Building your 'Dream Home' is a big deal!

People often wonder how to begin the process of purchasing a lot and having a home built. This is especially true when you’re planning to move from a different part of the province or another province/country all together. Those of us that are lucky to live in the beautiful Shuswap region of British Columbia’s interior are often the ‘dream come true’ for many folks. They want to escape the harsh winters of Northern BC or the Prairie Provinces. Many come from BC’s Southern Coast to gain more sunshine and enjoy open spaces. Whatever the reason, this transition has its challenges which can easily be handled with the right people to help you. Our advice is to do your research and contact experienced, reputable builders at the very beginning. It’s so important to discuss where the home will be built - things like varying soil conditions, how best to situate the home on that ‘lot’ for the best views, controlling the sun exposure and more.

The Hindbo Construction Team is very familiar with the Shuswap region, having lived and worked as one of the residential builders in Salmon Arm area for over 30 years. It’s this experience and understanding that has helped make the company so successful! Coady Hindbo discusses his concerns for homeowners who buy a ‘Lot’ from afar and site unseen. “Some of the best views come from highly sloped solid rock-based properties overlooking the lake. But building a home on this kind of ‘homesite’ has its restrictions and comes with the extra cost of blasting and underpinning for the foundation”, says Coady. “If a potential client has purchased some property for their ‘dream home’ but it becomes cost-prohibitive to build, then they’re not only disappointed but also have to sell the property to recoup their money”. He suggests that you have a conversation with an experienced builder who can provide solid advice on what will need to be done. This information also results in a more accurate cost for achieving the desired home. In planning for a new home, there are many considerations that need to be assessed. Is there gas and potable water available to the site? What is the native soil - clay, gravel, or solid rock? What are the local restrictions and what permits are required? Again, a well-experienced builder is aware of these caveats and can offer good information early in the process.

Hindbo Construction recommends bringing a House Designer into the conversation for a meeting on-site as well, so that they can locate the home on the appropriate position on the property and design a home that embraces both indoor and outdoor living. Obviously, achieving the best view is desirable, but the sun exposure also needs to be considered throughout the year. In Hindbo’s Byersview subdivision, which faces northwest, the homes were designed with covered decks and large overhangs. This means that the homeowners can comfortably enjoy the expansive views year-round! When you start working with the house designer and the builder in the early stages of the process, you become informed of the possibilities and the challenges which helps ease the stress of making decisions later in the process. Their experience and knowledge of the potential choices available help ensure that you achieve a gorgeous, well-built, comfortable home – your ‘Dream’ home!

Developing an appropriate budget is critical for a successful project. New clients are often hesitant to share their overall budget goal. Somehow, they feel that sharing too much information puts them in a negative position in the negotiations. The Hindbo Team understands there is a need for a foundation of trust between the client and the builder. By meeting early in the process with the clients to discuss their ‘wish list’ and their concerns, is an important way to develop a relationship of trust. Both parties need to understand the parameters of the custom home project and the costs to achieve it. From Hindbo’s point of view, building a quality-built home is a must. What the home’s features, materials and finishing will be, are based on their client’s needs, wants and available funds. Together, they establish a budget that will achieve both the necessities and the desires of this new home.

Hindbo Construction works hard to demonstrate their life-long commitment to home building in Salmon Arm. They rely on the experience and dedication of their workforce of employees, subtrades and suppliers. Many of their subtrades have been with them for years and they consider them friends and neighbours. As with clients, they have conversations with their workers about the challenges and expectations of building each home. Both Don and Coady Hindbo believe that planning properly always turns out better!

For anyone who has built or considered building their ‘Dream Home’ I think they would agree that dream homes are achieved from an accumulation of years of thinking about what makes a house a home….an investment that rewards you for all your hard work. It’s your next home that has all the modern-day conveniences and some special personalized items as well! For such a long-term investment, your home needs to be well-built and comfortable to live in for years to come. If you have received a lower price from a builder eager to have your business, you may not be happy with how things turn out. Lower price often ends up with a stressful time for the homeowners and a lesser product overall.

The Hindbo Team welcomes questions and inquiries from potential clients, but before decisions are made, they strongly suggest an in-person meeting. Having said that, the Hindbo team is certainly aware of the requirements of COVID-19 and is happy to participate in online meetings via Zoom or other online media solutions. Early conversations between the homebuilder and the client help produce a comfortable relationship and ultimately a win-win situation. By building the relationship on open dialogue and trust, both parties can move forward. Proof of this is seen by their clients’ reviews on their website, which is a reflection of their strong reputation for building quality homes. Construction is their passion and being able to build a dream home for their clients is always rewarding!