Albi Custom-built Home - Drywall – Whoo-hoo!

Drywall – Whoo-hoo!

Before the drywall was up, light was just coming in everywhere because there were no walls!! Now we can see exactly what the natural light looks like and it's absolutely wonderful and bright! So many windows it's going to be expensive to cover!! Once the drywall is finished we can also start to take measurements and start shopping for furniture, for example the dining room table.

Kitchen Cabinets -Wow!

Looks can be deceiving. The camera angle makes the kitchen look bigger. It's smaller than what you may imagine but there's room for everyone. The counter tops are just what we ordered. It is a dream. We love it.

Lights - Tiles - Backsplash - Fireplace - The Works!

Nancy and I are happy about our choices, especially with the tile on the floors and walls of the master bathroom. We love the backsplash in the kitchen too. Also, the lighting system we decided on is turning out nicely through-out the whole house. Our lights are modern, like us.

Can't Wait to See the Flooring

The floors once laid, were covered up immediately to protect them. We can't wait to see them. We know we have to be patient.

HVAC Last Chance – Before the Inspector Comes

HVAC Last Chance – Before the Inspector Comes

The Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system is a sub-

discipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer. Basically it's the comfort, health and safety of the air in your house. It is an important part of your home. But for our custom-built Albi home, it is more complicated due to the legal suite.

Challenges with a Legal Suite
Building a legal suite from the get-go has saved a lot of time and effort vs. doing it afterwards, but there certainly are some negatives to the process. Primarily the ductwork in the furnace room has to be routed a certain way because it all has to be dry-walled prior to the installation of the furnaces. This basically results in the ducts all being lowered and a very complex system being designed to keep both living spaces completely separate for ventilation etc...

The Duct Work - A Wonderful Mess!

The duct work seems like the challenge similar to a difficult maze. Mike from Arpi’s did a great job.  He is an Absolute Pro when it comes to designing a system that maximises my ceiling height throughout the basement while giving us the ideal flow of air and heat. He designed a system that is exactly what and where we needed it! I am very impressed with his skills! In the end the ductwork looks like it was a puzzle put together with perfect accuracy.

Plumbing, Electrical and Mechanical – Smooth Sailing
Now here is where things get really intense and exciting for me. I don’t know why but I have always been fascinated with what is going on behind the walls in my house. Here is my chance to not only see everything but see how it all goes together and makes my house tick! Progress is fairly quick in most areas. The plumbing goes in fairly smoothly, mechanical and the electrical too. Insulation is installed. We are happy and excited that the city inspectors can now come through. It is the last chance, forever, because the drywall is next. But the Move-in date is ---no! Delayed.

Custom-built Home - Extras, Extras!

Nancy is Excited

Custom-built Home - Extras, Extras!

Some options in a custom-built home can cost a lot more than expected! Some quotes from the builder prompted us to do some research. We decided to do some installations after and we removed them from the builder's plans, for example, closet organizers, window coverings, and the backyard deck. But a word of caution!

A Word of Caution! After Possession Expenses

Initially we felt that after the house was built we could do some things cheaper ourselves like the heater in the garage, air conditioning, water softener, and irrigation system and this is proving to be true. Our decisions were based on future cost savings especially since keeping in mind, they would be much more costly if we had to rip out walls and renovate afterwards. With these items properly roughed in, we knew that we could install them some time in the future when we had the extra money. A little planning and foresight here into what we knew we would eventually want in our dream home has enabled us to save thousands.

Siding! The house starts to look real!

There is something new to see every day at the job site. Watching the siding go on gives the house an almost-finished look. Mistakes are made but when things happen I make a call and soon everything is sorted out. I have respect for all trades people, with me on site every day. I try hard not to get in their way but they appreciate me there to point out some of the changes I made to the stock floorplans helping them avoid extra work. They work hard and typically are not on salary so being able to finish quickly and efficiently is the best for them! It is really exciting to see the progress being made.

The Bonus Room - Nancy is Excited

My parents built an open-concept house with a cathedral ceiling. Growing up, I remember I enjoyed the space and think it's a good idea for our new home. Nancy thinks it's a good idea too, so we designed the living room to be open from above. We also chose the corner lot to give us the option for a ton of windows, some people might say too many!! The window coverings cost a small fortune!

Custom-built Home - Stay on Top of It!

Custom-built Home - Stay on Top of It!

Last House with Albi Estates

Cody, our framer, will soon be moving out-of-province so this will be his last house with Albi Estates. He is awesome and he is highly professional at what he does. We were lucky to have him. We wish him well wherever he goes next.

Keeping on Top of Things

We have made many decisions so far. We sign off on tile, carpet, shelving and mirrors. I drop by the house to make an inspection. I see that they have the plumbing installed. When Nancy and I were making plans, we asked and paid thousands of dollars for high-quality fixtures such as a special shower head in the master bathroom. When I saw the installation, I realized that to my dismay only the rain can was installed.

Missing Shower Head – Huh?

Looking at the shower stall, I realize that we are missing the shower head. How does this happen? It could be that we made that decision over a year ago and it was lost in the translation from: Albi-initial-plans-to-builder-to-plumber. Things like that can happen over that lengthy a time-line. Also missing is a water line to the freezer, no drain in the bathroom downstairs and the fridge is in the wrong place.

I Visit the Construction Site Every Day

After a telephone call all the issues are quickly fixed. Things are progressing at a nice pace. Nancy and I continue to talk about decorating ideas. It is fun!

We Have a Wall – Yes!

We Have a Wall – Yes!

