New Homes

New Homes

Visitors warming to Parade show homes

The warm weather of the past week has been bringing interested visitors by the thousands to the Spring Parade of Homes. On the second weekend, sales agents were reporting that individuals were lined up outside the door in anticipation of visiting their home.

The fantastic weather throughout the week ensured that attendance stayed strong. Let's hope this spring heat wave continues through the rest of the month and beyond. It certainly looks like this year's Parade will be one of the largest ever.

Sales representatives showing the 103 new homes have been bombarded with a flurry of questions in the first two weeks. Financial items are front and centre. Interested buyers are particularly enamoured with the low mortgage rates that are currently available.

Recent announcements of continued low rates throughout Manitoba, Canada and North America perpetuate assurance that now is an ideal time to buy a new home. Some show homes display samples of mortgage calculations; some promote banks and credit unions that are able to assist buyers and all have a calculator handy.

Given that most people visit a variety of new homes in the Parade, it is inevitable that comparison shopping and the addition of different features arise. For instance, sales representatives have been asked the cost of changing flooring to something seen elsewhere. Kitchen countertops and cabinets also stimulate discussions. Bathrooms are always popular design topics.

Manitobans are more energy conscious than any other province. This is particularly true of those considering moving from their older home to a brand new home. Technology improves every year and, although Manitoba new homes have been the most energy efficient in Canada for years, they continue to get better.

Many interested prospective buyers come fully equipped with their existing heating bills, water usage numbers, furnace efficiency rating and even some R values. A quick comparison showing considerable savings in a new home contributes to the economic viability of buying new.

As was said in last week's column, if you don't know, don't be afraid to ask. The show home staff are a wealth of information and, if they don't know the answer, they can find out and get back to you.

Remember, the 2012 Spring Parade of Homes continues through Sunday, March 25. Show homes are open Monday through Thursday from 3-8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon-6 p.m.

Mike Moore is president of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association.

Mike Moore
March 17

New Homes

Spring Parade offers wealth of new homes

The first week of the Spring Parade of Homes is in the books and it looks like we're in for another great event. The weather has been consistent and, if the first week was any indication, crowds will continue to grow as the Parade progresses.

Each year, we print a primer for Parade attendees; just a couple of tips to maximize your enjoyment. The Manitoba Home Builders' Association offers the following tips for a successful Parade:

-- Wear comfortable slip-on shoes: There are 103 fantastic new homes available to visit. Although you likely won't get to all of them, you will find yourself trying to get to as many as possible. Many of the subdivisions have multiple homes being shown and so you will probably park in one location and walk to all of the homes in that neighbourhood.

Upon entering each new home, you must take off your street shoes in order to tour. Given that some subdivisions have more than 10 homes open for viewing and you don't want to miss a thing, that's a lot of bending and lacing. Therefore, be sure to wear a comfortable walking shoe that easily slips on and off.

-- Map a strategy: If you have a particular destination, make sure you look for additional homes along the way. Many subdivisions are close to each other and it's easy to get to a number in one tour.

-- Don't forget the one-offs: Although there is tremendous variety in those subdivisions that have multiple homes, make sure you visit those areas with a single listing. There are entire new neighbourhoods to discover and builders with unique designs. That hidden gem might just be your next new home.

-- Talk to the agents: The sales agents know their show homes. Ask them about any unique features, energy savings, specific materials and what makes this particular home special. These individuals are a wealth of knowledge and, if they don't have the answer, they will find out and get back to you in short order.

-- Have fun: The Parade of Homes is an enjoyable three weeks where you can see the latest and greatest in new homes. You can go as fast or slow as you want, taking in the big picture or concentrating on a minute detail.

It's all about what interests you.

Enjoy the 2012 Spring Parade of Homes.

 

Mike Moore is president of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association.

By Mike Moore
March 12

New Homes

Starting over on a floater

For more than 20 years, former Winnipegger Doug McClelland and Irish native Anthony Tucker lived on a floating home in Coal Harbour, B.C.

For them, it was the ultimate West Coast lifestyle, surrounded by water and boats, parks and mountains, yet intimate and friendly. "It's like living in a small town, just down the shore from the big city," says McClelland.

Then it all went sideways -- literally. On Christmas Day in 2008, while McClelland and Tucker were away on vacation, a blizzard in Vancouver dumped so much snow on the roof of the home it became unstable and tipped over onto a neighbouring sailboat.

A restoration firm their insurance company hired managed to rescue their computers and photo albums from the top floor, but the house and most of the contents were destroyed.

Last fall, a sleek new home built to replace it finally arrived in Coal Harbour. Constructed on land in a Richmond marina, it was lifted by an enormous boat hoist, lowered into the Fraser River and then towed by tugboat to Coal Harbour. The entire process has been filmed for the British documentary television series Monster Moves.

The first floating home built under the city's new design guidelines for marine and floating homes, "it has cost a fortune and taken forever," says McClelland. "Our architect, Russ Chernoff, got us through this."

Chernoff, a principal of Chernoff Thompson Architects who once lived on a boat, has designed numerous floating homes and has spoken on the topic internationally. The silver lining was that they were able to redesign and improve the house, says McClelland.

"We got to build in all those things that you accumulate in the back of your mind over 20 years living someplace."

The decks are more sculpted, the exterior is more elaborate, and there's an extra bathroom and a separate office. Instead of a ladder to the roof, there is now an indoor stairway. The gleaming new kitchen has white granite countertops, a counter-depth Blomberg fridge and Adel Ikea cabinets in a Shaker style to match the doors throughout the house.

