Join co-hosts Mike and Jennifer-Lee on Measure Twice, Cut Once, the podcast that helps homeowners navigate the world of housing to create their dream homes and communities. Whether you’re looking for the latest design trends, inspiration from HAVAN Award-winning projects, or insights into high-performance building techniques, this show connects you with the experts. Packed with practical advice and insider tips, Measure Twice, Cut Once empowers you to make informed decisions, leverage your housing investment, and future-proof your home for generations to come
HAVAN CEO Wendy McNeil sits down with Guido Wimmers, Dean of BCIT’s School of Construction and the Environment, to explore the pivotal role education plays in equipping the people and resources needed to build the homes our communities urgently require. Tune in — you might be surprised by Guido’s eye-opening insights.
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Tune in as HAVAN’s Acting CEO Wendy McNeil continues her conversation with Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, Ravi Kahlon, who shares his outlook for 2025.
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Tune in as Wendy McNeil, Acting CEO catches up with newly re-elected Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, Ravi Kahlon. Minister Kahlon provides a market update on the NDPs housing initiatives and his take on advancing housing solutions across British Columbia in the face of increasing DCCs and current market challenges.
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Successful teams thrive on collaboration built on open communication, trust, and shared goals to navigate renovation challenges. Award-winning designer Jessica Bremner and builder Andrew Kennedy showcase the synergy of design and construction, demonstrating the dedication it takes to achieve exceptional results. Tune in now!
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Luxury Homes and budgets don’t go hand in hand – or do they? Troy Van Vliet of TAVAN Developments shares his strategies for staying on budget when building luxury homes in Vancouver’s high end market.
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Hiring and working with a dynamic duo can lead to many great outcomes, including a multitude of accolades. In the case of Aleem Kassam of Kalu Interiors and Dave Bowes of Tall Tree Construction, this team brought in multiple wins at the 2024 HAVAN Awards. Tune in for award-winning tips!
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Nick Petrie of Phase One Design is passionate about building codes. And that’s a good thing! With 27 different jurisdictions across the Lower Mainland with an estimated 350 different zones, having someone like Nick on your team is a smart move. Tune in for tips and market updates from Nick!
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Bryan Baeumler of HGTV fame and Graeme Huguet of My House Design/Build Team are back talking to Mike and Jennifer-Lee about keeping homebuilding and renovations real; focusing on what is important to ensure your investment is protected and the home you build can stand the test of time. Tune in now!
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Celebrating his 2024 HAVAN Awards Single Family Builder of the Year award, Ryan O’Shea of Miracon Development shares the company’s philosophy for the single-family home and building community.
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Celebrating her 2024 HAVAN Awards win as Interior Designer of the Year, Sarah Gallop, of Sarah Gallop Design Inc shares her approach to designing award-winning homes. Tune in. This episode is a winner!
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Bryn Davidson of LaneFab Design/Build has been building in the small-housing, multi-family space for over a decade. Tune in and learn what Bryn has to say about Bill44 and the new Small Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH).
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Never miss an episode! Enter on Instagram post to be entered to win a Napoleon Prestige P500 stainless-steel natural gas barbecue, valued at $1649, compliments of FortisBC.
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Join co-hosts Mike and Jennifer-Lee for the 7th season of Measure Twice, Cut One as they explore the latest trends in high-performance building, plus reviews of new housing regulations, and the latest in design build trends. Season 7 is packed with information to empower homeowners to leverage their housing equity and future-proof their homes.
Never miss an episode! Enter on Instagram post to be entered to win a Napoleon Prestige P500 stainless-steel natural gas barbecue, valued at $1649, compliments of FortisBC.
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Discover the challenges and triumphs of renovating a 112-year-old home as we bring back the builder – TQ Construction, and the homeowner, Dr Janet Simons, to review the high-performance whole home renovation project. Including lessons learned, scope creep, and pesky woodpeckers, this episode is packed with information to help you on your next home renovation.
