from building a slopeside condo, to building a slopeside house
 

I had a deposit on a new ski in/ski out B.C. condo for the past half year or so. after installing sewer/electrical/etc - the whole project was delayed for months. now they have decided to can the condo project, and offer home lots instead.

who's built a house from scratch? it looks to be a massive headache. i'm not sure what i'm going to do now. there is another resort i'd been looking at before puting money down on this place, so maybe i'll just get my cash back and buy a condo out there. sooo much easier. they even furnish the place (outdoor hot tub included), just pick out a theme. argh.

less work is always the better thing to do.

But for some reason so many of us like the punishment and go the more work route.

Im not sure why

Which ski resort were you buying at?

DH

jungle theme

kicking horse. the other condos i was looking at are located in big white.

check out the new 'flowchart' they sent me:

http://catalog.com/uvlight/images/flowchart.gif

lol

invest in the house

I worked in construction for years - condos are shit compared to the way you build a custom home.

The whole idea of condo construction is to cut costs as much as possible so that your company wins the bid. That means the electrical contracter will be using the least expensive options - one giveaway is to turn on the ventilation fan in a bathroom, and listen to how loud it is. 9/10 times in a condo, you'll get a $40 fart fan that will start off loud, and get progressivly worse. Other corners to cut will result in you getting the bare minimum of outlets, lights, switches - far less expensive lights, circuit breakers and panels. And that is just that trade - remember, every other contracter is trying to install the minimum of what the specs will allow in order to maximize the slim profit margins they will be running against - and the crews will be hauling ass, so the work will be sloppier.

On custom home jobs, you generally invest in much better materials, and are expected to do top notch work. So each room might get a few extra outlets, telephone jacks, and come pre-wired for cable - maybe even a security system.

Rent a condo for next season while your home is built. I think you'll be much happier, and see a greater return on your investment, with the home.

the house sounds like a fucking pain at this point in my life though. the big white condos are very nice (i've seen a couple after they were built).

included: all slate flooring, granite counter tops, raised ceilings everywhere, floor to ceiling windows, stainless steel appliances, loft (so 20 foot ceilings over the living room and kitchen). there is also quite a bit of customization allowed. of course they also include large outdoor hot tubs on the deck.

i don't have a lot of time to build something right now - especially when i live many hours away from the project. i'd love to build a house in kicking horse, but damn it sounds like a headache. i suppose i could hire someone to take care of the entire thing for me.

kicking horse is one hell of a mountain. big white is nice, but kind of crowded. big white has night skiing, kicking horse does not. the village in big white is huge, while the one in kicking horse is just being built. hmm.

On any construction job, the homeonwer should stay away - unless you have knowldge of construction. You'll hire a general contractor to oversee the project, meet with the salesmen/decorators to order the tile/carpet/kitchen/bathrooms - and maybe drop by once/month. If your GC is a pro, all you have to do is sign the checks (once you have all your shit ordered).

But it will be easier to just buy a condo, especially if it's already built. And since it is just a ski/vacation place, and not your primary residence, maybe that will be the smarter thing to do for you at this time.

Either way you go, good luck with it :thumbsup

mountain living sounds fun.

i'm looking into building a house from scratch...oceanfront land then all the engineering and everything thats required to get the land sound is a huge task...years..probably be easier on the land you have though

I like Big White, had friends out there and used to go a few times. Now they moved to Calgary and I havent been there for a couple years...

The popularity of big white may make the condo a better investment (think next whistler or somesuch), but I am thinking you may not care soo much about the investment side of this and you would prolly prefer the quieter mountain.

So, rent a condo for the year and build the house on the quieter mountain and hire a designer to get your house done so you have less stress :)

i think both are very good investments, but you are 100% correct, that's not why i'm buying one.

i've decided to move back to Banff in May (keeping my place in Edmonton as an investment). in September i'm moving to Montreal for at least a year. my plan was to build a slopeside condo in BC during that time.

the thing with kicking horse is that there are added levels of complexity because they are very strict with regards to construction blending in with natural surroundings. has anyone ever heard of a "coordinating registered professional" (crp) that i'm supposed to hire?

sounds like a general contractor (GC), or job boss - the guy who walks around, making sure nobody is fucking off too much, shit gets put in on time, the inspectors are paid off, and that nobody kills each other over some stupid disagreement about where to run their pipe/ductwork/electrical wiring (because the enginerr thought it would be a good idea to put them in the same spot on the blue prints lol)

a GC can make or break a project - I have seen shows about "dream homes" on some cable stations that had me laughing my ass off - one house was like 2 fucking years behind schedule, and you can see the trades hated each other (the sheetrockers buried and electrical wire/outlet, so the electrician cut out a piece of taped+spackled wall about 6 feet tall x 4 feet wide - fucking vicious)

The flowchart for making the money is easier than buying the house :1orglaugh

If you have enough space build a nice place with a little seperate cottage in the back so all your GFY friends can come board & blaze with ya :thumbsup

Do a house but just buy one that's already built... doing it from scratch is a fucking headache.