Deficiency Walkthrough

Whether building, renovating or designing, it’s all in the details. Take a walk with the Burdens as they get their final walkthrough with Cara from Triple Dot Design, and Alex from Level One Construction.

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Deficiency List – Example.

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[00:00:00] Welcome back to Measure Twice. Cut Once, a podcast from HAVAN, the Homebuilders Association Vancouver. It’s our second to last episode of season four and we’re following the Burden family through their real time renovation. This was not just a weekend makeover like you might have seen on reality tv. The entire main and upper floors of the East Vancouver heritage home has been gutted back to the studs to bring the home back to its original 1912 glory with modern conveniences and finishes for increased efficiency, comfort, and safety. The Burdens have been living in their basement for a long time with two small kids for the duration of the project, and so they are finally, ready to move upstairs.

[00:00:40] We’re going to touch base with everybody today. Now that the project is coming to an end. And as always, of course, you can follow along with all the episodes. Transcripts and resources are available at www.havan.ca/measuretwicecutonce, including photos of the project. Welcome back everybody.

Hi, Jen.

Hi everyone.

[00:01:00] Hi Jen.

Hi.

And you guys have started to do the big move. Are you up there yet? How did the move go?

We’re up there, the move is ongoing, but, but we’re up there, so we’re really excited. It’s, uh, super surreal actually to be finally upstairs and yeah, it’s great. It looks great. It feels really good.

[00:01:20] Everyone’s so much happier. There’s space for the kids to run around. We have a dishwasher. I took a bath the other day in my lovely bathtub. And what else have we enjoyed? A walk-in closet. So many things like life has improved significantly, in a very short amount of time. So yeah, we’re, we’re really, really excited and thankful to everyone to bring it all together quickly at the end there.

[00:01:46] Great. Well, as I was saying before, this is our second to last episode. After this episode, we’re going to talk about finances and see if you guys are still ok with your choice when we do the big breakdown of how much your beautiful renovation cost. But first this episode, we just want to welcome everyone back, get to know everyone again and see how everything’s been going on.

[00:02:05] So thank you for the update on the move. Anything eventful happening of the move from downstairs to up or it went pretty smooth?

Well, like Skyla said, it’s still in progress. Like the main thing is, first get up there, you’re just elated. And we were, you know, completely, like Skyla said, it was a surreal experience to, to kind of get up there and take it all in.

[00:02:26] And then you have this realization about how much work actually is remaining in order for us to, you know, settle in up there, receive furniture, set up bedrooms, unpack all the boxes that we had in temporary storage. Lots of busy weekends ahead of us trying to carve out the hours required to move.

[00:02:47] But, you know, it’s a lot better feeling moving back upstairs than it was in January when we were packing boxes downstairs and into the garage getting ready to start the project.

So, really exciting and I think that’s something people don’t notice. Like you moved downstairs back in January, but you guys have actually been living in this basement for a long period of time because you guys were living there when Skyless parents were living in the house.

[00:03:13] You know, initially we had moved into this home and, and settled into the basement. On what we considered to be at that time, a, a temporary basis. And then, you know, when we ultimately decided to purchase the home and take on the renovation project, we decided, hey, rather than move upstairs and, and ultimately have to move everything back, back downstairs again, we’ll just stay downstairs.

[00:03:36] So there was this period of time where we were living downstairs. Sleeping downstairs and using the upstairs kitchen. But then since the project started in January, it’s been the full time downstairs. So, we have our bedrooms set up upstairs and that’s the first time we’ve actually slept upstairs in this house.

[00:03:54] Well, me ever. So yeah. So, it’s been two years, probably almost to the day that we’ve been living downstairs full-time or part-time. So yeah, it’s very exciting to not be subterranean.

Super, super exciting. I don’t even want to come down here. I just want to like close the door and pretend like it never happened which sounds awful, but we need to beautify the basement.

Now that’s an honest answer.

