Looking into windows, one quickly realizes there are many considerations and potential unintended consequences that can impact the heating and cooling, plus the affordability, and comfort of your home. Speaking with Anton Van Dyk of Layton Consulting, Mike and Jennifer-Lee look into the importance of proper window selection.
Discover the remarkable journey of resurrecting Phoenix House, a home devastated by fire, as the homeowners look to rebuild to the prestigious Zero Carbon certification standard. Join Mike and Jennifer-Lee as they delve into the extraordinary efforts of the homeowner and team of industry experts including Best Builders.
Discover the challenges and triumphs of renovating a 112-year-old home as we bring back the builder – TQ Construction, and the homeowner, Dr Janet Simons, to review the high-performance whole home renovation project. Including lessons learned, scope creep, and pesky woodpeckers, this episode is packed with information to help you on your next home renovation.
Zane Erickson from ZED Studio believes every home has a soul, and dreaming of homes on a large luxury scale, Zane’s passion for design helps to navigate building realities. Tune in and learns how Zane navigates dreams and reality.
Graeme Huguet, Renovator of the Year from My House Design Build Team, is joined by the Chu family and together they recount their renovation journey through the pandemic. Recognized as the first certified Platinum Built Green Plus Net Zero renovated home in British Columbia, it’s a winner!
How do two siblings take their grandma’s home gifted to them and transform it into a duplex for two growing families? They connect with Interior Designer of the Year Katerina Vastardis of Designs by KS and Paul Shepski of Geography Contracting for award-winning design building solutions.
Award-winning duo Madeleine Design Group and Quinton Construction share the secret of their success as they transform a heritage-style home to bring it back to ‘what it wants to be when it grows up.’ A great renovation story, tune in and learn about this amazing transformation.
What’s the recipe for an award-winning kitchen renovation? For best results, according to Dan Klassen of Jedan Brothers Contracting and Laura Grist Interior Design, it starts with an experienced team, a detailed plan, and an accurate budget, and always a splash of humour.
Architrix Studio and Kingdom Builders take a collaborative approach when helping homeowners design and build their passive home. With lofty goals including in-floor radiant heat and a floating stairway, this is not your average passive house design.
Listen in as Karly Kristina Design and Marcraft Homes share the design and cliff-dropping geo-technical building challenges as their clients with waterfront property including ultra-modern home plans look to build their classic Hamptons dream home, without going back to the architect!
Todd Best of Best Builders teams up with Ian McLean Architecture sharing the story of Triadic, an award-winning home recognized for its environmental initiatives, housing solutions, and excellence in energy efficiencies, with two mortgage helper suites, including one stratified suite. It’s a winner!
Jim Smith of Smithwood Builders talks about his journey of becoming Custom Homebuilder of the Year while sharing his experiences including two award-winning projects, highlighting the value of bringing the builder on early in the process making ‘the Magic of Three.’
Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon kicks off Season 6 sharing his outlook on the impact of the Housing Supply Act, with Jake Fry of Smallworks and HAVAN CEO Ron Rapp chiming in with a few thoughts from the builder’s and industry perspective.
Passionate about building to Passive House standards, Shaun St-Amour from Clay Construction talks about associated costs, energy savings, consumer choice, and the importance of challenging the status quo as the industry looks to build resilient, healthy homes with a lighter footprint on the environment.
Recognizing net zero was within reach of being a reality, Perspective Homes by Pacific adapted the project to help the homeowner realize their goal to build a design-forward, future-proof home with sustainable features using renewable energy.
Harv Sidhu of Build Smartr shares his insights on the benefits of building steel-framed homes, and Build a Box, a plug ‘n play one-room solution for added space.
Special Guest Bryan Baeumler of Baeumler Approved and HGTV fame, along with Graeme Huguet of My House Design Build Team join Mike and Jennifer-Lee in the studio to talk about the value of working with the professionals.
