I've always loved architecture. The idea of building a structure that was both functional yet beautiful has always been appealing to me. However, I can't say I ever had a meaningful appreciation for the realities that come with such a project. Of course, my perspective changed dramatically when I decided to tear down my home and build something new. I can now unequivocally say that flipping through the pages of Dwell magazine is one thing, but finding an architect and balancing a budget is something entirely different.
Our story is actually quite simple. After living in a quaint postwar bungalow in the heart of Toronto for the past five years, my wife and I decided we wanted a little more room before starting a family. That's not to say we couldn't have raised a child in 850 square feet, but we both felt the timing was right to make a move and settle in before we had our first child.
We hadn't originally set out to build a new home. In fact, we had just finished our basement and repaved our driveway in hopes of putting the house on the market. However, the Toronto real estate market was in a complete frenzy and we quickly saw our weekends vanish in a sea of open houses. We poured over countless MLS listings, but I honestly can't recall how many houses we eventually went and looked at. Luckily my wife Jessica is far better at recalling details such as this. "Upwards of 50" she insists. We only made offers on four of those 50, and each ended with us losing in a bidding war. Beyond those, there were a few houses that sold prematurely after an aptly named "bully offer" was made on the property.
I can't say we were in a rush, but we realized we couldn't continue the search forever and we quickly decided that a renovation might be next best option.
When we made this decision, we really had no clue where to start. Our initial assumption was that we'd simply "top up" by adding a second storey (as is common in our neighbourhood), and we setout to find a contractor to help us.
We spoke with a number of general contractors, but ultimately decided to work with Steve Ungerman of All Canadian Contractors. I won't list all of the reason why we chose him (I've given him the free plug already, right?), but I will say this - it's important to find someone that will provide you with as much transparency as possible. We wanted someone who gave us complete confidence in their ability to build a quality product, as well as someone who would show us how every dollar was being spent. That, and he's continued to help us to reduce costs. Seems crazy, but it's true.
Selecting an architect is also quite similar, however you must first come to the realization that you can in fact afford one. Our initial assumption was that we couldn't, and admittedly it took a little convincing before we decided to move ahead with ours. I spoke with about six firms in Toronto, all of which gave me a ballpark figure that far exceeded our budget. Only after a few conversations did Cathy Garrido at Altius Architecture make us understand that we could actually afford the services of an architect. Of course this meant we needed to reallocate our budget and reduce the overall footprint, but we eventually came to understand this was a smarter decision. "Build it right and build the best house you can afford. It will always be worth more than your initial investment down the road..." says Ms. Garrido. "You'll enjoy living in it more too".
Living in the home is what it all boiled down to. We weren't interested in building a home that was cheap but easily flipped. Instead, we wanted to build a home we could live in for years to come. Something we would enjoy every day, and something we could raise a family in.
For most would-be home builders (myself included) you'll be working with your contractor and architect for the first - and probably only - time. This means you'll be hanging your selection on a great deal of faith. You can check references and inspect prior projects, but you'll never know what it's like to work with someone until you've actually been in the trenches together. There are many things to consider during the course of a construction project, but it really all boils down to nothing more than a giant leap of faith. Faith that the structure will be sound, faith that you won't go over budget, and faith that the final product will be as good as you envisioned.
Being that I have no construction experience beyond what I've seen on television, I felt it was important to prepare myself for this project. This involved consuming as much information about the design and construction process as I could possibly get my hands on. Tuning to HGTV is an almost daily ritual, and I've made a point of watching each Holmes on Homes episode at least twice. I enjoy the show, not for the recycled storylines (previous contractor does poor job, Mike comes in and "Makes It Right"), but rather for the insights about what was done wrong. I'm under no illusions that I'll ever be remotely qualified to design or build a home myself, but I wanted to understand as much as I could, if only to have an educated conversation about what's being done.
I recognize there are many people going through a construction process such as this, but I figured there might be some value in sharing our experience as we rebuild this new home. My goal is to document the entire process from start to finish, and do so in a completely transparent way. To accomplish this, I set up a website to capture every facet of the project, and hopefully reveal the finer details of building a new home from the perspective for a homeowner.
The last thing you should hang your hat on is blind faith, and hopefully our experiences will get past the string of bidding wars you've lost, and help you build that home you've been dreaming about.
This is the first part of a five-part series that will follow the design, demolition and construct of Mr. Bell and Ms. Lax's new home. You can also follow the progress online at www.360winnett.com .