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Discover the remarkable journey of resurrecting Phoenix House, a home devastated by fire, as the homeowners look to rebuild to the prestigious Zero Carbon certification standard. Join Mike and Jennifer-Lee as they delve into the extraordinary efforts of the homeowner and team of industry experts including Best Builders.
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Looking into windows, one quickly realizes there are many considerations and potential unintended consequences that can impact the heating and cooling, plus the affordability, and comfort of your home. Speaking with Anton Van Dyk of Layton Consulting, Mike and Jennifer-Lee look into the importance of proper window selection.
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Mike and Jennifer-Lee explore the benefits of working with an Energy Advisor to calculate the building envelope, mechanical systems, and the air-tightness of your home to help provide choice, manage budgets, and above all, increase the comfort of your home when building new or renovating. A performance-based process, tune in for tips from Barb Silverthorn of Capture Energy.
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Meet Laurel James, the design-half of the award-winning Novell Design Build team. Passionate about building homes for families of all configurations, Laurel approaches design with a curious and thoughtful eye to ensure the dwelling spaces nurture our creature comforts. Listen in as Laurel shares her thoughts on multi-family dwellings and the latest provincial regulations.
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Looking at housing through a holistic lens, Sara Goldvine from BC Housing dives into the concept of housing as a system. Providing an overview of BC Housing and solutions to address our housing crisis such as the BC Builds Program and the new Secondary Suite Incentive Program, benefits of builder licensing, and the 2-5-10 Home Warranty Program are also reviewed.
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According to Bobby Purba of BDC Homes, who has built many multi-plex and multi-generational homes, talking about generational wealth and real estate can be tough, but says these conversations need to S.U.C.K. Sharing insight on the new multiplex legislation, listen in as Bobby offers tips and recommends the professionals to consult before you start unlockinh your home equity.
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Renovating 20+ kitchens every year, Julie Hale from Trail Appliances knows a thing or two about how to determine which appliances will work for you and how to design the ultimate kitchen that works for you. Tune in the hear the latest kitchen design and appliance trends, and optimize your next renovation!
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Season 6 Join co-hosts Mike and Jennifer-Lee for an inspiring 6th season as they connect with industry-leading builders and designers, featuring exclusive interviews with HAVAN award winners, sharing their cutting-edge designs, building solutions and budgets too! Plus launching with a bonus episode, meet BC’s Minister of Housing, Ravi Kahlon and learn how the Housing Supply Act can empower you to unleash your property’s potential and secure generational wealth.
Never miss an episode! Enter on Instagram post to be entered to win a Napoleon Prestige P500 stainless-steel natural gas barbecue, valued at $1649, compliments of FortisBC.
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Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon kicks off Season 6 sharing his outlook on the impact of the Housing Supply Act, with Jake Fry of Smallworks and HAVAN CEO Ron Rapp chiming in with a few thoughts from the builder’s and industry perspective.
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Jim Smith of Smithwood Builders talks about his journey of becoming Custom Homebuilder of the Year while sharing his experiences including two award-winning projects, highlighting the value of bringing the builder on early in the process making ‘the Magic of Three.’
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Todd Best of Best Builders teams up with Ian McLean Architecture sharing the story of Triadic, an award-winning home recognized for its environmental initiatives, housing solutions, and excellence in energy efficiencies, with two mortgage helper suites, including one stratified suite. It’s a winner!
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Listen in as Karly Kristina Design and Marcraft Homes share the design and cliff-dropping geo-technical building challenges as their clients with waterfront property including ultra-modern home plans look to build their classic Hamptons dream home, without going back to the architect!
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Architrix Studio and Kingdom Builders take a collaborative approach when helping homeowners design and build their passive home. With lofty goals including in-floor radiant heat and a floating stairway, this is not your average passive house design.
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What’s the recipe for an award-winning kitchen renovation? For best results, according to Dan Klassen of Jedan Brothers Contracting and Laura Grist Interior Design, it starts with an experienced team, a detailed plan, and an accurate budget, and always a splash of humour.
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Award-winning duo Madeleine Design Group and Quinton Construction share the secret of their success as they transform a heritage-style home to bring it back to ‘what it wants to be when it grows up.’ A great renovation story, tune in and learn about this amazing transformation.
