Words Janice Henshaw
Photos Sarah Hartley Photography
A new subdivision on Derrick Road in North Saanich is lined with workers’ trucks in front of several houses in various stages of construction. Today we are going to visit one of the finished homes on this road and then find out from the builder, Kyle Velikovsky, owner of White Wolf Homes, how the budget process works – in an interesting way – not too detailed! Because, as anyone who has been through the process knows, building a house is a significant financial decision.
Julia and Doug are not newbies when it comes to buying houses or doing renovations. They owned a house in South Surrey and were planning to build in White Rock when they made a trip over to Vancouver Island to pick up their second labradoodle, Fergus. Two’s company, right? Julia said: “I forgot how beautiful the Island is; why don’t we move here? Let’s get out of the rat race of the city; we’re sick of all the traffic!” So they did, first moving to Cordova Bay and then up to Dean Park, renovating as they went. It’s a great help that Doug is in the plumbing and heating business.
Set on a generous half-acre lot, the two-storey, 3,500-square-foot house has four bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. Julia says their modern West Coast design creates calm, relaxing, functional spaces that look clean and contemporary. “That’s what we told the architect, we didn’t want a ‘frou-frou’ house (a house that is excessively decorated, elaborate, or fancy).”
Right from the start, they wanted a statement piece for the entrance, and through their builder, White Wolf Homes, chose a custom wood door from Karmanah Wood Design. Sidelights highlight the door’s beauty and draw light into the entry space. To the left of the entry is the main bedroom, which has a walk-in closet and an ensuite with a zero-clearance shower. On the right, there is a den with matching wood-trimmed glass doors. Walls throughout the home are painted in Spare White (Sherwin-Williams), which is described as an off-white colour that falls between white and the faintest hint of grey. Ceilings are an airy nine feet high. Engineered hardwood floors add warmth to the home; they are durable and resist wear and tear from their dogs and other household traffic. A cozy warmth is provided by a two-zone heat pump, and heated floors in the bathrooms and laundry/mudroom.
Down the hall, the kitchen has a great view of the fully fenced, peaceful backyard surrounded by newly planted western red cedar trees. Young fruit trees are ready to bloom in the spring, and there is a garden area and a fire pit. An extended roof overhang creates a protected outdoor space for their dogs and summer barbecues.
The open-plan kitchen and family room features a kitchen with white Shaker cabinets, black hardware, a double farmhouse sink and quartz-topped counters. There is a convenient pot filler above the large Fisher & Paykel propane stove. Textured white and tan tiles form the backsplash, adding a warm contrast to the smooth white cabinet doors. Matching wood accents from the entry were applied as a handsome trim for the vent hood and as part of the island cabinetry, which contains a convenient beverage fridge and drawers. The globe lights by Kohler that hang above the island create a very interesting light pattern on the ceiling. A rustic dining table and chairs define the central area. On the other side, the living room is cozy, with a gas fireplace and Douglas fir shelves and storage cabinets built in beneath them.
The laundry room has Shaker cabinets painted in Sage Green, a sink and a unique cabinet built by Doug for the cats’ litter box. Cats access it through the end door, and the lucky person who gets to clean the litter box can pop open the top lid for easy access. A door leads out to the two-car garage, which has an epoxy floor, a floor coating system that bonds to concrete and resists spills from oils and chemicals. Above the garage is a self-contained rental suite. All in all, this is a super functional, well-laid-out home that exactly suits the family’s needs.
To buy a home or build a house? It’s a huge decision, and Julia and Doug are delighted with their decision to build this lovely home. They were very careful at the start to consult with custom home builder Kyle Velikovsky, owner of White Wolf Homes, so that they had all the facts before making their decision. The information that follows was provided by Kyle, who generously describes the pre-planning budget process for us.
“Budget is always a concern for most clients, and for the Crosbys, their home needed to remain affordable and within reach. Before they even purchased the property, we met with them, toured several of our builds, and walked through our detailed budgeting process. We also introduced them to our software platform, which provides complete transparency – including access to subcontractor quotes. We update our software budgeting every two weeks and provide homeowners with access to view it, so throughout the entire build, they can see exactly where their project is tracking, so there are no surprises at the end.
“Once we understood the level of quality they were aiming for, we provided them with a cost-per-square-foot estimate. I generally prefer to budget conservatively to keep homeowners happy – it’s far better to under-promise and over-deliver than to set expectations too low on such a critical topic and later have to ask for additional funds.
“When we moved into the design phase, the house ultimately grew slightly in size; however, this was mostly due to larger room dimensions rather than added amenities. This typically has a positive effect on cost efficiency, as increasing room sizes doesn’t scale the same way overall square footage does. In this case, the cost per square foot decreased, and the overall budget didn’t move too much.
“After finalizing the plans, we tendered the project, confirmed the detailed budget, and were able to maintain costs within a couple of percentage points throughout the build. We include a contingency allowance in every project to account for surprises, and in the end, this home came in under budget. This success was a direct result of having wonderful clients and a project manager who guided them through smart decisions that protected the budget while still achieving their design goals.”
It sounds like a win-win situation for all, and the result is an attractive, well-built home that they can all be proud of.
