[highfive]

Hi everyone,

my family is planning to knock down our old house in vancouver. I just want to see if anyone here had the experience of doing the same thing?

Where did you guys get your drawings? Is it one of those cookie cutters type houses?

Any contractors you would recommend?

Thanks

[urban.boi]

Hi everyone,

my family is planning to knock down our old house in vancouver. I just want to see if anyone here had the experience of doing the same thing?

Where did you guys get your drawings? Is it one of those cookie cutters type houses?

Any contractors you would recommend?

Thanks

I would recommend to use MetroVan Custom Homes
Metro Van Custom Homes | Just another WordPress site (http://metrovancustomhomes.com/)

They been really good and building some good quality custom homes.

[punkwax]

If I were building a home, I would definitely discuss with Larry Clay. No cut corners, solid builder and overall person.

Clay Construction Inc. : Custom Homes with Integrity (http://www.clayconstruction.ca/index.html)

[Soundy]

I had a friend that had a custom home built years ago - massive kitchen, gorgeous living room, theater room, 9 bedrooms... not a single bathroom.

I told him that was really weird.

He said, "No, it's uncanny."

:troll:

[noclue]

Im curious about this as well but how does the pricing scheme go?

$100/sqft for average quality?
$200/sqft for high quality?

Also I heard theres some tax loophole you can use if you leave the original foundation or structure or something. Claim it as renovation.

[MindBomber]

I would recommend to use MetroVan Custom Homes
Metro Van Custom Homes | Just another WordPress site (http://metrovancustomhomes.com/)

They been really good and building some good quality custom homes.

This looks like a developer that dabbles in customs.

I, personally, would not give this builder a second thought.

Im curious about this as well but how does the pricing scheme go?

$100/sqft for average quality?
$200/sqft for high quality?

Also I heard theres some tax loophole you can use if you leave the original foundation or structure or something. Claim it as renovation.

Depends on the region.

The same work in West Van costs more than in North Van, which costs more than in Vancouver, which costs more than in White Rock. In a typical neighborhood, $160-175/sqft for good quality and $250-275/sqft for high quality, but not luxury.

The tax loophole does exist. The taxes are based on the percentage of the original home left in the 'new' structure. Usually it's the foundation and a couple walls that ultimately remain.

[highfive]

Thanks everyone. Going to look more into it.

[Gumby]

I asked the same question in 2012, so there's some information in this thread:

http://www.revscene.net/forums/666237-building-new-house.html

Construction on my house started in April 2013 and finished in November, and I moved in in December.

Rough estimate on costs = $550k for 2800 sq feet ($200/sq ft). I'd call my house a custom home, but I would not categorize it as a luxury home.

My general contractor was my mother-in-law's brother, who has been doing this for 20+ years. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend him because he's looking to retire soon (despite having multiple projects lined up already).

The important thing is to find a GC who has experience, and is someone you can trust. They will usually have contacts that can do the drawings.

Another tip is to go to open houses on lots that are the same size as your lot. That will give you an idea of what's possible.

[Selanne_200]

Hey Gumpy, for 200/sq ft, I'm curious to know what you ended up getting in terms of finishing. What kind of cabinets/flooring/appliances?

[Jas29]

From my experience renovating our house I will tell you to not hire

Bittu Dhillion Contracting
and
Herbies painting

[GLOW]

flip the 'b' and you get Herpies Painting - terrible name :lawl:

[mr.rakkar]

Hi everyone,

my family is planning to knock down our old house in vancouver. I just want to see if anyone here had the experience of doing the same thing?

Where did you guys get your drawings? Is it one of those cookie cutters type houses?

Any contractors you would recommend?

Thanks

Home - Astec Development - Vancouver Custom Homes (http://asteccustomhomes.com/)

Check him out. Got our house built by him and he was very accommodating and did everything we asked of him.

[ws6ta]

Send me a PM if you haven't found anyone. I'm doing a 6 million dollar house in white rock right now.

[Matlock]

Your trades people will appreciate you if you treat them to coffee and donuts or something.