All the furniture is new, from Dekora. As before, there are two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, with the kitchen, living and dining room downstairs. However, the kitchen is now on an inside wall, so the exterior walls can all be glass.

Decks on all three levels (off the living room, the master bedroom and on the roof) along with copious windows and skylights expand the 1,157-square-foot living space both visually and physically, as well as connecting it to its environment. Deck railings are glass, although the bottom deck is open to the water. Chernoff discovered decks less than two feet above the next surface down, in this case the water, do not need railings.

Other aspects of the design guidelines and building code were more challenging -- and expensive. Apart from size, height and stability considerations, they covered design details like the exterior colour, materials and nautical elements. Vinyl siding, although lightweight and water-resistant, is not a natural material, so the home is clad in cedar and aluminum, which resembles the corrugated steel used in boat sheds.

The guidelines required portholes, achieved here with conventional round windows, rather than the marine variety. Window placement was affected by what will be next to each side of the home, and a certain percentage of a house must be a fireproof wall, limiting the total amount of glass.

To increase the glass, the Shaker-style front doors were custom-made with special double-glazed windows reinforced with wire mesh at a cost of almost $4,000. Berth sizes have changed, so moorage will increase to almost $2,000 a month to accommodate a minimum four-foot distance between the house and neighbouring boats. The house is earthquake-proof and built with two-by-sixes instead of two-by-fours to accommodate more insulation.

"It's got pros in the long term," says McClelland. "It's a better house; it's more secure; it uses less energy." On the other hand, it is more costly. As a result, he and Tucker have reluctantly decided to sell the home instead of moving in, an outcome McClelland describes as bittersweet.

"It's sort of a dream project to build your own house from scratch and to have built this fabulous house," says McClelland. "We'd still be happily living in our more economical house if the catastrophe hadn't happened, but we always knew at some point we'd have to sell because once you retire, your life changes." Now that Tucker has retired from his job in psychiatric assessment at Children's Hospital, he and McClelland, who works at Marquis Wine Cellars, have more time to travel. "And it's not really good to leave the floating homes alone, as we found out before," says McClelland with a rueful laugh. The loan on the house and higher moorage fees would have stretched them financially, plus friends in real estate advised it's better to sell something new than used. "So then the decision was between live in it for a year and take the pleasure of that or make a better business decision," he says.

"In the end, we did the numbers and said, 'Let's go to Buenos Aires instead.'" They will miss Coal Harbour, which they have seen transformed from a rustic working marina to berth-place for yachts of the rich and famous.

When the area was redeveloped, they convinced city council to ensure Marathon Realty would accommodate the six pre-existing floating homes. "We were two kind of young guys when we started, and our life sort of gentrified over the same period," says McClelland. "We used to have a couple of motorcycles, and now we have a couple of BMWs. We kind of evolved with the neighbourhood." The new house will be right at home.

-- Postmedia News

SIDEBAR

Floating homes have deep history

Floating homes have a long history on the West Coast.

The first ones were log cabins on log floats built in the 1800s.

Locally, most are moored in marinas or on private properties along the Fraser River in Ladner, Richmond, New Westminster and Langley, says Sutton real estate agent Ricki Willing, who specializes in the sale of floating homes.

There are also 19 floating homes in North Vancouver's Mosquito Creek Marina, with plans for 16 more.

The City of Vancouver has just 12 legal floating homes on Granville Island and six in Coal Harbour.

Although floating homes can be moved, they rarely are; unlike houseboats, most do not have motors. Moorage fees in marinas start at about $700 a month, depending on the size of the float and the location; stratatitled water lots start at $250,000.

House sizes range from 400 to 3,000 square feet, with purchase prices from $50,000 to $1 million.

For more information on floating homes, visit floathomesales.com; www.floathomepacific.com; www.floatinghomes.com; www.floatinghomes. org; www.seattlefloatinghomes.org

-- Postmedia News

By Felicity Stone
March 12

New Homes

Spring Parade of Homes features 36 builders

The 2012 Spring Parade of Homes officially opens at noon today, Saturday, March 3 and runs through Sunday, March 25. The Manitoba Home Builders' Association is proud to present 103 new homes on display for everyone to enjoy.

Show home hours are: Monday through Thursday from 3-8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from noon-6 p.m. Show homes are closed on Fridays except by prior appointment.

Sales staff are in each home, ready to explain the unique and special features of that home. Feel free to ask lots of questions about the various builders and suppliers. After all, MHBA new homebuilders pride themselves on building the best new homes in Canada.

Each visitor is sure to come away with new ideas and concepts to incorporate into their new home.

This year, 36 different builders are featuring the finest new homes in 24 separate subdivisions. Both single-family detached homes and condominiums are on display. In addition to Winnipeg, there will be show homes located in eight other cities and towns, thereby expanding and serving a larger audience. Quality, choice and affordability are all key components for each new home.

The Spring Parade of Homes has something for everyone. If you're looking for that first new home, this is your opportunity to see the widest variety at one time. If you're considering selling your existing home for more space, less space, more yard, less yard, newer amenities and a different design, everything you could possibly be looking for is featured at the Spring Parade of Homes.

If you're thinking of making some changes in your existing home, nowhere else will you see so many new and dynamic building styles and techniques as the Spring Parade of Homes. If you just want to see the best of the best and envision your dream home, this is the place to do it. Your new-home dream starts with the Spring Parade of Homes.

If you missed the Parade magazine in your Winnipeg Free Press home delivery, it is available online at www.winnipegfreepress.com or www.homebuilders.mb.ca

You can also pick up a copy at any Steinbach Credit Union.

Come early and come often to the Spring Parade of Homes.

Mike Moore is president of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association.

Mike Moore
March 3