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Nikki and Mike share their new home construction experience.

Planning & Development

We looked at existing homes in our desired neighborhood of Langley, British Columbia, but could not find exactly what we were looking for, so we purchased a home in a new development. We selected a developer based on the quality of their craftsmanship, the custom look of their homes, price, location, and the number of upgrades included in the standard finishing package. After selecting our floor plan we were able to negotiate a few 'extras' at the time of making our offer. Overall, our builder was very good to work with and even offered several consultation sessions with their interior decorator to help plan our finishing details such as flooring, paint colors, cabinetry, countertops, stonework and lighting fixtures. During construction we were fortunate that we didn't have to deal with too many significant challenges. I'd say our biggest 'hiccup' was a few miscommunications between our designer and our builder.

The New Home Pros & Cons

Pros

• Brand new home
• Get to select all finishes and have a say during construction
• Get to select electrical outlets, phone and cable locations
• Warranty

Cons

• Taxes on a new home adds so much to your initial purchase price
• Typically newer neighbourhoods have smaller lots
• Living in a brand new area, there is still a lot of construction noise, commotion and dust in the area

Finishing Details

Lighting
Our overall lighting scheme included more recessed fixtures than would be provided by the builder so we applied our entire lighting 'allowance' to recessed fixtures and paid out-of-pocket for all other fixtures such as chandeliers, pendant lights and bathroom lighting. Total extra lighting cost approximately $900.

Kitchen
We upgraded the kitchen countertops to granite, a total extra cost of approximately $2,000.We also upgraded the kitchen appliances, as we found the builder's allowance really didn't cover much beyond the very basic, low-end white appliances. Total extra cost approximately $5,000.

• Maple wall cabinetry painted 'Antique White' (Benjamin Moore OC-83)
• Maple island cabinetry stained 'Gunstock Brown'
• 'Tropical Brown' granite counters
• Off-white subway tile backsplash
• Brushed nickel pull knobs

Flooring
Our only 'unexpected' cost would have been an additional $800 to cover the inflated cost of slate installation - an overrun that was the result of a miscommunication between our interior designer and builder. In the end, the tile installers absorbed the extra cost.

• 'Cognac Maple' laminate floors in kitchen, hallway and family room
• Slate tiling in front entrance, powder room and ensuite
• Linoleum in laundry room and upstairs main bathroom
• Berber carpet upstairs and on staircase

Window Coverings

• 2 inch white faux wood blinds from Home Depot
• Custom 2 inch white wood blinds for oversized windows on main floor
• French doors in family room yet to be covered

Interior Wall Paint

• 'Sandy Brown' (Benjamin Moore CC-150) in majority of house
• 'Baffin Island' (Benjamin Moore CC-270) in powder room, ensuite and craft room

Appliances

• Frigidaire Gallery Series front-loading washer and dryer
• Hoover brand built-in vacuum
• Frigidaire Professional Series fridge, stove and dishwasher

Other

• Upgraded the den door to a French door and upgraded the pantry door. Total extra cost approximately $200.
• Upgraded exterior rock from wood paneling to ledgerstone.

Resources & Inspirations

In our case, our builder was probably our most helpful resource. He was very receptive to our ideas, answered all of our questions and worked very hard to please us on all accounts. He also helped us find a decorator and most of our finishing and appliance suppliers (all local sources in BC, Canada):

• Builder: Willoughby Homes
• Decorator: Linda Trent Designs
• Lighting Supplier: Pine Lighting
• Flooring Supplier: Exclusive Floors
• Granite Supplier: Apex Stone and Tile
• Cabinets: Capri Cabinets
• Appliances: The Brick

Our main sources of inspiration included:

• Central Roost of course!
• Decorator magazines
• Local home magazines
• Showhomes

Future Plans

We are currently planning a 'wine room' in the basement to store and taste wine and a den on the main floor to feature built-in bookshelves. I would also like a craft room for upstairs that would include a large workspace for several people, custom shelving and storage and enhanced task lighting.

Words of Advice

This was our first experience with building a new home and we found our builder allowed us to make as many decisions as we wanted. They were very good with providing us their budget and letting us work with the trades to upgrade or change any details. If we went over their budget we simply paid the trades and suppliers directly. We found it was extremely important to have good communication with the developer and to also get everything in writing! All changes, discussions, upgrades, substitutions etc. should be in writing and circulated/signed by the builder, head contractor and the applicable trades people or suppliers. Other tips:

• Watching your overall cost during the building process - it's easy to think of upgrades you'd like but they all come at a cost (especially if you have the builder do them for you)
• Deciding which things you can improve yourself vs. the builder (i.e. finishing the basement)
• Your long-term needs and desires when it comes to improvements such as landscaping, finishing the basement etc. (i.e. will your backyard be mostly for entertaining or will you eventually have kids)

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