[MindBomber]

Your trades people will appreciate you if you treat them to coffee and donuts or something.

Yes! I was working on a reno the other day, and the homeowner baked me cookies, which was more than enough encouragement to go the extra mile with everything I was involved in at the site.

[Lomac]

If I may add something to this, don't get carried away with just looking at who can design the fanciest house or who offers the best deals on the lipstick and mascara. I know this has little to do with the design of a house, but make sure you pay even closer attention to what goes on behind the drywall than what's in front of it. The last thing you want to do is spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a house that has poorly laid out plumbing, insulation that barely meets minimum code, etc., etc.

[StutteR_]

Pm, I can put you in touch with some really good builders.

[Gumby]

Hey Gumpy, for 200/sq ft, I'm curious to know what you ended up getting in terms of finishing. What kind of cabinets/flooring/appliances?
We have solid oak cabinets for the main floor (kitchen & powder room) + upstairs (2 bathrooms) cabinets. In the basement (1 kitchen & 2 bathrooms), we got some basic particle board stuff.

Laminate flooring throughout.

Stainless steel appliances in the main kitchen (average brands, such as LG/Panasonic/Samsung), and white Maytag appliances for the rental suite.

Due to our family relationship, I paid all of my contractor's invoices directly, he called in a lot of favours, and I even sourced some of the materials myself. These were all factors that helped to keep my costs down. If we had to do it again, there's no way I'd be able to hit the $200/sq ft mark.

Your trades people will appreciate you if you treat them to coffee and donuts or something.
Haha my GC called me one day and said "hey are you at work? If not, go buy some coffee & donuts and bring them to the job site now!"

If I may add something to this, don't get carried away with just looking at who can design the fanciest house or who offers the best deals on the lipstick and mascara. I know this has little to do with the design of a house, but make sure you pay even closer attention to what goes on behind the drywall than what's in front of it. The last thing you want to do is spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a house that has poorly laid out plumbing, insulation that barely meets minimum code, etc., etc.
Agreed 100% with Lomac. My wife has a large family, so her uncle knows that his reputation is on the line. He can't afford to build a lemon. You could argue that not a single expense was spared behind the drywall (because he didn't give us a choice, LOL), whereas we had to make some compromises during the finishing stages (e.g. laminate vs hardwood, regular shower vs steam shower, etc.). He would be there after hours to check to make sure things were being done right.

Two examples that come to mind include the use of commercial pipes (cast iron) for plumbing to help minimize the sound of toilet flushes, and water-resistant drywall in the shower/tub areas.

The problem with buying a ready-built house is that you have no idea what materials were used behind the walls...

[Gumby]

Send me a PM if you haven't found anyone. I'm doing a 6 million dollar house in white rock right now.
That might scare off the average RS member... :troll:

But seriously, if a builder has several multi-million dollar projects lined up, they probably wouldn't want to waste their time on a "Vancouver special"...

[v_tec]

Due to our family relationship, I paid all of my contractor's invoices directly, he called in a lot of favours, and I even sourced some of the materials myself. These were all factors that helped to keep my costs down. If we had to do it again, there's no way I'd be able to hit the $200/sq ft mark.

No where near the market or budget to buy/built a house yet.

But I'm curious, for these kind of projects - (and those without the family relationships), how is the project paid?

Do you sign over a $xxxk cheque to the contractor?
Or are you able to pay most of the bills sometimes?
I heard some, are able to pay the contractors through (ie. Home Depot) gift cards?

[Alby]

if im not mistaken, you pay the contractor at certain stages of the project. i believe the last payment is when the residency permit is issued.

[MindBomber]

No where near the market or budget to buy/built a house yet.

But I'm curious, for these kind of projects - (and those without the family relationships), how is the project paid?

Do you sign over a $xxxk cheque to the contractor?
Or are you able to pay most of the bills sometimes?
I heard some, are able to pay the contractors through (ie. Home Depot) gift cards?

