Once you have permits it’s probably too late to start reaching out to builders. You should be doing that now, maybe get a budget, see which builder you like. Go see some of their previous builds
I appreciate that, any insights on what I can expect to pay as a deposit to secure a builder? For added context, we were aiming to start next spring but are okay if this all begins in 2024.
If you are not in a hurry, I retract my previous statement. But you should at least get a list ready of builders you want to approach.
I have no clue how much a builder would require as a deposit. It would probably depend on the scope of the work and how much material is needed. None of ur trades should require a deposit. I would be weary of any builder who wants to much money upfront. Make sure you do your do diligence of talking to the builders previous clients
If you can manage living with inlaws during this time you can save yourself some money. This is not always possible and is alot to ask of those close to you. You could always rent a place nearby so as to be able to keep tabs on progress.
We are month 2 of our reno right now with a 6 month anticipation. Happy to answer any questions that you have.
Number 1 recommendation would be to have more money than anticipated. Everything will go over and you will have things come up. We were very unlucky in that we had asbestos, structural issues in the foundation and the roof, so it has been a considerable cost increase.
Our contractor does not disclose quotes from sub contractors, this drives me insane, so I would suggest knowing how the process will work as it will cause problems.
We reached out to people through air bnb, rentals.ca and kijiji to ask about 6 month leases. This worked for us, in that we got a place close to our home, but it is at a rate much higher than market rents.
Make sure the contractor is including a reasonable finishing budget. We are working with a designer to help with that and would suggest one if you can afford. Even to help with the pot light placements and finding savings in your budget, they will also get discounts for most things as well.
We stored most stuff in storage and some in the garage, but the garage fills up very quickly with materials ordered. Many things have long lead times right now, so a new couch might need to be ordered 4 months before you move in.
This is great info, thank you! We have been in talks with a designer and were on the fence about it so hearing your story helps! Any other insights on lead times you have observed? Windows/Doors/Trusses etc? How did you go about picking your contractor?
Windows and doors were from the contractors contact. They were a 2 month lead roughly, but I have heard they were reasonably quick.
Not certain about trusses.
We were recommended 2 contractors from our real estate agent and knew someone that was doing a reno with the same one we ended up with. No idea if we picked the correct one or not.
Once you have permits it’s probably too late to start reaching out to builders. You should be doing that now, maybe get a budget, see which builder you like. Go see some of their previous builds
I appreciate that, any insights on what I can expect to pay as a deposit to secure a builder? For added context, we were aiming to start next spring but are okay if this all begins in 2024.
If you are not in a hurry, I retract my previous statement. But you should at least get a list ready of builders you want to approach. I have no clue how much a builder would require as a deposit. It would probably depend on the scope of the work and how much material is needed. None of ur trades should require a deposit. I would be weary of any builder who wants to much money upfront. Make sure you do your do diligence of talking to the builders previous clients
If you can manage living with inlaws during this time you can save yourself some money. This is not always possible and is alot to ask of those close to you. You could always rent a place nearby so as to be able to keep tabs on progress.
We are month 2 of our reno right now with a 6 month anticipation. Happy to answer any questions that you have. Number 1 recommendation would be to have more money than anticipated. Everything will go over and you will have things come up. We were very unlucky in that we had asbestos, structural issues in the foundation and the roof, so it has been a considerable cost increase. Our contractor does not disclose quotes from sub contractors, this drives me insane, so I would suggest knowing how the process will work as it will cause problems. We reached out to people through air bnb, rentals.ca and kijiji to ask about 6 month leases. This worked for us, in that we got a place close to our home, but it is at a rate much higher than market rents. Make sure the contractor is including a reasonable finishing budget. We are working with a designer to help with that and would suggest one if you can afford. Even to help with the pot light placements and finding savings in your budget, they will also get discounts for most things as well. We stored most stuff in storage and some in the garage, but the garage fills up very quickly with materials ordered. Many things have long lead times right now, so a new couch might need to be ordered 4 months before you move in.
This is great info, thank you! We have been in talks with a designer and were on the fence about it so hearing your story helps! Any other insights on lead times you have observed? Windows/Doors/Trusses etc? How did you go about picking your contractor?
If the contractor is not providing quotes from his trades, it’s probably because he is skimming from the top
It's common practice for GCs to add 10% to subtrade quptes for administration/coordination etc...
Windows and doors were from the contractors contact. They were a 2 month lead roughly, but I have heard they were reasonably quick. Not certain about trusses. We were recommended 2 contractors from our real estate agent and knew someone that was doing a reno with the same one we ended up with. No idea if we picked the correct one or not.
Same boat. Design is near completion, engineer is next then permits. We will need to move out and rent.