[00:04:18] Maybe that’s the next project after we talk finances in the final episode, maybe you guys will get the bug again and want to renovate having four people living in this small of an area. It almost needs a renovation. After we were done with it, there’s been bangs and scratches everywhere. So, you know, it wasn’t really set up to accommodate for people living full time, but we made it work and yeah, it would be, it would be nice to, to kind of give this a little makeover at some point in the future.

[00:04:44] So we’ll put that on the list of projects. I think Alex was the one that was saying in a previous episode that that’s where they end up putting the parents anyways at the end. So, your kids might be putting you back down in the basement, so you might want to beautify it by then. Yeah, it’s probably that timeline at this point.

[00:05:01] That being said so far from the renovation process, does this make you guys want to do it again or are you guys just done now for a few years? You’re good to just live in your house and never see another hammer or anything, or a paintbrush?

I would be game, I don’t think it was, you know, we didn’t have to physically do the work.

[00:05:18] So I think it’s different if you’re doing it all yourself and yeah, I think you’d want to breather, but it’s so seamless when you have a designer and a general contractor. So, I’d be game, I don’t know if financially that’s possible , but that would be yeah, great.

Yeah, I think the financial aspect is one part of it.

[00:05:35] I also think having completed the phase for the main and the upper floors was probably going to be the most difficult phase out of all I can imagine in the future, if we were to work the basement, We’d be pretty comfortable to stay upstairs, and I imagine it would kind of be an isolated project down there, I would think, for the most part.

[00:05:53] So I don’t think it would be that disruptive. I would definitely consider doing that as soon as possible. I always like it when people want to renovate right after their next project. That always means that you had a great team behind you and everything when according to. I want to ask you a few things about your features.

[00:06:10] Okay? We talked about how great your tub is, Skyla, you’re happy with that, but Justin, how’s the shower? Because that was not a nightmare for Cara, but obviously because of the way that was sloped, and you are a tall guy, and it is a Heritage B house. That was one of the issues that we had. So, are you showering comfortably in there now?

[00:06:26] Yeah. No, it’s turned out really great. I mean, it’s beautiful. It’s functional. Yeah, no, no complaints. It’s been great. Pretty sure. I was looking at like design nightmares of someone not having the shower head over this head and I was like, oh no, that better not be Justin. Yeah. Well in the basement here, it’s been at my neck for two years, so the additional few inches is great.

[00:06:48] It makes all the difference in the world. That’s the key to life. Low expectations.

Exactly. Humbling.

Come on, . It’s luxurious now. Not having your neck, you’ve got a wand and you’re good to go.

Yeah. It’s a great shower faucet head thing that Cara steered us towards. It’s really great. It’s got a bunch of different button function things and it’s very fancy.

[00:07:08] I like it. You figured it out? Your thermostatic valve and how to get hot water?

Yes. Yeah. Took a few times. It’s all new.

They have a thermostatic valve. So, you set the temperature separately from the volume so you can set the temperature at how hot you like it and leave it every day. And then when you turn it on, it will go back to that temperature automatically.

[00:07:30] So it’s more of like what you would see in Europe or the UK versus North America traditionally, but we definitely put thermostatic valves in every project unless the client really doesn’t want it. And for that, Alex, was there any like energy benefits to that? Like is this just better for the environment or?

[00:07:50] No, it’s actually more energy efficient because you know the old hot water tanks that are gallons and gallons. They’re just constantly heating that up. So, the hot water on demand is a lot smaller, so you’re not wasting so much energy heating up, I don’t know, maybe a hundred gallons or something of water.

[00:08:07] So you are actually being a lot more energy efficient with hot water on demand. Perfect. And that’s what I really like about Cara and Alex and even you guys as homeowners. You really were trying to think of different ways to make your home more energy efficient, even though it was a heritage. Be home for the move.

[00:08:22] I know you guys are mentioning that you still have a lot of things in box. And of course, this is something a lot of people don’t think about. It’s like they get excited to move into their new space, but it’s still law work. Like you said, you’re going through deficiencies right now, and then not only that, you’re still waiting for furniture.

