builder has given you to a financial institution for funds. Do not make the mistake of taking less money then what your builder has budgeted. Thinking that you will com under budget is a mistake. You might come under budget in your build but if you don't then there will be a point in the build where you run out of money and the build will come to a stop until you can secure more funding.
7. Get your permits. This might take sometime depending on how many different organizations will be involved (municipal building department, conservation authority, escarpment committee).
8. Build your new home.

It sounds easy and its not actually very hard it just takes some time and patience. Remember one thing about building a new custom home, in the end it might cost you more then a re-sale home but as soon as your new home is completed its probably worth more then what you paid to have it built.

This entire process will go smoother with the right companies, find the right ones for each step and the process will be a lot smoother and less stressful.

If your moving to the area and want to build a custom home send us an email and let us help.

Rob

Village Builders Inc.

Building A Custom Home-Talk To Your Neighbours

When you are looking to build a custom home, you've gone and bought your piece of property that is the perfect fit to what you want to build, you have the hired someone to do the design and you have hired your contractor to construct it, there's one more thing that you should do that will make it easier for you to build the home.

What is it? Talk to your new neighbours.

That's right talk to your neighbours, nothing gets people more upset then when something changes around them that they have little to no control over.

People go and make the biggest investment that they will ever make; their home. They spent years getting the inside and the outside of the home and the property looking exactly the way that they want it and then someone comes along and changes their entire world. They go from having no neighbour with nothing but trees or grass beside them to a house and landscaping and new people within sight of everything they do. A lot of people don't react well to it.

Add in the fact that they then have to listen to construction noise for what feels like forever and without you doing anything directly to them your neighbours can end up having a dim view of you, all of this before you ever got a chance to make an impression on them yourself.

So what do you do to make sure that they won't hate you before they get to know you? Simple before you start building anything go over and talk to them. Introduce yourself to them and let them see what type of person that you really are, tell them a little about what you plan to build. Try to answer all their questions, get them on your side when it comes to having new neighbours and a new house on the street.

Its easier then you think for rumours to start about who's moving in and the size and scale of the house that is going to be built.

I once witnessed a custom home builder have to call the local paper to refute a story that appeared in the paper about a large home that was being built on the outskirts of the town because the paper claimed that it was going to be a hotel and convention center because of the size and design that was still under construction. The reason that he had to refute the story was because the building department and the local council started getting complaints and demands to stop the build because hotels where not allowed in the area. The situation all came from the owner never talking to the neighbours or anyone in the area that could spread the word about what the home would end up being.

Things like property lines, fences, garages and other things can be kept out of lawyers hands with simple conversations before anything happens or while things are happening.

When you bring your neighbours into the inner circle of your home build then they feel like they are part of process and that they have a say in what happens (even when they don't).

So strap on your best smile and invite yourself over for tea and coffee to the neighbour, you won't be sorry.

When the home is completed try to have a street BBQ or at least have your next door neighbours over for drinks, you can show them your new home and make your neighbours into friends at the same time.

A little handing shaking and coffee chat can go along way.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.