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How do two siblings take their grandma’s home gifted to them and transform it into a duplex for two growing families? They connect with Interior Designer of the Year Katerina Vastardis of Designs by KS and Paul Shepski of Geography Contracting for award-winning design building solutions.
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Graeme Huguet, Renovator of the Year from My House Design Build Team, is joined by the Chu family and together they recount their renovation journey through the pandemic. Recognized as the first certified Platinum Built Green Plus Net Zero renovated home in British Columbia, it’s a winner!
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Zane Erickson from ZED Studio believes every home has a soul, and dreaming of homes on a large luxury scale, Zane’s passion for design helps to navigate building realities. Tune in and learns how Zane navigates dreams and reality.
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Season 5 takes a deep dive into building science trends. The BC Building Code adopting the Energy Step Code requirements with the goal to build to net zero by 2032 is generating some of the biggest changes seen in the building industry in the past 100 years. Mike and Jennifer-Lee break down today’s building science into layman terms, and look for trends to help homeowners build and renovate the home right for them.
Never miss an episode! Enter on Instagram post to be entered to win a Napoleon Prestige P500 stainless-steel natural gas barbecue, valued at $1649, compliments of FortisBC.
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Shedding light on high-performance building trends, Eric Lee of VictorEric Design+Build shares insight on the latest in AI technology including electrochromic windows, and the importance of a design-solving client-goal approach when building a high-performance home.
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Faced with limited land and soaring real estate prices, homeowners are digging deeper for solutions. Father and son duo, John and Jeff Gunson, of Euro Canadian Construction, share the process of building iceberg homes in Vancouver.
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Faced with a housing crisis, rising building costs, labour shortages, and the need to reduce the footprint of how we build our homes, Chris Hill of BCollective talks us through the BOSS system.
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Jake Fry of Smallworks talks with Jennifer-Lee and Mike about the concept of attainable housing for the missing middle and building thriving modern-day communities, suggesting we keep an open mind to solutions and focus on sophisticated conversations, versus complicated ones.
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Naikoon Contracting and One Seed Architecture + Interiors tackle Vancouver’s missing middle housing with a stratified Passivhaus+ duplex project including two lock-off suites, as a smart in-fill solution.
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Exploring the future of townhomes and the challenges faced by industry building with a smaller footprint, for the benefit of the homeowner and future generations, Jonathan Meads of Streetside Developments shares lessons learned.
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Special Guest Bryan Baeumler of Baeumler Approved and HGTV fame, along with Graeme Huguet of My House Design Build Team join Mike and Jennifer-Lee in the studio to talk about the value of working with the professionals.
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Harv Sidhu of Build Smartr shares his insights on the benefits of building steel-framed homes, and Build a Box, a plug ‘n play one-room solution for added space.
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Recognizing net zero was within reach of being a reality, Perspective Homes by Pacific adapted the project to help the homeowner realize their goal to build a design-forward, future-proof home with sustainable features using renewable energy.
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Passionate about building to Passive House standards, Shaun St-Amour from Clay Construction talks about associated costs, energy savings, consumer choice, and the importance of challenging the status quo as the industry looks to build resilient, healthy homes with a lighter footprint on the environment.
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Season 4 follows the Burden family through a real-time renovation. Sharing the ups and downs of living in the basement with two young children while the home upstairs is being fully gutted and brought back to its 1912 glory, the Burdens share the ride, including finances and pivoting strategies as the project unfolds. Working with Triple Dot Design and Level One Construction, this gorgeous Heritage B East Vancouver 15-month project offers lessons for any homeowner looking to renovate.
Never miss an episode! Enter on Instagram post to be entered to win a Napoleon Prestige P500 stainless-steel natural gas barbecue, valued at $1649, compliments of FortisBC.
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Meet the Burdens. A young family, looking to build their forever home. This is not their first rodeo, but it is their first time working with professionals. And their heritage B renovation story features drama and heart.