[00:08:37] Do you have a lot of furniture still on the wait list, Cara, or is it all arrived?

We’re just waiting on chairs for our kitchen table. But yeah, we were able to get most of our furniture delivered in a in a day. We were able to line it. A lot of people have heard like furniture timelines are really long right now, and they are.

[00:08:55] They’re ridiculously a long. We ordered their couch probably in the early spring, I think, to make sure that they had a couch ready for them when they moved in. So, I think the couch was ready maybe a few weeks before they could move in, which was better than a few weeks after they moved in. But the key right now with lead times is furniture needs to be ordered probably at the beginning of construction for it to arrive at the.

[00:09:20] And then the girls, have they enjoyed the new house before? Do they like their new bedroom? Oh yeah. They’re, they’re loving the space. The idea that there’s, you know, now there’s really three floors that we can inhabit, and they can roam around and kind of explore the house. So yeah, it’s, it’s been great.

[00:09:36] They’ve always wanted a bunk bed, so we were able to make that happen. They’re in a bunk bed upstairs in that shared room, so they’re excited and all their toys can find new homes. And there’s space to actually sit down and play and just kind of hang out and enjoy each other.

And I love that closet.

[00:09:55] I was just going to say, or it’s not a closet, it’s like a reading nook there, like, I don’t know how to describe it or paint the picture, but it’s like a wall. I don’t know if it used to be a closet, maybe Cara, but now there’s like a little arch and the girls can like hide in, in like read.

It used to be just kind of an open area in the eaves, so it had an angled ceiling, but we closed it off and created a little cubby hole opening, so it’s not very high, but it allows them to have this little nook to maybe like go hang out and play house.

I don’t know, read. I’m not sure what they’re using it for right now. Yeah, it’s like a stuffed animal home right now. It’s a den. It’s a stuffy den. Were there little stuff live, so yeah, it’s pretty cute.

[00:10:31] How is the cooking on the gas stove? I was kind of jealous when I walked through your home. I was like, oh, I bet they’re cooking great meals on that, and I want to come over.

Lovely. It’s a stove. I made a horrible first meal though. Hey Justin? Oh, I just was like trying to use like lentil pasta or something.

[00:10:48] I don’t know. The whole thing was just like awful. I really enjoyed making it . Was it that bad?

No, it wasn’t for the like green bin.

Anyway. Trying to like use stuff up that I’ve been avoiding and these Turkey meatballs and, yeah, no, it’s lovely. Like I made rice actually that that was the first thing I made, and it made rice perfectly on the stove top.

[00:11:08] The simmer function, the oven’s lovely. Yeah. I like gas. Personally, like I’ve always had a gas stove, so I, it feels, feels like home. I can’t work that fast to keep up with the induction. It’s like you put water on, it’s like it’s boiled. It’s like still like doing laundry. You get the fine control with the gas that you don’t necessarily get with the induction.

[00:11:28] Very much incremental stages where full spectrum with the gas, you can go to a really low simmer on gas when sky’s doing. You know, her finer dishes. Actually, the microwave has a lot of interesting functions too, so you can like melt butter like tablespoon at a time and then everything’s so smart. so excited to be back in the kitchen because in the basement here it just really turned into one pot meals and every night we’re just, so what are we going to do now?

[00:11:55] Like, how, how do we change this up with a single cooktop? It’s exciting to get up there because you know, we really enjoyed being in the kitchen and prepping meals and stuff prior to being in the basement. So, we get to kind of rediscover that, which will be so fun.

Are you guys going to have any house parties?

[00:12:14] We have a lot of payback meals here because friends and family hosted us a lot. I’m just concerned about a bunch of people trumping through the house right now. I, you know, it’s just so, everything’s so nice and new.

Wear slippers and, and gloves.

Exactly.

You’re not going to let anyone in now because it’s your like beautiful home.

