Wow, wood tiles from Vancouver Island!

Here is a report about hemlock being sawn in a manner to be waterproof making it able to be used in bathroom shower installs. I believe the author says it all when they say, there is a reason that ceramic tiles are made to look like wood.

Would You Choose Wood Tiles over Ceramic Ones? This Startup Is Betting Yes

Timber Tiles on Vancouver Island offers a climate-friendly alternative to an ancient craft that today relies on fossil fuels.

Andrew Findlay TodayThe Tyee

Andrew Findlay, a freelance journalist in B.C.’s Comox Valley, writes about environmental and social issues, travel and business.

Contractors, Contractors Everywhere, but Who Do You Call?

Contractors are ubiquitous. As you prepare to embark on that kitchen remodel or create a rental basement suite, the question arises: whom do you call? The construction industry is filled with specialty contractors, including those for concrete, plumbing, and electrical work, among others. The General Contractor is the professional tasked with organizing, coordinating, and overseeing all the specialty contractors needed for your renovation or addition. Although 'General' may sound military, it is, for some, a term of endearment. Or, as per Merriam-webster.com, as an adjective: Involving, applicable to, or affecting the whole.

Moreover, general contractors with a focus on home improvements can provide both design and construction services. This offers you, the homeowner, a single legal entity to engage with: the design-build contractor.

At Constructo Group, we primarily offer Design-Build contracts and standard construction-only contracts through the Cost-Plus method. This approach is based on the actual costs incurred for labour, subcontracted services, materials, and other direct expenses, plus a fee for our management and coordination of the project. The fee may be a fixed amount or a percentage of the costs. We hope the transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness of these methods resonate with you. If so, please click here.

ConstructoGroup Constructo Group - one or two words

My wife and I did a university semester exchange in Paderborn, Germany. As you may know, Germans seems to love long words. So, when coming up with a name for our firm here in Victoria, BC, Canada, that affection came through in us naming ConstructoGroup as all one word. However, having to explain this hundreds, if not thousands of times, and now having a graphic designer separate the words to better fit logo requirements on the web, Constructo Group is now two words.

BC Secondary Incentive Program

What is the Secondary Suite Incentive Program?

The Secondary Suite Incentive Program will help homeowners create affordable housing in their communities. The program will provide money to help homeowners create a new secondary suite on their property to be rented out for below market value.

Homeowners who qualify will receive up to 50% of the cost of renovations, up to a maximum of $40,000. The program will provide a rebate in the form of a forgivable loan—a loan that does not need to be repaid if the homeowner follows the terms of the program.

For the loan to be forgiven, the new unit must be located on the same property where the homeowner lives and must be rented out at below market rates, set by BC Housing, for at least five years.

This seems like a great opportunity for families. Firstly, renting to family below going rates is a given. Plus, grown children are finding it increasingly difficult to purchase their own home. Building on your existing land is a huge cost saving. Just having the flexibility of being ready for any eventuality is great security.

See more at https://www.bchousing.org/housing-assistance/secondary-suite

Add and Manage a Secondary Suite or Garden Suite

The BC government Ministry of Housing has produced a detailed guide on How to Add and Manage a Secondary Suite or Accessory Dwelling Unit in British Columbia - https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/housing-and-tenancy/building-or-renovating/secondary-suites/home-suite-home-2023-sept-6.pdf

I am impressed how the BC government is stepping up to increasing housing - good housing, well managed housing.

Why Constructo Group offers Design-Build

My first post of 2024! Last week, as part of moving Constructo Group into the digital world, Jared, a young media specialist, asked "what's with this design-build thing?"

My answer: For us, its our response to the the complexity of getting a building permit here, in and around Victoria. When I visit potential customers, they describe what they want, then ask how much will that cost, how long will it take, when can you do it, and do we need a building permit.

Getting a building permit has become so complex, time consuming, and so scary for people, that customers will actually pass on moving ahead. Of course, there is the possibility that if a contractor is willing to proceed without a permit, then maybe, maybe owner will go ahead.

To address owner concerns, and hopefully move the project ahead, we now offer design-build contracts. They are made in two phases: the first is preconstruction phase, where we look after getting the land survey, do a feasibility report, get arbourist report, engineering, landscape drawings, architectural drawings, variances, development permits, material, fixture and finishes selections, and trade contractor quotes. The next phase is the construction phase where we carry out the plan - seems the easy part now.

