Initial Meeting and Consultation

At our initial meeting we will review and discuss your wants and needs in your dream home. We will give you an approximate estimate for a budget to ensure the clients are comfortable with the size of the home and cost to construct it. We will also discuss approximate timelines and the process and will also answer any and all questions regarding the process. We also give recommendations when looking for the perfect lot.

Ensuring the lot you choose to purchase will accommodate the home you are envisioning to build is a top priority. There are many factors that can determine the many aspects of the home design. They include zoning, geotechnical and grading restriction or covenants, environmental restrictions and significant trees on your property or your neighbours ect. Each city or municipality has different bylaws and policies around new home construction. FlorWest has experience dealing with Coquitlam, Maple Ridge and Mission building departments and can help with clarifying any questions that could arise. The next step after purchasing the parcel is to hire a land surveyor to complete a full topographic survey if one hasn’t been provided by the seller.

Design and Layout Consultation

Designing the home can be very exciting. This is the stage where we ask clients to provide inspirational photos of other kitchens, bathrooms, great rooms, and exterior photos that appeal to them. We discuss the size of the home, their wants and needs and budget. An experienced builder can give insight and provide professional consultation on design, budget and finishes. Some construction mortgage lenders will require a itemized budget from a licensed builder to obtain the financing for the project. You can choose to either work with our designer or one of your own. We sit with you throughout the process to ensure that there is not any surprises down the road. We also like to have the exterior and some of the main rooms in the home digitally rendered for this reason. After our design consultation the designer will put together a preliminary design and layout for your home. We then go back and forth with the designer to make changes to finalize the design. We need a final layout/design to provide an accurate budget and move forward with the engineering and permit stages that follow.

Engineering/Permit and Budget

The plans are now forwarded to an environmental/structural/geotechnical and plumbing engineer to have the required design drawings drafted and the proper supporting documentation needed to apply at the city’s building department for a permit. The home is also registered with the HPO and the 2-5-10 warranty provider. Information on the warranty can be provided by FlorWest and or WBI Home Warranty. This warranty gives the client peace of mind for up to 10 years. We also like to set the clients up with an interior designer to work with and confirm the exterior and interior finishing’s. Also at this point we can start disbursing the plans to trades for tender and put together an accurate budget for the construction hard and soft costs. Upon approval of the budget we at Florwest propose and draft up a construction management contract and official budget for the clients to sign and move forward in the process. Once the engineering, new home registration and city paperwork is complete we can submit the application. The permit application process from acceptance to approval takes typically around 8 weeks.