The Renovation Process

The five stages

1. 01

   Design and feasibility

   We measure and document your building as it is actually built. A structural review establishes what we can remove and what has to be engineered, and on pre-1990 construction a qualified person inspects for hazardous materials, as section 20.112 of the BC Occupational Health and Safety Regulation requires before demolition or renovation begins. If your property is unserviced, we confirm septic capacity here. What you get is a scope and a cost range built from drawings rather than from a square-foot multiplier. Design and permitting together take roughly 8 to 20 weeks.

2. 02

   Permits and approvals

   The application goes to the authority that governs the address — the Town of Ladysmith, the City of Parksville, the Town of Qualicum Beach, or the Regional District of Nanaimo for Cedar and Nanoose Bay. Where a development permit area applies, that permit runs alongside the building permit; the regional district's Coastal Flood Hazard Development Permit Area, adopted 10 September 2024, covers Electoral Areas A, E, G and H. Only Qualicum Beach publishes a processing target, at three to four weeks for a complete residential application. The other three publish none, so we build the schedule with permitting as a variable rather than a fixed block.

3. 03

   Contract and schedule

   Fixed scope, a payment schedule tied to completed stages, and a written change-order process agreed before anyone starts. Our signing deposit sits at 10 percent. This is also the stage to confirm whether the project crosses BC Housing's substantial reconstruction threshold — 25 percent or less of the original structure above the foundation remaining, or 75 percent or more of the finished home being new — because past that line the project is a new home and requires a licensed residential builder and 2-5-10 home warranty insurance.

4. 04

   Build and site management

   Structure, then mechanical, then insulation, then finishes, with an inspection gating each transition. We close nothing in ahead of the inspection covering it. You price and sign any change before we proceed with it, rather than reconciling at the end. We manage site protection, dust control and the sequence of trades as part of your schedule rather than leaving them to whoever arrives first.

5. 05

   Deficiency and handover

   We walk the finished work with you to build the deficiency list, then clear it before your final payment. The Builders Lien Act gives lien claimants 45 days to file, and you release the 10 percent holdback you have retained 55 days after the certificate of completion is issued. We give you signed lien releases from our subtrades before that final payment is due.

How payments are staged

You pay us on completed stages, not on dates in a calendar. Our signing deposit is 10 percent. After that you release progress payments against work we have actually completed and had inspected, a payment at substantial completion, and a final payment once we have cleared the deficiency list with you. Out of everything you pay us, you keep back the 10 percent the Builders Lien Act requires you as the owner to retain, and you release it 55 days after the certificate of completion is issued.

What the homeowner is responsible for

Three things sit with you under BC law, and we set each one up as part of the process. Section 20.112 of the BC Occupational Health and Safety Regulation places the duty to ensure a hazardous materials inspection on the owner as well as on the employers doing the work. The Builders Lien Act requires the owner to retain the 10 percent holdback. WorkSafeBC advises obtaining a clearance letter for each contractor, because an owner can be held jointly liable for unpaid WorkSafeBC premiums — the letters are free. One more thing that isn't law but stalls jobs: cabinets, tile and fixtures have long lead times, and they need to land on schedule.

What the schedule realistically looks like

A full gut renovation takes 7 to 14 months from the start of design to occupancy, a mid-range whole-home renovation 5 to 9 months, and cosmetic work 8 to 16 weeks. Design and permitting account for roughly 8 to 20 weeks of that, so we hold the permitting block open in your schedule rather than pretending to a date. We're usually booking 6 to 12 months out, which means if you scope a project this fall, we are realistically starting it the following year.