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The design plans require adjustments out of the gate, to work within the budget, accommodate engineering requirements, and to enable the Burdens to live in the basement. Can this project be realized?
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Emotions are waning and the dishes are piling up in the basement. Getting to the rough-in stage and pass permitting takes some muscle and perseverance. Do the Burdens have what it takes to see this through?
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Planning on paper does not always translate into the real world. Will the Burdens’ wish list be realized? What must to be cut to stay within budget? Tune in for design and building solutions as the project comes to life!
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The excitement is building as the Burdens peek upstairs and can see the essence of their 1920’s heritage home coming to life! Colour selections, appliances, and final details are revealed, including a final, unexpected hiccup with a subtrade.
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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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Budgets keep it real, and the Burdens get real in this final episode discussing their finance strategies, with mortgage broker, Alisa Aragon-Lloyd of Bridgestone Financing Pros.
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Season 3 explores the concept of healthy homes, and how building above the basic code can enhance the wellness and livability of our homes. Looking at our homes through a lens of high-performance building, Mike and Jennifer-Lee explore benefits to the homeowner including increased comfort, safety and energy efficiencies, so you get the answers to build and renovate with the best outcome for your family.
Never miss an episode! Enter on Instagram post to be entered to win a Napoleon Prestige P500 stainless-steel natural gas barbecue, valued at $1649, compliments of FortisBC.
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What makes a home healthy, and why should we care? Brett Stenner, owner of CI Partners, and certified Well AP, walks through three key elements: water, air, and light.
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Packed with bright ideas, Jordanna Nelson of Robinson Lighting & Bath shares insight on light in the home. Layers and dimmers are just some of the tips to help improve the atmosphere and how we function in the home.
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Designing with purpose, and building above code are topics close to the heart of award-winning guests principal residential designer Khang Nguyen of Architrix Design Studio, and Joe Geluch, owner of Naikoon Contracting.
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Renovating to higher performance levels with lifestyle benefits included requires thoughtful planning. Henri Belisle, president of TQ Construction and homeowner Dr Janet Simons discuss the planning process of a 1912 character home renovation.
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Taking a nod from commercial chefs, award-winning Katerina Vastardis, co-owner of Designs by KS, explores how smart kitchen design can impact efficiencies and the wellness of your family too.
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Award-winning master builder, and owner of Clay Construction, Larry Clay, and Luke Dolan, energy advisor of Capital Home Energy explore the choices we can make to improve the air quality in our homes for healthier living environments.
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With an eye for design and a passion for globetrotting, Aleem Kassam, co-owner of Kalu Design Interiors walks us straight through his closet, and into the bathroom bursting with ideas to create a spa retreat to rival any 5-star hotel!
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Enhancing the livability of our homes is a big passion for Laura Grist Interior Design and Jedan Brothers Contracting. Focused on exploring what’s possible within your budget, Laura and Dan explore partial renovation solutions and trends, noting the benefits of defining the construction budget first, followed by design solutions to stay on plan.
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Connecting the outdoors to your indoor living space has natural health benefits for your family. Huckleberry Landscape Design shares strategies to create the best outdoor living space including plant selection to temper outdoor heat islands, and improve your indoor space too!
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Season two explores whole-home renovations, aging in place, adaptability solutions, new high-performance and passive homes, duplex designs, small housing solutions, redesigned award-winning character homes, plus so much more! Co-hosts Mike and Jennifer-Lee ask the questions, so you get the answers to help build or renovate the home right for you.
How much is enough? Jake Fry, Founder of Smallworks and Co-founder of Small Housing BC, and Richard Bell of Bell Alliance LLP, and Director of Small Housing BC know how to reconfigure a single-family home to find a variety of affordable housing solutions for families of all configurations. Listen in as co-hosts Mike and Jennifer-Lee hear about creative ideas for single-family home ownership in Metro Vancouver.
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With a Count Me In attitude, the possibilities are endless when building a home to live your life to the maximum. Todd Best of Best Builders talks to co-hosts Mike and Jennifer-Lee about the process of adapting homes for specific physical needs and aging in place, noting there is no better place than home. The key is planning and working with experienced professionals.