Our Albi Home - The House Takes Shape

The kids never get tired of visiting the construction site. We drive up to and go around the house building every day after school. Nick loves the action, especially with all the trucks and machinery and workers and assembling going on. When the foundation wall-structure is in, they deliver a prefab front entrance, porch and steps. Then they start work on the sub-floor. It takes weeks, more or less and then we actually can walk up and in to what will be our house. Next, a wall...

We Have a Wall – Yes!

We stop by the lot and see a wall going up. The kids' eyes are glued to the moving crane and chatty with excitement. Cody, the framer, operates the crane like a pro. As we watch, Nancy and I take pictures. Out of the corner of my eye I see that like me, she is grinning from ear to ear. Soon four walls are up. We leave but miss the house so later ...we drop by with a Subway sandwich for hard-working Cody.

Roof, Upper Floors, Windows then More Stairs

When the upper floor is done, the stairs go in. We get to finally go upstairs and then get a better feel for the house. We designed this house. We are proud and thrilled. The windows are installed. Things are getting really exciting. We get to see what the view will be like. The scene is interesting from up that high. We do see houses of course, but all around we get to see a bit of the escarpment. Nice.

More Framing – Interior Walls

With the interior walls framed in, we get a good sense for how big the rooms will be although we know if will feel different once the drywall is up. Our imaginations run wild with decorating ideas. In the plans our tall walls are over-engineered so could have pure glass and wood with a bulk head so we can hang curtains and install lights. The framer used actual floor joists for the bulkhead so it will reinforce the structure of the wall even more and I can walk on it? We love that decision. We have a lot to talk about. Meah walks into what will be her room. Later she calls, her grandmother, her Baba and says that she loves her room. What eight-year old wouldn't?

For any questions on custom-built dream homes please call 403-680-4479.

We Have a Hole! Hooray Albi

We have a hole!

Albi Custom-built Home - More Choices – Whew!

More meetings, more choices but what about the building? Delayed...still. At this point we don't care anymore. This is the sad thing. Weeks goes by...well months actually...sigh. We have more meetings and then finally...

We Have a Hole!

A year later, after the date of our deposit, we see some action. We now have a hole dug. All of a sudden we believe in the house-thing again. It was a house-thing but now it will be our home, our beautiful dream home. This is a reality! We drive by the hole many times. The kids talk about the hole at school. Grandparents hear all about the hole. Everybody within earshot, texting and social media knows that we have a hole. Soon, the foundation is laid and the windows arrive at the site. It is time for Nancy and me to celebrate. We hug and hold on tight. It will be a home very soon.

We Meet the Framer – He will Frame our House – Awesome!

We drop by the site to meet the man, named Cody. He is a one-man show, honest, who will build the house walls, subfloors, roof, and even install the windows. He has developed a building method where he will build everything himself. Then with the help of a crane he will assemble it. Wow, we think he is great!

Another Christmas and More Delays 

Windows have arrived.

The weather is not cooperating. It is the Holiday Season after all and the framer takes some time off. Things could be worse. It could be colder, really. Weather in the rest of Canada, like Ontario for instance, is -40 degrees Celsius with the wind chill. LOL, it's even warmer in the Antarctic. More LOL, Iquanas in Florida are freezing and falling from trees. Sheesh...okay a warm spell. We wait for a wall....just one wall please...still waiting...

If you have any questions about building a dream home please give me a call 403-680-4479

Albi Home - More Delays – Seriously?

Nancy Looks Over Albi Plans

Albi Home - More Delays – Seriously?

More Selection Meetings - Saving Money is Good

We do our research ahead of time before each meeting to find out what is important and what is not...what is worth the money… also where the builder is charging too much! It can happen. There are cases where getting things done, while building, can be practical and in fact can't feasibly be done after possession, like in floor heat, drains in the garage, extra hose bibs or a hot and cold tap on the back deck, extra soffit plugs and network wiring and plumbing in general.

 The Rental Unit – Still a Good Idea but...

I must say that I wonder what would have happened without my diligence and persistence. I probably would end up with a completely different house. I make about a dozen phone calls to the city bylaw office to correct mistakes the builder is telling me regarding the rental suite requirements. My floor-plans are always wrong and the line of communication, me-to-sales person-to-office-to-designer, and then back again often ends up in confusion. They even try to tell me my house will be one foot narrower. I have to tell the builder a few things! In the end I actually schedule a meeting directly with the designer at Albi, I come prepared with paperwork from the city and a few ideas of my own and together we work out some major decisions!

Electrical – So Much to Think About - Who Knew?

Now that the plans are finalized, (almost) it's time to get back to more selections meetings. Structured Media and Electrical Wiring is next. We decide to upgrade to Cat6 network cables, adding extra network hookups outside, for cameras and inside for wireless access points and wall-mounted tv locations. This costs $1,200 but will pay off in the long run. The cameras themselves must be done after possession, are not included in the house price and are about $2,000. Electrical is a bit more complicated. With the rental suite we want totally separate electrical panels installed for us vs. the tenants, so our panel ends up in the garage. After adding extra plugs, and extra wiring for lights we end up with another $3,500 bill.

Building Still Delayed

The wiring for lights is done at the electrician's and selections of the actual lights are done at the lighting supplier. These meetings take place close together time-wise and we go back and forth a couple of times in e-mails later. First electrical, then lighting, then back to electrical, then finalize with lighting then finalize with electrical. These decisions, when done prior to possession, can save an absolute fortune vs. doing them after.

We make time for all these meetings and feel good about our decisions. But the actual building is still delayed.

To find out more and if a custom-built dream home is right for you call me, 403-680-4479