The owner submits payments to the contractor at pre-arranged stages of completion. The contractor will pay the subcontractors and all other bills unless an alternative arrangement is specified, and a good reason to have one would be necessary. The contractor will accept money, and will not accept gift cards. To pay a contractor with HD gift cards would be equivalent to paying at a restaurant with Save-On gift cards.

[meme405]

All I can say is, if you don't know what you are doing, hire someone that does, AKA if you havnt built or renovated a home before hire someone who has to represent you and your best interests.

The number of people who attempt this and are left in a shit load of debt and a crappy end product are numerous to say the least.

Unfortunately some of the contractors and individuals out there are not always the most trustworthy people.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK IF YOU PLAN TO GO THROUGH WITH THIS.

And no this thread on RS does not even count as beginning to do your homework. In fact it almost demonstrates to me more than anything that you should probably not be tackling this in the first place, but I digress.


I heard some, are able to pay the contractors through (ie. Home Depot) gift cards?

LOLWUT?

[Selanne_200]

The owner submits payments to the contractor at pre-arranged stages of completion. The contractor will pay the subcontractors and all other bills unless an alternative arrangement is specified, and a good reason to have one would be necessary. The contractor will accept money, and will not accept gift cards. To pay a contractor with HD gift cards would be equivalent to paying at a restaurant with Save-On gift cards.

BE careful tho, if your GC doesn't pay the sub-trades, you're still on the hook as the owner

[Purely]

v_tec
I heard some, are able to pay the contractors through (ie. Home Depot) gift cards?

:pokerface:

[meme405]

BE careful tho, if your GC doesn't pay the sub-trades, you're still on the hook as the owner

Yes, this is when Lien's start to get filed and the project starts to get very messy.

As an owner you have to be on top of anyone who has a hand on your project to make sure them, all their sub contractors, and all their suppliers are paid. It can become a large undertaking.

Think about it this way, there are people who's actual job it is to manage projects like these, this is a full time job for them. So if you think that you can come in and just manage your own house being built with no experience, and doing it on the side after work, or on weekends, you are dreaming.

[v_tec]

The contractor will accept money, and will not accept gift cards. To pay a contractor with HD gift cards would be equivalent to paying at a restaurant with Save-On gift cards.

LOLWUT?

:pokerface:

My thoughts exactly too. But you will be amaze at the amount of cheapfuck ideas RFD and credit card forums come up with to maximize their travel reward points/cash backs....

[Jas29]

Make sure to get everything in writing and have signed copies of what is expected to be completed and how much it will cost.

My grandparents hired a random GC off the street and had no paperwork.

Had to pay off 1 sub that installed the carpet(To get lien removed).

Had to hire a lawyer to write a letter of intent to sue for Herbies painting who lied on the lien paper and said we owed him 2600.00 when the invoice only said 1600.00. (Didn't even painted 3/4 of the house)

Had to call the police on the GC for coming to our home and threatening us and calling us in the middle of the night when he was drunk

Ended up with my brother, my dad and myself doing a lot of the work ourselves to finish the house and 1 sub not getting paid.

[kkttsang]

wanting to bump this thread as i ma in the same situation as OP now, we are wanting to knock down and build a new house in east vancouver, first ave area.

I am looking into which builders to choose from, so far i have wallmark, blackfish,best builder, vancouver custom homes on the list.

any reccomandation on builders?

and also any information on getting a construction mortgage with the bank, is it same rate as a regular mortgage. We have about 100k to spend right now and hoping to mortgage out the rest, since the land is paid off.

[MindBomber]

I'm always hesitant to say anything about specific builders.

I'll say that generally the smaller the builder the better the quality.

[Selanne_200]

I'm not sure about the rate but a construction mortgage is different than a regular mortgage in that how the money is paid out.

As you know, a conventional mortgage pays out the entire sum of money to you at once but a construction loan will require you to put down your own money first, up to a % of completion before they start releasing money to you in stages based on the construction progress. So it really depends on how much money you have to spend and what's your total budget/estimate for the house. But if you only have 100k to spend I would say it's safer to go for a conventional mortgage if you can negotiate it with you bank since I vaguely remember that my bank only started releasing the money once 40% of the construction has been completed.

