The Insider Scoop On Renovating In 2021
2021 was another year in this crazy and unpredictable world, especially in the building industry. However, we look back on it with smiles, when we think of all of our amazing clients and followers. You guys have kept us creating and inspired and so we thought we would let you in behind the scenes of what obstacles we had to overcome and a few fun facts of what building and renovating in covid was like last year....
THE LONGEST DELAY we experienced on a project...... 6 MONTH MONOBEAM FLOATING STAIRCASE. Needless to say, we can't wait to show it to you and we have a date to literally drink champagne on said staircase with our clients in the new year.
BIGGEST PRICE INCREASES - this one actually wasn't too bad. There is a lot of talk in the industry right now about pricing increases.... We were able to pre order and work with our trades and suppliers to mitigate most of them. On our Highcroft Build, we only had to pass along a $5,000 steel increase and a $2,000 lumber increase from 2020 pricing. On a full build, NOT BAD and we were able to use our contingency to easily cover it.
However, we will caveat that appliances are seeing a larger price increase in 2022 (10-15%) and inflation is a REAL THING. We are seeing a 4-5% increase across the board, so for those thinking about a renovation in the new year, waiting will probably not be better when inflation is involved.
BIGGEST ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE - Sam! We are so grateful to have her, and for those of you who have her as your lead designer, you know why we love her so much.
BIGGEST OPERATIONAL CHANGE - One of the ways we have battled against covid delays and pricing increases is to order items WAY earlier in our process that we used to. Appliances, interior doors and gas fireplaces have been the hardest hit, so we always get these on order as soon as the contract is signed.
# OF PROJECTS WE WORKED ON - 12 FULL BUILDS/RENOVATIONS!
Check them out below and subscribe to get the first sneak peak of Project Victor, Crawford and Gerrard in the new year!
Project: Upper Maddison
This Downtown Toronto condo had its fair share of setbacks that go hand-in-hand with any condo construction/renovations, and yet, was finished on time thanks to our amazing team! This was also Sam's first major management of a renovation & design project with us and we think she did a FANTASTIC job......... Click the link below to read more:
Project: Folkway & Center Floor-plan Homes
In today's post we will be focusing on an exciting and recent project of ours: Project Folkway, in Oakville, Ontario.
For those of you that have a centre floor plan home and a cramped, (possibly outdated?) kitchen, you're going to love the direction we went with this build.... Click the link below to read more:
Do you have a home you're struggling with? Maybe you need a major addition or a new layout within the square footage you have? If so, don’t hesitate to reach out today. We love breathing new life into old homes....