Hi all, just found this site and had a good look through, really good site. I and my Canadian wife are planning to move to New Brunswick, Canada next year and i'd like to build my own house. i've been in the UK building trade for 30 odd years and the thought of building our dream home for our ' golden years ' really appeals. is there any one in the forum that has built there own home in canada and can help with guidance with regards canadian building regs etc. one thing I have noticed the East coast doesn't seem to know what the internet is. finding suppliers and getting prices on line is almost impossible, although there seems to be plenty of info online out west, guess it the slow pace of life in NB thanks for reading my post

NWAB

Search for posts (I'd help, but am on sloooow speed interweb), under my username - I built about 4 years or so ago and posted pics and details of the process and experience. Building regs will be specific to the province and jurisdiction you're building in.

thanks for the reply Rich. Did you do the work yourself or did you get contractors in? I'm at the early stage ATM just doing the plans. we think we have the land sorted friends of the wife's are going to sort out about 5 acres for us. can't believe the price . couldn't buy a plot the size of a garage in the UK for the price were paying. I'm up to about 6000 sq ft so far on the plans, but the wife keeps adding to it . guess the best way is to draw what i want then hand it over to a canadian structual engineer to sort out the code requirements. could do it blind fold in the UK been at it a while lol

I acted as my own General Contractor when I built this place 10 years ago. As Rich says, codes are specific to the jurisdiction.
Probably the biggest lumber and building supplies outfit in The Maritimes is Kent Building Supplies. They are part of the Irving conglomerate and are based in St. John, N.B. but they have many outlets all over the Maritimes. You obviously didn't look too hard.
Try www.Kent.ca or www.rona.ca Those are two of the larger ones but there are numerous others. It depends on where you choose to build.

been to Kents many times when I used to commute to Canada after I first met the wife out there 13 years ago.Spent 3 years going back and forth between the UK and Canada before she moved over to the UK. it would be like buying from B & Q in the UK very expensive. i'll find a local lumber yard with the quntity i'll be buying I should get a much better deal

Bit of both - did what I was able to do and had time for and contracted the rest.

Just bear in mind your total finished sq/ft and the assessed value (of land and residence) will ultimately determine your property tax bill. 6000sq/ft+ won't come cheaply.

6000sq ft?

How many of you will be living there in those golden years?

Land may be cheap - but running, heating and maintaining that ain't gonna come cheap.

Good luck though - we self-built in the UK and though stressful in parts, it was great fun.

Also don't underestimate the costs of site clearance and preparation for that 5 acres. I'm assuming its going to be semi-rural/rural so you will need a drilled well and septic. There's $20k right there. Plus in your twighlight years do you want to be snow clearing a long drive!

Thanks for the comments guys. To put the 6000 sq ft in to prospectus the house is about 50 ft sq about the same as three terraced houses in the UK, because I’m building and designing the house my self it wont just be built to code but far beyond minimum requirements.

I’ll be using heat pumps to heat the place and solar panels to top up the electrical supply and will sell back to the power company what I don’t use, the insulation will be about 3x minimum requirements. So initial calculations are that the running costs based on current Canadian prices even at –30 c in winter shouldn’t be much more than my house in the UK.

Ok the initial outlay will be high for the panels but they will pay for them selves in about 8 years the heat pumps give you about a 3 to 1 ratio for your heating so you pay $1 for the electric and get $3 of heat, obviously you don't pay anything during the day the panels supply the power, I’ve got a cracking deal on the heat pumps from the father in law who fits them they will pay for them selves in 2 years, as far as maintenance is concerned as it’s a new build there shouldn’t be too much to maintain for some time. As far a clearing the site we’ll only partly clear it, like the idea of having trees all round, and the site clearing party has already been arranged that’s gonna cost a trunk of beer and half a cow on the bar b. septic tank and well have been sorted about 10k ( a friend of a friend ).

I’m sure the Ram truck with the plough on the front will do most of the drive way clearing that’s if I need to go anywhere in my ‘ twilight years’ probably fill the basement with food and just sit in the window and wait for it to melt in the spring

You're dreaming if you think you'll get a septic system and a well for that price. Even with mates rates.

Are you you sure you can sell power back to NS power? Not an option here, although I believe you can do it in ON.

Also sceptic about your septic costs. If you can get well and septic from a mate for $10k then thats a steal of a deal.

Throwing money down the pan in NB doing that. It will cost a fortune, and I doubt you would ever find anyone who would pay half what you put in if you had to sell for some reason (like you realize you don't want to live in the middle of nowhere in NB).
Braver than me.

Very well said. I agree.
However, I admire the poster's...er..."courage" for planning such a bold move.
What the heck, if you've got it flaunt it, even if it is in rural N.B.

2000 sq ft terraced houses in the UK

Perhaps the OP knows how to build but not how to measure.