A tip for you, just ask for a mortgage but do not disclose that you're thinking of using that money to knock down the house since banks do not like to have just a plot of land without a habitable building on it in the event they have to foreclose.

[hopalong]

I'm looking into building a house on a family lot by 49th n Vic within the next 2-3 years. I'm interested in knowing reputable builders also.

[EmOne]

In the east van area, there's pacific gate development Tom is his name, $150 per sq ft
he quoted us, including main house and lane way everything for $465,000

[MindBomber]

Lots and lots of good builders in Vancouver. Just be sure to do thorough DD.

[GLOW]

maybe he got the $/sq-ft is wrong. at 465 it sounds like a 2000 sq-ft home???

[EmOne]

Well the lot is 108*33 = 3564
3564 @70% comes out to be little shy of 2500sq ft, then 16% of the 3564 for the lane way =little shy of 600sq ft. So total is 3100sqft * $150 = $465,000.

[MindBomber]

Congrats on building new house everyone.

[EmOne]

I searched Pacific Gate Development and the domain that shows up is expired.

I think that supports my point quite nicely.

So a quick search and you came up with nothing, that proves a point?

I'm posting useful information for others to consider, if you got a issue with my posts, PM me then.

[Doubl3_H]

Well the lot is 108*33 = 3564
3564 @70% comes out to be little shy of 2500sq ft, then 16% of the 3564 for the lane way =little shy of 600sq ft. So total is 3100sqft * $150 = $465,000.

That's your typical East Van house, but don't forget, you get what you pay for.

One of the builder that we worked with in the west side, quotes 250-300 per sq ft for custom builds and he adds 20% commission on top of that.

[GLOW]

Originally Posted by MindBomber View Post
I searched Pacific Gate Development and the domain that shows up is expired.

I think that supports my point quite nicely.

i don't know if it has anything to do with being a developer specifically but a business in general. red flags go off in my head if a company i'm thinking of dropping half a mill on can't keep their website operational.

20% sounds about right for the cost of GC'ing a job

[noclue]

one of my neighbours down the street is rebuilding his home and he is paying $270sqft and its not even luxurious just decent quality. Though his house is built on a hill which is a bit more challenging.

A new house and laneway for only $465,000? I'd be really skeptic.

Anyway can someone explain in detail how the tax loophole works if you keep your foundation?

[frost91]

i've built my own home and dealt with many renos.

there are far too many variables from east side to west side and the cost of construction. (i.e. $120/sq foot home all the way to $300/sq etc)

the best piece of advice i can give you is find a lay out that you like, i prefer one that has already been built and that i can go into someone's house and walk around (because architects can draw a layout that doesn't work), then have that layout drawn to your lot.

any Q's feel free to PM

[Koflach]

When it comes time to doing the interior finishing on the home go to a company like Westcoast Moulding and Millwork (or another company like them) and speak to an outside sales rep. They see a lot of homes and can help you put together a vision for the inside of your house

[Gumby]

In the east van area, there's pacific gate development Tom is his name, $150 per sq ft
he quoted us, including main house and lane way everything for $465,000

Well the lot is 108*33 = 3564
3564 @70% comes out to be little shy of 2500sq ft, then 16% of the 3564 for the lane way =little shy of 600sq ft. So total is 3100sqft * $150 = $465,000.
Wow that's pretty cheap for a 3 storey house AND laneway. Have you seen any other houses built by this guy?

[Selanne_200]

I live in an area where pacific gate have quite a few projects going so I've seen their work. Personally I wouldn't recommend them for a number of reasons. What you pay is what you get for the most part

[HondaCRZy]

LaneFab.com makes some nice homes

[Nicco]

shoot me a pm if you guys have questions on building. Family has been building houses in vancouver for the last 17 years.

[GrayFin]

There are lots of great builders in Vancouver. Others are good and well known in which their service are becoming expensive too. For a person who makes the most out of my hard earned cash, i would go for the cheaper service but have the same quality of work.