Exploring the future of townhomes and the challenges faced by industry building with a smaller footprint, for the benefit of the homeowner and future generations, Jonathan Meads of Streetside Developments shares lessons learned.
Naikoon Contracting and One Seed Architecture + Interiors tackle Vancouver’s missing middle housing with a stratified Passivhaus+ duplex project including two lock-off suites, as a smart in-fill solution.
Jake Fry of Smallworks talks with Jennifer-Lee and Mike about the concept of attainable housing for the missing middle and building thriving modern-day communities, suggesting we keep an open mind to solutions and focus on sophisticated conversations, versus complicated ones.
Faced with a housing crisis, rising building costs, labour shortages, and the need to reduce the footprint of how we build our homes, Chris Hill of BCollective talks us through the BOSS system.
Faced with limited land and soaring real estate prices, homeowners are digging deeper for solutions. Father and son duo, John and Jeff Gunson, of Euro Canadian Construction, share the process of building iceberg homes in Vancouver.
Shedding light on high-performance building trends, Eric Lee of VictorEric Design+Build shares insight on the latest in AI technology including electrochromic windows, and the importance of a design-solving client-goal approach when building a high-performance home.
Budgets keep it real, and the Burdens get real in this final episode discussing their finance strategies, with mortgage broker, Alisa Aragon-Lloyd of Bridgestone Financing Pros.
Whether building, renovating or designing, it’s all in the details. Take a walk with the Burdens as they get their final walkthrough with Cara from Triple Dot Design, and Alex from Level One Construction.
The excitement is building as the Burdens peek upstairs and can see the essence of their 1920’s heritage home coming to life! Colour selections, appliances, and final details are revealed, including a final, unexpected hiccup with a subtrade.
Planning on paper does not always translate into the real world. Will the Burdens’ wish list be realized? What must to be cut to stay within budget? Tune in for design and building solutions as the project comes to life!
Emotions are waning and the dishes are piling up in the basement. Getting to the rough-in stage and pass permitting takes some muscle and perseverance. Do the Burdens have what it takes to see this through?
It’s getting real in the basement as the two upper floors of the Burden’s heritage B home are gutted. Tune in as the walls are opened, and the anticipated reno surprises are revealed.
The design plans require adjustments out of the gate, to work within the budget, accommodate engineering requirements, and to enable the Burdens to live in the basement. Can this project be realized?
Meet the Burdens. A young family, looking to build their forever home. This is not their first rodeo, but it is their first time working with professionals. And their heritage B renovation story features drama and heart.
Connecting the outdoors to your indoor living space has natural health benefits for your family. Huckleberry Landscape Design shares strategies to create the best outdoor living space including plant selection to temper outdoor heat islands, and improve your indoor space too!
Enhancing the livability of our homes is a big passion for Laura Grist Interior Design and Jedan Brothers Contracting. Focused on exploring what’s possible within your budget, Laura and Dan explore partial renovation solutions and trends, noting the benefits of defining the construction budget first, followed by design solutions to stay on plan.
With an eye for design and a passion for globetrotting, Aleem Kassam, co-owner of Kalu Design Interiors walks us straight through his closet, and into the bathroom bursting with ideas to create a spa retreat to rival any 5-star hotel!
Award-winning master builder, and owner of Clay Construction, Larry Clay, and Luke Dolan, energy advisor of Capital Home Energy explore the choices we can make to improve the air quality in our homes for healthier living environments.
Taking a nod from commercial chefs, award-winning Katerina Vastardis, co-owner of Designs by KS, explores how smart kitchen design can impact efficiencies and the wellness of your family too.
Renovating to higher performance levels with lifestyle benefits included requires thoughtful planning. Henri Belisle, president of TQ Construction and homeowner Dr Janet Simons discuss the planning process of a 1912 character home renovation.
Designing with purpose, and building above code are topics close to the heart of award-winning guests principal residential designer Khang Nguyen of Architrix Design Studio, and Joe Geluch, owner of Naikoon Contracting.