That is what the design-build thing is about for us.

Capital Daily article on secondary and garden suites in local municipalities

Capital Daily article on secondary and garden suites in the area August 9, 2023 - link to article

One secondary suite owner summed up the process this way:

Stucchi said municipalities must reconsider their costs and bylaws for secondary and garden suites to get more homeowners on board with renovating and leasing their properties so they can help accommodate a growing demand for affordable housing.

“I would say to people, ‘Be prepared for an up-hill battle.’”

Contracts and Covenants

When looking for contract forms for Constructo, I adopted the one which used the word covenant. It read:

“Contractor’s Responsibilities: Contractor accepts the relationship of trust and confidence established between Contractor and Owner. Contractor covenants with Owner to furnish their best skill and judgment in furthering the interest of the Owner. Contractor will provide the overall planning and direction to produce a well designed and constructed project which meets Owner’s requirements of function, schedule, and budget.”

For me, ‘covenant’ rang home. I recognized that this is a promise built on commitment and responsibility. Just as important as this is for you, our customer, it tells us that we must maintain the capability and capacity to successfully perform your work. This means recruiting capable people and keeping us all up to date; building and maintaining that rainy day fund, as well as looking after our health and fitness.

When we promise to do our best, it actually helps everyone concerned.

What is a general contractor

A general contractor is responsible for overseeing work at a construction site. They communicate with clients and coordinate subcontractors, taking care of various segments of the work. They consult with designers, provide an estimate for the budget, and carry out the plan.

General contractors are responsible for the outcome of a building project, sometimes participating in the actual manual labor as well, while other times they manage several construction crews at different sites. They manage everything from schedules to work permits and equipment.

Becoming a general contractor is less about textbook knowledge than hands-on experience in the construction business. Reading blueprints, drawing up estimates, keeping track of things, and communicating with clients and workers is most of the job. More often than not, general contractors start out as skilled builders and pick up the rest along the way.

How we are working to improve cost control.

Because cost overruns can cause owners significant distress and hardship, we are continuously working to improve our cost control. To this end, we keep detailed job costs which we use to do preliminary estimates during the pre-construction phase. This helps with decisions as design progresses. We also draw on key trades for reality checks. Then, when design is near permit stage, we get quotes from our subcontractors and present the costing to you. With this information, you can make informed choices of how to proceed. Once the construction phase begins, we do bi-weekly comparisons of actual costs relative to the projected costs. This information gives you a solid basis when considering changes, extra work or potential deletions.

let’s be artists!

He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.

- Francis of Assisi

About cost-plus Contractor's Fee

Having just read our agreement form, a client asked:

“I’m not really understanding this but honestly, I’m not sure I care how the costs are split up so much as the total cost.  I’m assuming this 15% is an industry standard-ish fee? “

Me - Yes, our cost-plus percentage means you are invoiced for work performed, deposits due, plus a contractor fee. We typically invoice every two weeks for the bills and time received, plus the contractor fee, plus GST. By invoicing in this manner, we assert that the invoice is for costs necessarily and reasonably incurred in execution of the contract.

In terms of the overall total cost, when the drawings have been approved by you, we invite subcontractors to provide quotes for their portion of the work. We put all these costs together in an estimate so you can see the total estimated cost. In reviewing the estimate with you, we discuss areas where costs might increase and also where possible cost reductions might be had. Once you approve and give go ahead, we carry out the work, keeping you apprised of progress and costs.

Ownership of Design and Design Documents

In our contract, we claim ownership of the designs when we provide them. Here is a note from a potential client after reviewing the contract.

“Out of curiosity, if we have paid to have the plans drawn up, then why don’t we own them?  I’m assuming this is some sort of industry standard thing but I’m curious as to why.  Not that I think this is likely, but I can vaguely foresee situations where we are forced to abandon ship half way there.  Of course, we’d want to pay you for all costs incurred and work done etc.  But having done so, why aren’t the documents ours, so that at some later date we might restart the effort?”

Response - This is an industry standard as the client suggested. We specifically include the claim so that we can use parts of the design to build other jobs down the road without fear of copyright infringement.

