Frequently Asked Questions
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HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BUILD MY HOUSE?
Building your new home can take anywhere between 6 to 8 months, depending on the home design/size, the
stage of construction and Mother Nature (who can wreak havoc here in Revy). Your project length can also be
affected by measures outside of our control (such as the City of Revelstoke permit process). We will fully schedule
every project before commencement, so you’ll know how long to expect each phase to take.
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BUILDING PERMITS
Building permits and inspections protect you from inexperienced or unethical contractors that can cost you
money down the road. Inspectors are your professional eyes and ears who are holding your contractor accountable to meet minimum requirements under the provincial building code.
Without a building permit, you have no record or assurance of what has actually been done, which can have big financial implications when you try to claim insurance or resell your home. We coordinate with the City of Revelstoke throughout the permit and approvals process for all of our clients. And, if we hit an obstacle, we’re skilled at efficiently navigating through it.
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WHERE SHOULD I START IF I’M THINKING OF BUILDING?
Once you’re ready to talk about your construction project, you can contact us and we’ll schedule a time to meet
with you and go over the entire process in detail. You’ll have a chance to ask as many questions as you like.
Below is a list of some things to consider when planning your home:
-How many bedrooms do you need?
-How many bathrooms do you need?
-How big does the master bedroom need to be? And does it need to be on the first floor?
-How big do the other bedrooms need to be?
-What type of kitchen do you need based on your lifestyle? Do you enjoy cooking? Do you like to entertain?
-Do you want a separate living room or do you prefer a great room that merges rooms together? Do you love to
relax and watch movies? Do you need an area for the kids to blow off steam?
-Do you need a separate laundry room?
-Do you need a guest bedroom? Do you have a lot of guests staying over?
-Do you need a home office? Do you work out of the home?
-How much space do you need for storage?
-Do you need a basement? And do you want it finished?
-How large of a garage do you need?
-What other rooms are important to your lifestyle?
-What type of outdoor living space do you need? Porch, screened room, etc.?
-How do you want to live? Are you more comfortable in smaller intimate spaces or larger open spaces?
-Does anyone have special needs?
If you are looking for budget friendly ideas you could also consider some design aspects such as:
In order to get the most from your home, avoid long narrow hall ways. That is a waste of square footage.
Select a design that has fewer gables and Ls. A square or rectangular home is cheaper to build.
Two story homes are cheaper to build per square foot, and attic living space is even less expensive.
Smaller homes are less expensive to heat and cool.
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DO I NEED A DESIGNER OR ARCHITECT BEFORE TALKING TO YOU?
The short answer is No. We encourage our clients to contact us in the planning process to talk about projected
budgets and ideas for your new home. As builders, our goal is to work with you to turn your dream home into
your reality. Some people seek out a designer before engaging with us, and that is ok too. Having a full set of
plans penned out helps build a more accurate budget for you.
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HOW MUCH WILL MY CUSTOM HOME COST?
This is a very difficult question and probably our most frequently asked question. However, it’s the least effective
way of comparing builder’s. The answer really depends on the amenities and features you choose for your new
home. For example, pitch of the roof, cabinet features, type of counter tops and flooring materials, just to name a
few. All these factors dramatically affect the cost of the home, but do not increase the square footage. The more
elaborate the feature, the higher the cost per square feet will be. Once you decide on a plan and the features you
want in your home then we can give you an accurate budget to work with and a more accurate cost per square
foot. The budget will have some “allowances” in it meaning we price the home based on your specifications so it
can be built without extra costs. But in the areas that can be adjusted by the customer when they make their final
colour selections such as carpeting, tile, cabinets, light fixtures etc, we use the budget amount to create an
allowance.
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HOW CAN I BE SURE MY HOME BUILDER OR CONTRACTOR WILL DO A GOOD JOB ON MY HOME?
It is important to select a homebuilder with expertise, a record of quality workmanship and the ability to meet
your budget. It’s also vital to choose a company you can trust and feel comfortable with. The best way to judge
future performance is to look at past performance. Find out which homes your contractor has built in the past,
learn about their processes and ask to see examples of their work. Arcadian Contracting Co. Revelstoke Ltd is a BC
Housing licensed builder and works with reputable sub-trades to complete your custom home to the highest of
standards.
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CAN I VISIT MY HOME DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS?
Home owners are welcome to visit their home during the construction process, however it is a construction site
and suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required before entering the site. Owner’s are
encouraged to contact the builder to make an appointment to come to the site at a mutually suitable time.
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MY BUILDER HAS INSURANCE, WHY WOULD I NEED IT?
Just because your general contractor “has insurance” doesn’t mean you or your property are covered when your
home is being built. Home builders generally carry a “builders risk” insurance policy, but that is usually designed
to cover the builder in case of a loss, such as high winds blowing trees into the house during construction, or
vandalism, or things like that. As a homeowner, it’s smart for you to have your own policy to cover your land and
your personal property you may have on the job site.
Some agencies offer a kind of policy just for this purpose, called a “Course of Construction” policy. It covers your
liability with the land (such as if a child wanders onto the job site and hurts himself on your property on a Sunday
afternoon while nobody is there), and also covers property you may have stored there (such as a mobile storage
unit where you might put furniture or fixtures for the new house). Once the construction is complete, the Course
of Construction policy then converts into a homeowner’s policy. So make sure to ask your agent for a policy of
some sort that covers you for liability and your belongings when building.
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CAN I SAVE MONEY BY DOING SOME OF THE WORK MYSELF?
It depends. In all honestly, we occasionally do let a home owner do some of the work when building their home,
but not to save money. Most of the time, it’s because the home owner wants to feel invested; like he or she really
got to be a part of the building process and put some sweat into the house itself. That can be a great feeling!
Sometimes, people misunderstand how costs are calculated when building a home, so they think that if they take
a small portion of the work off the General Contractor’s plate, big bucks can be saved. In truth, there’s very little
savings to be had by the kinds of tasks a home owner is able to offer. Plus, it’s also important to remember that
we as a builder are liable to build everything properly, and put a warranty on all of our work, so if we make a
mistake, we fix it, at our cost. Whereas, if a home owner makes even a very small mistake, any of the intended
costs savings could be lost, and the home owner would be liable to fix the mistake. Many people will say “I’m
happy to take care of the painting,” not knowing that painting is a task that interacts with the schedules and
staging of more trades and materials than just about anything else. Meaning, almost every trade comes into
contact with paint, or is waiting for the painter, at some point, so it’s a very, very bad fit for the homeowner to be
involved with.
The important question to ask yourself is, “What is my motivation for doing the work myself?” If your desire is to
save money, then you might be surprised at the value we bring compared to what you think you’ll save by doing
it yourself. But if your motivation is doing it purely for the satisfaction of being able to tell your friends “I laid this
floor with my own two hands!” — by all means, roll up your sleeves! We are happy to help set you up for success.
We just need to make sure your role is clearly defined before the contract is signed to ensure no
miscommunications between builder and homeowner.
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WHAT KIND OF WARRANTY DO YOU OFFER?
We offer 2-5-10 year warranty.
2 years on labour and materials (limits apply)
5 years on the building envelope, including water penetration
10 years on the structure of the home.