Packed with bright ideas, Jordanna Nelson of Robinson Lighting & Bath shares insight on light in the home. Layers and dimmers are just some of the tips to help improve the atmosphere and how we function in the home.
What makes a home healthy, and why should we care? Brett Stenner, owner of CI Partners, and certified Well AP, walks through three key elements: water, air, and light.
Bobby Purba of By Design Construction and Alisa Aragon-Lloyd of Bridgestone Financing Pros understand the power of building your team when you are looking to buy real estate in Metro Vancouver to build or renovate. Listen in as Mike and Jennifer-Lee of Measure Twice, Cut Once learn about the importance of having good people on your team, to make your property work for you and maximize one of the greatest investments in your lifetime, your home.
How much is my house going to cost me is the most common question asked of builders. Shira of DOS Design Group and Damian of Newcombe Wood Concepts and Construction suggest working from the top down. Establish your budget, then talk to your designer and builder to help determine your project to define your cost per square foot. Measure Twice, Cut Once co-hosts Jennifer-Lee and Mike tackle how to establish a cost per square foot.
Jamie Banfield Design and Babak from Condoworks Design Renovations understand the power of good design when looking to renovate cookie-cutter condo floor plans. Knowing what to look for in a building will help you locate and renovate the right sanctuary for you. Join Jennifer-Lee and Mike on Measure Twice, Cut Once as they explore the possibilities of condo renovations. Condo living has never felt so good!
Doubling down on a housing type not readily allowed in all Metro Vancouver municipalities has Kiff Mowat of Davenport Homes and his brother Cam seeing double. These brothers know first-hand how a duplex can provide an affordable approach to living in a ground-oriented home. Listen in as Jennifer-Lee and Mike from Measure Twice, Cut Once learn about the brothers’ journey from living in condos, to building a duplex with suites, to house four families.
Passionate about everything Passive House, Nick Bray, of Nick Bray Architecture, shares his unlikely journey with Mike and Jennifer-Lee about building a 5-bedroom, 5-bathroom high-performance house on a 25-foot-wide peat bog in Vancouver. Bonus! Lucila Diaz of Harmony Sense Interiors shares her expansive design solutions.
Extending the life of a traditional prefab Pan-Abode home with factory-built panelized wall systems, Steve Kemp of Kemp Construction believes you can add life to almost any home, noting the ones with quirky designs often yield the best results. Join Mike and Jennifer-Lee as they explore whole-home renovations using state-of-the-art building science.
Humble post-war bungalows, Vancouver specials, aging arts and crafts homes. Ready to teardown? Not so fast says Alex Dumitru of Level One Construction, who prefers to breathe new life into a home built with character and good bones. Listen in as Alex and Cara Hansen from Triple Dot Design Studio share their inspiring Vancouver Special renovation story as featured in Western Living Magazine.
With a Count Me In attitude, the possibilities are endless when building a home to live your life to the maximum. Todd Best of Best Builders talks to co-hosts Mike and Jennifer-Lee about the process of adapting homes for specific physical needs and aging in place, noting there is no better place than home. The key is planning and working with experienced professionals.
Graeme Huguet, owner of My House Design/Build Team keeps the conversation real when discussing the construction phase. Realistic timelines, building permits, inspections, anticipating interruptions – a discussion, on the level.
Building plans. Construction estimates. Material Selection. Trade quotes. Sarah Gallop, Founder of Sarah Gallop Design Inc breaks down the importance of the pre-construction planning stage, so you don’t get screwed down the line!
Interior Design choices impact all facets of homebuilding. Ami McKay, Principal Designer at Pure Design, frames her home design journey with wisdom, insight, and finding the golden thread. Love the space you live in! Listen now!
Shedding light on HAVAN, CEO Ron Rapp shares his personal insight on how you can find the resources to build your home right, the first time! You’ll also meet our co-hosts Mike and Jenn!