[00:12:31] It’s your showpiece. Wait, wait. I’m glad you guys are enjoying all the fun things in your home, but let’s take a moment to step back and review the completion of the project. We last left off of Alex’s crew working on finishing details and the Burdens were painting the exterior, which is really exciting.

[00:12:46] And. Really informative to learn about the heritage paint colors and the Heritage Society. So, I thought that was really cool and we were also waiting to figure out when the roof was going to be fully complete. Do we know that, is the roof fully complete yet, or is that a sore spot still? Should I even be bringing that up?

[00:13:04] It’s in progress. So, we have, there is progress being made, which is a change from the last time we spoke. So, things are looking up, but it’s still not done yet.

And do they have an estimated time of when it’s going to be finished?

Yeah, I’m hoping this week or next week we’re really, you know, we need to get this done before the, the rain moves in.

[00:13:23] So we’ve been lucky to have nice weather up until this point. So, I think the rain comes on Wednesday.

Does it? Okay.

And just for the listeners out there, because obviously you have a roof, there’s just, what are they tweaking on it?

There’s a few spots that need to be finalized. There’s some shingling that needs to be completed.

[00:13:44] There’s a flat portion of the roof that needs to be replaced. And then just finishing details like putting some downspouts and cleaning gutters. Those kind of minor details. I think with some dedicated hours, maybe a day or two it could get wrapped up. No problem. So, have you guys completed painting on the outside yet, or is that still ongoing?

[00:14:05] Oh, that’s all wrapped up. So that started early August and just ended here in September. So that timeline took a little longer than anticipated due to some labor and manpower shortages, but the crew that we had on site did a great job, amazing attention to detail. So much work required to prep surfaces on these old homes to be painted.

[00:14:30] So it’s not just a matter of throwing paint on all the fascia and shingles had to be sanded and caulked and primed and painted, and then repainted. Lot of time, lot of hours, but ultimately a great job was done. We’re really happy with the color.

I’m glad you’re happy with the colors because that was my worry because obviously when you’re looking at paint chips, it’s not necessarily what it’s going to look like when it’s on the house too.

[00:14:56] And so I was like, I hope they chose the appropriate colors that they like because I wouldn’t want you guys to be like, oh, I don’t like that.

Yeah, we did a few swatches beforehand on the side of the house, just because there’s so many yellowy cream colors to pick. It was a toughie, but we got a lot of input from the neighborhood, so that was helpful.

[00:15:13] Yeah. Everyone seemed to have an opinion when they walk by, they see the test swatches. Right. So, we were like, I like that one and that one, number one. Yeah.

Well, I’m glad the neighbors are happy with your decision because that’s the worst thing that you could have is like people not liking the house fitting into the neighborhood

[00:15:27] Yeah, I guess that’s true. We don’t really have to look at the outside of the house. So that’s more of our direct neighbors are staring out at it, so I hope they’re happy with it.

I’m sure they are.

Okay, Alex, back to you. Let’s talk about the walkthrough process because for people that haven’t been through it before, what is the walkthrough process and the deficiency report?

[00:15:45] Because a lot of people don’t understand that part when you complete a project, either a new home build or a renovation like Skyla and, Justin. So, can you explain a little bit to us about that?

Yeah. Well, I guess every builder does it differently. Contractually I have to have a 10% hold back with my client, which gets released when the project is done.

[00:16:02] I guess there’s two terms of completion. There’s substantial completion and final completion whenever the client moves in. That’s kind of notated as substantial completion. From there, we just come up with a list of various items that need to be rectified or fixed or completed, and once that list is done, then it’s final completion, and then this is when our warranty starts, it’s just to bridge the gap as to like, you know, when we are actually done sometimes, you know, if we have to order products that are, I don’t know, there’s a scratch on something and we need to order something new, sometimes that can take like six, eight weeks. I mean, those are, those are really minor things that we can take care of after the fact.

[00:16:41] But once you have a list of several items that need to be finished by several trades, it’s our responsibility to get everybody back to fix those things. Then we’re all both on the same page as to we’re done. And it’s also mainly to avoid coming back several times or a hundred times to fix things. So, it’s a very organized way to say, Okay, these are the things we want you to fix.

