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!

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

Trials and Tribulations of Albi Custom-built Home

Still Waiting...Longing for Our New Albi Home

Trials and Tribulations of Albi Custom-built Home

The Delays Begin. Are We Disappointed? Very!

We are supposed to be at the drywall stage by three months. This doesn't happen, not by a long shot. We leave the Albi scheduled meetings very frustrated and feel the area manager is not cooperative. Friends and family tire of hearing about our complaints. Things, like fireplace, and kitchen cabinets keep changing from what we were promised and as what was in the Show Home. First some things are standard then they are not. We have pictures and proof with the emails. The area manager begs to differ. Things rotate one way then another. We are confused. We drive by the site...just because...longing...

New Area Manager Assigned to Us

After many complaints, phone-calls and emails back and forth, and months delay we put our foot down. We have a meeting with an Albi supervisor. He gives us a sympathetic ear and with all the emails with plans and specifics on record he takes the time to analyse our frustration. A few days later, he calls and says that he completely understands our dissatisfaction with the company's service to date. He tries hard to make things right and offers us some satisfaction towards what we have been expecting in regards to upgrades.

Also we now have a 'new' area manager. His name is Brian and his assistant is Julia.

Better Treatment

The Albi Estate 'team' are awesome. We are immediately treated better. We put down another 10 % deposit. To be fair to the previous area manger, the suppliers of some standard offerings changed, for example cabinet handles and countertop options. Previous orders are delayed from the original factory suppliers so new ones are found. We make compromises and more upgrades.

Months Fly by When Having Fun

We now have meetings about fun stuff like lighting and flooring. We keep our budget in check but are excited about our new options. We tell family and friends about the pleasurable experience of a custom build home...really! The rental unit design is shaping up. I'm glad I stuck to my idea. It will be an attached but separate entrance custom-built rental unit. I figure in ten years time, the extra cost will pay for itself. But...there are still more delays. You have got to be kidding me.

Are you thinking of a custom-built home? Call 403-680-4479

Our Big Decision? Albi – Riverstone!

A Big Decision

Custom Built Home – Our Big Decision? Albi – Riverstone!

We are Ready

We have outgrown our home. With a nice, normal-size-but-kids-growing family we need more space. Our kitchen is very small with just the four of us using it. We like to entertain, dinner parties etc...so...with a crowd we bump elbows. But do we need a custom home? Why not? We both have good jobs with a future. My partner, Nancy is a teacher and I am a Real Estate agent. This is my third home. So why not treat ourselves to a dream home?

We Want the Best We Can Afford

We want the best. We are into comfort, modern appliances, luxury-size rooms and custom details. Albi Home Builders provide us with this dream opportunity. We are excited. We tour the Albi Show Home many times over the Christmas Holiday Season. We bring friends and family members to weigh in. The kids have fun running around the big environment, content with the space and feel perfectly at home.

 The 'Future' Back Yard

Only a Realtor Knows the Right Questions to Ask

As realtor with over ten years experience to draw upon, I know the questions to ask. Many homeowners buy and sell many times over the course of their life-time. Some upgrades are worth the money but some are only an extravagance. What are the best features to add to a custom-built home? One of the main upgrades that I want, knowing the Calgary rental market and its income potential, is a guest place or rental potential.

Promise of a Quick Build- Not!

With their high standards in building (many building and design awards) and promises of a quick build, we lay down the 10% deposit. We decide on a corner lot. Real Estate experience has taught me that this is one of the better future selling-point features. We are assigned an area manager. So far...so good. We expect to have many meetings regarding progress, any questions we may have and ideas about upgrades etc... I ask about the rental unit addition. Hmmm...they don't, as of yet, offer this. I look into the bylaws and persevere with the area agent. This takes time to sort out. Good idea? Maybe. Stayed tuned...

Thinking about investing in a custom built home? Please give me a call, Chris 403-680-4479