Losing Control - Collaboration

As general contractors, our primary role is coordinating. During the preconstruction phase, we can involve designers, engineers and key trade contractors. Our goal is to reap the benefits of collaboration. Because decisions made at this time determine the project outcome, our prime concern is to stay true to our client’s, your, intentions.

Trust and staying connected

Trust never goes out of style. Once construction on your project starts, there are a lot of demands and stressors on everyone, including you, the owner.

Mistakes do happen and when they do, trust can wain. We’ve found that keeping connected with you is the best way to insure we are operating on the correct information. In this time of COVID, in person connection is reduced with increased possibility of getting "‘our wires crossed.’

To this end, we have adopted online project management tools to share information. It is helping keep track of the many decisions needed and alerting each of us what needs to be done and when. This technology is helping us stay connected and we hope that with experience we will get better at using it.

How the increased seismic requirements are affecting 2nd floor additions

The Greater Victoria Area was upgraded for seismic risk in 2012. For second floor additions, this means increased engineering requirements. Historically adding a second floor meant new point loads(downward loads) but now it means addressing lateral loads as well: spread footings, reinforcing steel in foundations, increased connections from foundation to framing and plywood sheathing added to existing walls to create brace panels.

Because of these new requirements, raising your home to add a second storey may be the more efficient solution. Drawbacks to raising your home and adding a level below is that the use of the upper level may need to change. This requires interior renovations which add to the cost. The best situation is when the upper floor continues to be used as is, with the new lower floor becoming a separate living unit. This way, the added unit can readily be built to conform with structural and other safety considerations.

THE MORE INFORMATION THE BETTER

When you make an inquiry, we follow up with emails, phone calls, and a site visit if looks like we might be a match. It can be scary to share your information with us - someone you do not know. However, I’m hoping you will because the more information you provide, the more valuable our responses can be.

The Indoor GeneratioN

I recently attended a talk by Doctor Trevor Hancock who studies the social and health effects of us spending increasing time indoors - we are missing out on fresh air and sunshine.

Today, I found the newspaper article "The Indoor Generation: How light and air quality affect our well-being"  https://paidpost.nytimes.com/velux/the-indoor-generation.html?tbs_nyt=2018-may-nytnative_morein&cpv_dsm_id=190427743    in The New York Times.

Hope you will check it out.

Overview of Renovation/Addition Process

Pre-Construction Phase

First Meeting

We meet with you on site to discuss your plans and how we might work together.

Client Vision and Needs Development

Once we agree to work together, we test your boundaries to better learn what is important to you, the budget you are prepared to work with, and potential time constraints. 

Concept Development

With these parameters and your feedback fresh in our minds, we prepare sketches and schematics to capture the identified elements. Municipal and site investigations are carried out, as well as land survey if required. Then, in a back and forth review process, your requirements take shape. Along the way, engineers and key trades are consulted to get a sense of do-ability and cost.

 Design Development

Permit and working drawings are prepared and when you are satisfied with these drawings, we put together a package for your approval: plans, itemized cost estimate and proposed timeline. Depending upon the project, a Development Permit, Building Permit, or Variance can be applied for at this time. 

Selecting Fixtures and Finishes

Now, we work with you selecting and cataloging the fixtures and finishes. This involves visiting supplier showrooms, discussions with specialty contractors, reviewing brochures and researching web sites. As the permits or variance are approved, the cost estimate and timeline is adjusted and with your approval we move ahead to the construction phase.

Construction Phase

 Mobilization

Once the Building Permit is obtained. The work crews and contractors are notified of the schedule. Items requiring a long delivery time are ordered. A pre-construction meeting is held with you to review your expectations and concerns. Last adjustments are made to the plan to make certain it works for you.

Implementation

Now the onsite work begins on your home. Equipment, tools and supplies are delivered. The work crews arrive and the transformation takes place. The project is closely monitored for how the job is proceeding relative to schedule, approved budget and adherence to specifications. Throughout this stage there will be regular meetings to keep you informed on the status of the project.

Substantial Completion and Follow-up

When your renovation is ready for occupancy, we do a walk through of the project with you to find how you feel about how it went and the finished product. Following this, we attend to any issues and follow up again in 45 days to see that everything is in order. Then in one year, we do our final inspection to be certain everything is working properly.