[00:17:02] This is when you need to fix them by. And then we bring our trades back to, to fix those items. So, there’s no like, Oh, well what about this after the fact? Or what about it’s just to eliminate that so we, you know, we’re not doing this 40 times because that’s not efficient for everybody. Everybody has their own way of doing it.

[00:17:17] And what should homeowners look for when they’re going through the walkthrough with the builder? Is there anything that they should be aware of? Because obviously they’re not experts in the field, but should they be looking at stuff with like a fine-tooth comb when they’re going through?

[00:17:32] Every client is different. Some are very detail oriented. Some are not. Usually, the main things that clients look for, I mean, we obviously do our own walkthrough and try to anticipate things before the client sees them. – The main things would be just paint touch-ups that happened, or if there’s anything that the client is potentially not happy with, then they kind of bring that up.

[00:17:52] Could also be things that are been back ordered and you have to install once it came in. Like I said a little bit earlier, because especially with lead times now, some things take longer than the project.

Skyla and Justin, you as the homeowners, what were you looking for when you went through the walkthrough?

[00:18:09] We walked through with Alex D and Alex R together, you know, kind of compiled a list of everything that we had noticed together, but then, you know, Level One had the great recommendation of Skyla and Justin. you guys live here for a week and, you know, live your normal lives and things will come up that you’ll realize in your day-to-day life that need to be addressed. So, for example, one thing we found is maybe the, the stopper in the tub isn’t holding water a hundred percent. There’s like a slow leak in there. So, someone needs to come in and, and just give that an adjustment or, or swap that out. So little things that you might not necessarily notice when you’re just walking through.

[00:18:49] You will notice when you actually go to use things that you do as you do in your daily life. As the week went on last week, we just had a little list and every time something came up, we just add to the list. And then just yesterday we sent off Level One our final list. So now we have the grand master list that has all the deficiencies on there.

[00:19:10] That’s a project in itself. It’s having that master list where we’re both on the same page as what needs to be completed, you know? Then we categorize it by, what trade needs to do, whether it’s Level One, whether it’s Ethical Flooring or whether it’s Phil the Plumber. So, you know, we categorize that so that we can send it to their trades so that they can, you know, so that we can get this done in two weeks as opposed to four or five months, which a deficiency list and a project can drag on.

[00:19:36] And nobody wants that because at the end of the day we have bills to pay and we want to get our, our final payment. So, the other thing we did over the past week. Mark all the deficiencies that we saw with blue tape. So right now, our house has a bunch of blue tape all over it. So, you know, you go to use the washroom, it’s like, oh, that baseboard, they forgot to fill a nail hole on the baseboard.

[00:19:57] So flag that. It’s really just like a lot of blue tape all around the house. Just as a reminder. and then Justin and I are pretty, you know, detail-oriented people, so perhaps what we see would be more than what other people see. But I think at the end of the day, you just have to be really comfortable with what you’re going to be living in.

[00:20:15] Because once we sign off and give our final, you know, payment to Level One, then, then that’s that. And we need to be really comfortable that we’re happy and we’ve had all the things addressed that matter to us, you know, given the time and the money. That everyone has invested here. It just, you don’t want to let things slide at the end, especially if it’s just going to take, you know, a little bit of effort to bring it to that near perfection state.

[00:20:43] Right? So, I think that’s all, all that we’re worried about. And, and it’s nice that, you know, we’re on the same page with Level One. They want to make everything right too. So, we both, everyone wants to walk away from this. And feel, you know, great about the final product. But again, it comes down to that great communication that you guys have had.

[00:21:02] And you want to make sure that you have great communication with your interior design team, your builder, because it’s going to make the process go a lot smoother. Because like we said, things happen, things have happened on this project, but it all comes down to how you communicate. So going through the deficiency list, it’s the same thing.

