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The Custom Home Building Process

Building a custom home produces a different experience for each of our customers. The process of getting from Point A to Point B may have many similarities from one job to another, but the actual plans, land and material specifications are uniquely yours. Our clients come to us at varying stages of the construction process. While we prefer to be involved from the start, we are pleased to bring our services to the table at any point prior to the actual commencement of construction.

Concept and Land

The first step in building a home comes with the decision or realization that you cannot find exactly what you want, where you want it, in an existing structure. At this point, there are two primary options: build a new house or renovate an existing house. Pacific Western Developments Limited can help you evaluate the aspects of size and features, examine time commitments, and financial responsibilities with either option. If everything is understood and the decision is made to build, the next step is to find the right location.
Searching for the perfect lot can be difficult and time-consuming. We will work directly with you and/or a real estate professional. In any event, the primary service we provide comes after you have established the geographic location of your home. We are able to examine the land for ease of building, topography, and possible limitations. With our years of experience behind us, we are able to pass on to you our opinions and hard-earned lessons, which may save you a few headaches later.

Once you have settled on the place to build, it is time to move on to the Design Phase. If you have already purchased or identified your building site, this is where our services begin.

The Design Phase

At Pacific Western, we enjoy getting into the most intimate details of your design prior to construction as it allows us to create the feeling in the home in which you will eventually be living. We work with numerous architectural firms, home designers, and planners and are confident that we can offer design services that will suit your budget, and particular style of home. Unlike many builders, we want to part of the design process. If we work with the architect, we can improve consultation on cost issues and pragmatics or "field technology." It is our opinion that the building team and the design team should join forces from the very beginning. This helps to ensure that lofty dreams do not burst the financial bubble. Design, budget, and pragmatics go hand-in-hand.

Where does the actual design start? With YOU! Your lifestyle, your preferences, your needs... Pictures, sketches, written and verbal ideas will all help in getting started. Number of bedrooms, bathrooms, living areas, work areas - all of this information is provided by you. Conceptual drawings are completed first, along with preliminary specifications. Once the concept is worked out with regard to size, number of rooms, and style, the working drawings are completed along with final specifications.
From the beginning of the design phase, budget is a major consideration in creating the plans and specifications.
Construction costs are estimated in very broad terms in the beginning; the margins are narrowed after the conceptual plans are completed, and a contract price is given after the plans and specifications are finalized. At each stage, alterations can be made to achieve the desired budget costs. Pacific Western cannot give a price of so many dollars per square foot, or total under one roof. What about decks, patios, tile, hardwood flooring, or carpeting? All of these things make a difference in cost and vary from one project to the next depending on our clients' preferences. Every project is priced according to the materials, labor, fees, and supervision which will be required to complete that particular project by the plans and specifications. There are no standard items; everything is custom.

Again, while it is preferable that Pacific Western be involved in the design process from the beginning, we are sometimes asked to join in after the conceptual plans or even the final plans are complete.
The Construction Phase

Choosing the right contractor means choosing the right tradesman. The are literally thousands of items to consider throughout the construction phase alone, many of these decisions can be handled competently and quickly by our staff and site supervisors. Should any decisions require your input, we will be sure to let you know.
Coordinating trades and sub-contractors is a full time job which requires intimate knowledge of the construction industry, City and Provincial building code requirements, along with the individual needs of our clients. We carefully consider each and every detail of your home to ensure that one requirement does not interfere or hinder the implementation of another.

Managing the site, whether it be in a new subdivision, or more importantly in an established neighborhood is a crucial, and often overlooked element of the home building process. A good contractor establishes relationships with area neighbors to ensure that disruption of their lives is kept to a minimum. There is nothing worse than moving into your own new home only to find out that your neighbors already have been frustrated by your Builder, and they hold this against you!

As with any major project, there are bound to be items which you may not consider prior to construction. Any such changes to the building, assuming they are done given reasonable notice and timing, will be treated fairly by Pacific Western and implemented as perfectly as if they were on the plans from the beginning.
We have full-time site staff that will provide you with their knowledge, expertise, and insight as to what will work the best for YOUR home. Remember, each home is an entity of its own, and needs to be treated as such. There is no such thing as a fool-proof plan, and therefore the people involved in any home building project must be knowledgeable and flexible enough to respond to changes and act quickly to maintain project schedules and budgets.

Financial Considerations

Finances have been contemplated throughout the design phase. After the design is finalized, one of the first things to be done is to address the financial matters. While constructing the project, Pacific Western will need to make periodic requests for payment or draws. Each payment will be credited to the Contract Price, with a final invoice submitted just prior to closing. The first payment will be made as a deposit at the time of contract signing. This generally ranges from $3,000.00 to $5,000.00, depending on the size of the project. Subsequent payments will need to be made based upon a percentage of the completed work each month. The requests for payment will be submitted to you and payment is expected within 7 calendar days.

Where will you get the money? Some people pay from personal cash reserves; most take draws on a "construction loan" obtained prior to contracting for the work. Pacific Western has close relationships with several local lending institutions that would welcome the opportunity to talk with you. We receive no form of compensation from these institutions other than quality service for our customers. If you would like our assistance in these matters, simply let us know and we would be glad to help.

We welcome the opportunity to build your dream home and hope that you will join our list of satisfied customers.