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Humble post-war bungalows, Vancouver specials, aging arts and crafts homes. Ready to teardown? Not so fast says Alex Dumitru of Level One Construction, who prefers to breathe new life into a home built with character and good bones. Listen in as Alex and Cara Hansen from Triple Dot Design Studio share their inspiring Vancouver Special renovation story as featured in Western Living Magazine.
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Extending the life of a traditional prefab Pan-Abode home with factory-built panelized wall systems, Steve Kemp of Kemp Construction believes you can add life to almost any home, noting the ones with quirky designs often yield the best results. Join Mike and Jennifer-Lee as they explore whole-home renovations using state-of-the-art building science.
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Passionate about everything Passive House, Nick Bray, of Nick Bray Architecture, shares his unlikely journey with Mike and Jennifer-Lee about building a 5-bedroom, 5-bathroom high-performance house on a 25-foot-wide peat bog in Vancouver. Bonus! Lucila Diaz of Harmony Sense Interiors shares her expansive design solutions.
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Doubling down on a housing type not readily allowed in all Metro Vancouver municipalities has Kiff Mowat of Davenport Homes and his brother Cam seeing double. These brothers know first-hand how a duplex can provide an affordable approach to living in a ground-oriented home. Listen in as Jennifer-Lee and Mike from Measure Twice, Cut Once learn about the brothers’ journey from living in condos, to building a duplex with suites, to house four families.
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Jamie Banfield Design and Babak from Condoworks Design Renovations understand the power of good design when looking to renovate cookie-cutter condo floor plans. Knowing what to look for in a building will help you locate and renovate the right sanctuary for you. Join Jennifer-Lee and Mike on Measure Twice, Cut Once as they explore the possibilities of condo renovations. Condo living has never felt so good!
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How much is my house going to cost me is the most common question asked of builders. Shira of DOS Design Group and Damian of Newcombe Wood Concepts and Construction suggest working from the top down. Establish your budget, then talk to your designer and builder to help determine your project to define your cost per square foot. Measure Twice, Cut Once co-hosts Jennifer-Lee and Mike tackle how to establish a cost per square foot.
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Bobby Purba of By Design Construction and Alisa Aragon-Lloyd of Bridgestone Financing Pros understand the power of building your team when you are looking to buy real estate in Metro Vancouver to build or renovate. Listen in as Mike and Jennifer-Lee of Measure Twice, Cut Once learn about the importance of having good people on your team, to make your property work for you and maximize one of the greatest investments in your lifetime, your home.
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More than just an inspiration board, season one tackles home building and renovations head on. Mike and Jenn talk with the pros who share industry tips and information on all the things you should think about and plan for, before you start your home building or renovation project, to get the best results.
Never miss an episode! Enter on Instagram post to be entered to win a Napoleon Prestige P500 stainless-steel natural gas barbecue, valued at $1649, compliments of FortisBC.
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Shedding light on HAVAN, CEO Ron Rapp shares his personal insight on how you can find the resources to build your home right, the first time! You’ll also meet our co-hosts Mike and Jenn!
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Like shoring up blocks for a solid foundation, HAVAN Chair, and President of Shakespeare Homes & Renovations Mark Cooper, walks us through finding the right builder for your home building project.
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Interior Design choices impact all facets of homebuilding. Ami McKay, Principal Designer at Pure Design, frames her home design journey with wisdom, insight, and finding the golden thread. Love the space you live in! Listen now!
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Building plans. Construction estimates. Material Selection. Trade quotes. Sarah Gallop, Founder of Sarah Gallop Design Inc breaks down the importance of the pre-construction planning stage, so you don’t get screwed down the line!
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Graeme Huguet, owner of My House Design/Build Team keeps the conversation real when discussing the construction phase. Realistic timelines, building permits, inspections, anticipating interruptions – a discussion, on the level.
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Kathy Yuen, owner of Phase One Design drills into the importance of keeping the communication channels open for the success of your home building project. Hint, it takes more than coffee and donuts!
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