[00:21:19] And it’s good that you guys are picky and that’s not unusual for homeowners. I’ve been in the game for a long time with my family. We’d rather you be happy and point things out to us now than go down the road and come back later on and be like, oh, I don’t like this. Or this was scuffed or, or this, right?

[00:21:33] So it’s just having that great communication and I love that suggestion that Level One gave you guys about living in the home. Because the thing is, that’s when you’re going to see everything is when you’re living it and you’re actually using it, it’s all been under wraps for the last little while.

[00:21:47] And Cara, are you involved at any point in the stage, or no? Are you, are you out of there by this point? Done a walkthrough kind of as things are finishing up to see if there is anything from like a design perspective that needed to be changed. Like Skyla had emailed me about the dining lights, so I had gone to see what was going on there.

[00:22:10] Realized they had been installed from an old plan, because we had made a change there, mid construction. And then we did change out our cabinet knobs because we decided they were too big once we saw them installed. So as per the actual deficiency walkthrough, I don’t normally attend that. I’ve been able to go and check out your home, which I love.

[00:22:31] I haven’t seen it with furniture yet, but I can’t wait for that. But I’ve been able to see all the design aesthetic and all the little details that Cara has put in your home. Skyla, can you talk about your happiness with the design detail and light choices and floors? Like, there’s so much in this home and I can’t wait for everybody to take a look at the photos.

[00:22:50] Yeah. We’re super happy with everything. There are so many choices out. That’s why working without a designer on a project this big. We would’ve found it completely overwhelming. There’s so much choice, and Cara did a really good job, you know, prior to the start, to really narrow those choices down and give us more manageable number of lighting fixtures, for example, for the entryway to choose.

[00:23:17] Yeah, I’m happy with, with everything. I totally don’t want to switch anything. I think it looks great. You know, Cara had a vision and now we can, we can see it because I can’t think like she does. I can’t imagine things before they’re in a space. I just, my brain doesn’t work like that. So, you know, the couch was delivered the other day.

[00:23:36] It was like, oh man, this couch is huge. And now that our chairs are there and you know, the credenza that Cara suggested, it’s like, oh no, it looks great. It’s really hard, you know, if your brain doesn’t work in the way that a designer brain worked, it would be so hard to do this without a designer. The choices are unlimited and there’s no right or wrong, you know, choice.

[00:23:57] We could have gone with multiple floor colors, for instance. We could have gone with a number of wall colors, and it just would’ve had a different feel. But we’re really happy. It’s exactly what we wanted. I think my favorite part is the flooring, though in the house. Just the continuity between both levels.

[00:24:13] The fine finishing detail on the stairs, it just elevates the entire space and we’re super happy with the color that we chose. It’s just gorgeous, not to mention no more slope into the living room. Yeah, no more big hump in the middle of the living. Obviously, we had some ups and downs, no pun intended, with the floors.

[00:24:33] Can you just explain a little bit, Alex, on what you did with the floors and why we need to fix them? Care alluded to a little bit with the slope on the main floor. There was different types of floor that were existing all at various heights, and I mean obviously for the install for Skyla and Justin, we wanted to make sure that we had one consistent flow throughout the main floor.

[00:24:55] So our challenge was how do we get to one consistent height, so that required in the living room and dining room, taking out all the existing plywood and taking it down to the existing joists in that area, and leveling it, leveling out the entire main floor so that everything was nice. Perfect because there’s no such thing as perfect in construction, but flat so that Skyla and Justin would have warranty with their floors.

[00:25:17] Same thing goes with the stairs. Each stair had to be adjusted to account for, you know, the nosing and the floor on the treads. So just part of every project. And a little bit more tricky because it is an older house. You and Ethical Flooring had to really brainstorm of how to achieve that because it wasn’t just a little bit of a height difference, like the living room was much lower than the hallway, and then the kitchen was a different height than the living room and hallway.

