January 10, 2014

Building a Custom Home in Vancouver Can Be a Lot of Work, That's Where We Come In!

Over the past 25 years we have had the pleasure of working with some great home owners. Each came to us with a different vision of what makes the perfect custom home, from a gourmet kitchen to a dog washing station. That’s why before we undertake any part of the building process we meet with the home owners and get to know them and their individual needs.  Every home owner then gets their own team of custom home building experts that works with them through the full building process ensuring the home they dreamed of is the home they move in to in the end.

Now, we could go on and on about what exactly it takes to build a custom home in Vancouver (believe me we will) and how happy the home owners are not only at the end but throughout the full process, but it sounds so much better when they say it.

Here is what one of our recent custom home owners said.

"This is coming from someone who has never owned anything more than a hammer and a screwdriver.

I have to say first off, building a custom house was something we are so glad we did not try to co-ordinate or do a portion of by ourselves. From determining budgets to obtaining permits, to demolition, to foundation, to framing, to exterior finishes, to drywall to tiling and painting, to finishing touches, Wallmark was in charge of creating the home we wanted. The best part was, we knew our end cost right down to the baseboards before even starting. That added great piece of mind.

There were a few other things that made a big difference in choosing to work with Wallmark. I would say these things were even more important than originally realized now that we look back. One was being able to see several Wallmark finished homes in Birchwood Estates and Carte Blanche - it set the standard for what to expect. Secondly, was being able to work with an Interior Designer who had an opinion or a vision on how things will look when finished. It is harder than you think to actually visualize how the taps will work with the countertops or how the paint colours match the tiles and how the rooms will flow.

The demo and build took 9 months and it was completed on time and on budget. We did spend a little more money than originally planned on extras, but it is only because there were a few things we wanted to add as we went along. These couldn't have been known as we started. We wanted to add a few things to the kitchen cabinets and spent more money on lighting fixtures to add some character to the house. We also added custom wood cubbies in a mud room and custom shelving in some bedrooms.

The trades were all great, especially the tilers who hand cut tiles to match patterns we drew on paper. If something wasn't exactly right or up to Wallmark standards, we reviewed and it was fixed. You work with the on-site supervisor the most and he was also great in explaining everything. He was handy and little things he could do were no extra cost (at least we haven't received a bill yet ; ) ). As an example, he was able to add motion sensors to some exterior Barn Lights we had purchased. Should also mention there was someone who cleaned up the job site every day and that made a big difference when we checked things out after work or on weekends. The neighbours were also very impressed. Again, these are all things that am not sure would have happened if we had gone another route.

It was a busy nine months and we are very happy with the house Wallmark helped us created. A colleague at work started a renovation the same time we started our house. They decided to co-ordinate it themselves with a general contractor. Their renovation is way over budget and still not finished."