Homebuilding and renovation trends in the West Kootenay

Will Hulland (left) and Peter Larsen build custom homes in Nelson, B.C. — Klaus Plaumann photo

The largest expenditure most people make involves a home: buying a new home, renovating an existing home or building a vacation home. With mortgage and refinancing rates very low now, making that big decision might be a bit easier. So, you decide to take the plunge and set out to build or renovate, and the to-do list grows longer than your arm. Setting aside the plethora of financing and legal paper work, what about the actual building?

Kootenay Business magazine interviewed several homebuilding contractors in the West Kootenay to get an idea of emerging trends in home construction.

In the West Kootenay, the type of home being constructed depends on the region. Carmen Harris is a licensed real estate agent, and her husband, Rod, is head of KWS Contracting Ltd. They have almost 20 years of experience building homes in the West Kootenay. Carmen said it's a region where “each community trends differently in the types of construction they will request.”

The geography of each city plays a large part in the type of home being constructed, according to Carmen. In Castlegar, the No. 1 seller is an open-concept bungalow with a walk-out basement. In Rossland, carriage houses are popular due to the steep, sloping terrain. This results in a two-storey home placed on top of a garage. Nelson's proximity to Kootenay Lake means there are more recreation properties than in other cities. This results in a wider variety of home styles and more custom homebuilding in Nelson compared to Castlegar.

Will Hulland and Peter Larsen build custom homes in the Nelson area. Hulland and Larsen Construction, based out of Riondel, has built homes for Albertans and a few Californians. The big trend with these homes, according to Hulland, is the move to metal roofs. He has noticed “people steering away from asphalt” and going with the aesthetically clean line of the metal roof. It is more expensive but has a lifetime warranty. “You're not going to be peeling it back in 30 years and doing it again,” said Hulland.

The other exterior trend is the move to HardiePanels as outside cladding, which are made of fibre cement. For Hulland, “it's kind of a modern look; it looks quite sharp.” Hardie materials are noncombustible, making them superior for suppressing fire compared to other sidings, which is a great benefit when building in a forest.

The exterior installation of HardiePanels reflects a move away from wood, both outside and inside the home, that is motivated by vacation owners looking for low- or no-maintenance options for the property.

A new trend that Hulland sees on the interior of a home is “a lot more drywall returns on window frames, not the standard taping and baseboard (casing) assembly that reflects a cleaner line and less busy trim.”

Keeping with the low- and no-maintenance theme, a big landscaping trend is the move to no grass as more people are keeping the natural landscape around their homes.

Home renovations

If home renovation is more to your liking, then Bernie Penner, a professional engineer and principal of Pennco Engineering Ltd. in Nelson, recommends doing an energy audit on the home before starting to swing the hammers and knock down walls. Once an energy audit is complete, it will reveal renovation priorities. Then proceed to a cost-benefit analysis that will show you what renovations pack the biggest bang for the buck.

“Don't throw good money over bad money,” said Penner. 

When renovating an older home, fix leaky windows and doors to make the structure more energy efficient before installing solar or geothermal systems. According to Penner, upgrading insulation gives you the best return for dollar invested.

No matter if you're building a new home or renovating an older one, build what the land allows and make it as energy efficient as possible.