[00:25:45] And with leveling and the stairs, you have to maintain that your stair rise is the right height. So, there’s a lot of technical besides leveling everything, but there was a lot to brainstorm of how to actually achieve that, and especially without compromising that stair tread height. If we built that front area up too much, then our stair tread height shortens, and then that could be a cause of concern for inspection and then trying to adjust stairs, that’s at a completely different animal in terms of costs.

[00:26:14] So renovations are in incredibly tricky. But it’s so great that you were able to collaborate with other great team members like Ethical Flooring and all work together to make the hardwood ready by improving the flatness and leveling of the stair trades.

[00:26:34] So again, it takes a team, and it takes a team of the builder. It takes a team of the sub trades. It’s working with great people to achieve it and Cara and the Burdens. And of course, Alex, you also collaborated with Ethical Flooring on the installation of the floors as well. So, to get you back to that level, you all had to work together to achieve it, and I think that was great and that’s why you guys are going to be happy.

[00:26:56] Now, living there, you’re not going to have to worry about your floor not being level or the stair treads not being proper or people falling down them because they’re the wrong size. It’s so important. This is a lot of things that we don’t think about as consumers necessarily. We always just see these design shows and they’re like, oh, okay, well, it just happens that way.

[00:27:14] But again, it’s going back to, not to sound like I’m being repetitive, but I just wanted to elaborate on the leveling of the floor, why it’s so important, and Alex had mentioned warranty. When you do an engineered hardwood or a real hardwood, you have to have the floor level within, I think it’s an eighth of an inch, over eight to eight or 10 feet.

[00:27:33] So the floor has to be very level. You can’t just flop on your hardwood and on any floor, and it’d be good to go. Like it’s got to be very level and flat and we’re gluing down the floor, which gives it a more solid feel, which you have to have even more level. So that’s why it was so important to get this floor level and proper.

[00:27:52] And it looks way better. Like the floor looks fantastic because before there was hardwood in part of the main floor and there was a huge transition between the hallway and the living room. It was like a step down basically, you know, that being resolved has provided such a more cohesive and finished look.

[00:28:12] Like the house just looks so much better with the floor level. Ethical Flooring did a really good job of doing really flush transitions, like between the tile and the hardwood, we only have it really in one place, but flush transition from tile to hardwood is really nice like that.

[00:28:29] That’s money. I mean, it looks fantastic.

My dad’s in flooring and he said the floor looks great, especially the stairs because I think the stairs were quite complicated because they have that turn that like near whatever, I don’t know, 90 degree turn in them, and that’s apparently quite challenging with hard surface to do. And the treads look really good. So, you know if he wasn’t complaining, then I think it looks like a pro job.

Before we wrap up here, of course we’re heading into finances next week, so I don’t know how you guys are feeling a little bit of that, but are you right now living upstairs happy with your choice, even if next week when we review your budget, do you think that will sway you at all?

[00:29:10] No, I think we’re completely happy. I mean, we’re ecstatic. It’s been a long haul, but at the end of the day, it’s been worth it. So, this is a life changing event for us. So, it’s such a, such a big project. You probably don’t get too many of these in a lifetime. So thankful and grateful for everyone, for all their hard work.

[00:29:27] And it’s impacted my parents because they’ve, they’ve lived there for so long too. My dad thinks the place looks so great. I think that’s probably what he envisioned way back in the eighties before they went super modern eighties with it. But, um, yeah, they appreciate that the house is back to its original aesthetic.

[00:29:48] Cara’s choices really played homage to an older home. So, I think we’re happy, our extended family’s happy, and I think everyone’s yeah, chomping at the bit to come over and have some dinner parties.

Well, that’s great that your parents like to, because I’d be the worst of them being like, oh, we don’t like this what you did to our old home.

[00:30:08] You took away all our memories. Yeah. No, it’s, uh, nothing but, but glowing reviews from every.

Well, thank you guys so much. This has been an amazing journey. Obviously, we’re not quite done yet. We got one more episode, but we really appreciate that you welcomed us into your home for this whole season, and it’s been really great.

[00:30:27] I have to say, growing up in construction, I’ve obviously seen a lot of homes being built, but watching you guys and going through it with you has been really a treat, and I think you’re really able to relate to a lot of people out there that are going through this process or people that are maybe thinking about going through this process.

[00:30:44] So I think they’re really going to learn a lot from you guys. And thank you Cara from Triple Dot Design Studio and Alex from Level One Construction. You guys have been really, truly amazing too. Like I said, it takes a team to build a home. And it’s taken a team to do this podcast. So, we really appreciate everything you’ve done and, and how honest you’ve been with us as well.

[00:31:04] Like I said, I think a lot of people are really going to be able to relate to this entire season, so thank you so much. And one more time before we go. Any tips or people that are thinking of renovating their home? Any of you? I’d say surround yourself with good people. Be patient, be kind. Make sure you have some flexibility in your budget.

[00:31:24] Those would be my big points. I agree with the being patient. If you think you’re a patient person, you probably aren’t when you’re going through a reno. So, it’s a real experience in, you know, your personal strengths and areas for self-improvement. I think going through renovation project because yeah, it’s easy to be impatient and to be inflexible perhaps, but you know, we’re all working towards the same goal at the end of the day.

I would say for people to take time in the planning stage, I feel like Skyla and Justin’s renovation went fairly smoothly because we had everything planned out before and when you’re picking a team, like Skyla and Justin have alluded to before, pick people that you can communicate really well with, that you feel comfortable with because it is a very long process.

[00:32:14] It’s going to be longer than you think, and you just don’t want to be butting heads with people right off the bat because it is a relationship. So, take time. Pick people you can communicate well with.

Yeah, I think I’ll agree with Justin. Just, just be kind. At the end of the day, like, this is, you know, this is a, a job for us and we have obviously a large responsibility because this is people’s homes, but at the end of the day, yeah, just, just be kind to the contractor you’re working with and establish that, you know, relationship because at the end of the day, we are people too.

[00:32:44] So, just having that honestly is super important and I think a lot of people fail to recognize. So, yeah, thanks for being so kind, I guess is what I’m saying. It’s a two-way street. Right.

And I think the thing that I’m going to add to this as an observer is that I think, and you guys have been so great, is being really honest with your team as the homeowners. Because at the end of the day, honesty, not to sound corny, is honesty is the best policy because you’re going to be living in this thing. If there’s something that information that you’re not giving Cara or Alex or anyone else on the team, it’s not going to be the best space for you. So, you really have to be honest of what your wishes are for the home.

[00:33:22] So you’re happy when they hand over the keys back to you. You walk through that front door. Thank you, guys, so much. Again, please follow this amazing journey. You can see all the photos at www.havan.ca/measuretwicecutonce.

We’re not done yet. Like I mentioned. We have one more episode. Next week we are going to have a special guest on, and we are going to be reviewing all the project finances.

[00:33:46] And talking about that budget. So, until next time, we’ll talk to you soon. Bye.

Thanks, Jen.

Thanks Jen.

[00:33:58] Measure Twice, Cut Once is grateful to our podcast partners FortisBC and Ethical Flooring. Their support helps us share expert knowledge and resources with families looking to build, design and renovate the home right for you. Ethical Flooring is located in North Vancouver and specializes in the supply and installation of brand name flooring for residential renovations and custom-built homes.

[00:34:21] And the BC Energy step code program is a provincial standard moving the entire home building industry forward to build homes to better energy efficiency standards, which means better health comfort, and safety. Be sure to check out www.betterhomesbc.ca or talk to your renovator or builder for the latest energy, rebates, and resources.

[00:34:41] If you’ve enjoyed this episode or have a friend or family member looking to renovate, be sure to share this podcast. Simply by following and sharing the podcast you’ll be entered into win a Napoleon Prestige P 500 stainless steel natural gas barbecue, valued at $1,549 compliments of FortisBC. Season four’s Real Time Reno has real resources we can all learn from.

[00:35:07] See you next time.