British Expats - Self build in Canada

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British Expats (https://britishexpats.com/forum/)

- Canada (https://britishexpats.com/forum/canada-56/)

- - Self build in Canada (https://britishexpats.com/forum/canada-56/self-build-canada-726584/)

Alan2005

Jul 29th 2011 4:45 am

Re: Self build in Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat (Post 9526214)

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.;)

A full septic system (tank + field) is gonna be min $25k or something isn't it? Also, this is a 6000sqft house we are talking about - how many bedrooms / bathrooms is that going to have? If it's done to code it's going to need a fairly hefty system so maybe up that price.

The well will need to be able to supply a decent amount of water for a house that size too. I've got no idea how much drilling and installing a well is - but I can't imagine even this on it's own being much less than $10k for a 6000sqft house.

NWAB	Jul 29th 2011 5:43 am

Re: Self build in Canada

Thankâ€™s guys. Most of you have reaffirmed my conviction that this is definitely the right move! Itâ€™s weird I have spoken to many Canadians, about this project over the past 13 years and practically all of them have replied â€œ That sound great how can we help.â€ But with out exception every Brit Iâ€™ve spoken to has come out with a list of â€˜what ifs.â€™ Guess itâ€™s the British mentality

In answer to Atlantic Xpat yes NB power will buy excess power they have details on there web site the payback isnâ€™t as good as in ON but every little helps more cost effective if you use it than sell it back though and as far as the septic tank etc I can only go on what this guy has said he will do it for and to be honest Iâ€™ve done septic tanks in the UK a few times myself itâ€™s not rocket science Iâ€™ve already priced the tank and the pipe work and most of the cost is pure labour to do the job, hopefully he wonâ€™t be charging me $500 an hour!!!

As far as living in the middle of nowhere in rural NB. I love the place, Iâ€™ve spent up wards of 500 days there some visits were up to 3 months long. Think I would know if I didnâ€™t like it by now. Within a 15 minute drive there were 12 houses built in 2009 which sold for 1.5 mill plus each and were snapped up before the last shingle went on the roof, some people like trees !

http://townsearch.com/remax/forsale.html

My mates terraced house is 10m x 6m including the full basement thatâ€™s 1937.5 sq ft bigger in side than you think like the TARDIS

But has anyone built their own house??

Atlantic Xpat

Jul 29th 2011 6:07 am

Re: Self build in Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by NWAB (Post 9526675)

Yes, it's a very British mentality to receive advice grounded in reality from people who live in the country you are moving to and be arsey about it because its not what you want to hear. I've done some research into well drilling and septic solutions because I have both in my house. But if you either have such a cracking good deal or are so blinkered as to not want to consider that it might cost you more, then knock yourself out.

Atlantic Xpat

Jul 29th 2011 6:10 am

Re: Self build in Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan2005 (Post 9526621)

Estimated cost for unserviced sites in this part of the world is in that order. With wells it depends how deep you have to go to get a decent flow rate. It might be 80ft or might be 280ft like I have. For a muliple bathroom, multiple occupancy place, a flow rate of 10gpm or more is going to be ideal.

Still, a mate with a long shovel. That's all you really need......;)

NWAB	Jul 29th 2011 6:20 am

Re: Self build in Canada

my wife is Canadian her family moved to NB in 1860 i'll go with what they tell me thanks

NWAB	Jul 29th 2011 6:24 am

Re: Self build in Canada

Opps my bad 1783

Alan2005

Jul 29th 2011 6:24 am

Re: Self build in Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat (Post 9526709)

There probably aren't very many here who've built their houses literally with their own hands. RICH might have come close to that, but I don't think he did everything.

I finished my basement recently (well a contractor did). And I know how much of a difference it makes doing things to code. It's not the code so much as the permits to prove you've done it, the regular inspections and fixing things that aren't right depending on the mood of the inspector of the day.

We had several unexpected expenses because we were pulling permits for everything - the worst was because our septic system wasn't big enough for the extra bathroom/bedrooms we were adding (which is why I know about septic systems). Fortunately we didn't need a new field which would have cost us $25k for just that. His mate with a shovel better be a qualified septic guy because he'll need a permit for that too.

Auld Yin

Jul 29th 2011 10:17 am

Re: Self build in Canada

My mates terraced house is 10m x 6m including the full basement thatâ€™s 1937.5 sq ft bigger in side than you think like the TARDIS

Square footage quoted for Canadian homes does not include the basement.

Alan2005

Jul 29th 2011 10:23 am

Re: Self build in Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by Auld Yin (Post 9527058)

It does if it's finished.

james.mc

Jul 29th 2011 8:38 pm

Re: Self build in Canada

NWAB

We'll likely be self building in the next couple of years. On Van Island.
Fully expecting comments of.. it's not cheap there, building supplies are expensive etc.

For your project I guess one or two positive responses would have been nice....

Here is one:

Best of luck with your project :thumbup:
Let us know how it goes. I, for one, would be interested.

kate holt

Jul 29th 2011 11:52 pm

Re: Self build in Canada

Quote:

NWAB

We'll likely be self building in the next couple of years. On Van Island.
Fully expecting comments of.. it's not cheap there, building supplies are expensive etc.

For your project I guess one or two positive responses would have been nice....

Here is one:

Best of luck with your project
Let us know how it goes. I, for one, would be interested.

Me too - we want to hear how it goes - the good the bad and the ugly! And then the lovely home you get at the end of it!:thumbup:

Bellanova

Jul 30th 2011 12:14 am

Re: Self build in Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan2005 (Post 9525659)

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

We are just in the process now of buying our land and we have just had the perc test done and we need a C2 Septic which is going to set us back about $8,000 and we have a rough idea about the well too which is going to be around $3000 so not too far off actually (for us) all land is VERY different.

Bellanova

Jul 30th 2011 12:17 am

Re: Self build in Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan2005 (Post 9526621)

The only way that it will cost the $25K is if the land is not suitable and doesn't drain away properly also you have to have a minimum of 3% slope away from the property, we just had our done and it came back @ 9% so we are ok, but if it was less than 3 THEN you are looking in the region of the $25K that you are mentioning :thumbsup:

Bellanova

Jul 30th 2011 12:23 am

Re: Self build in Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by NWAB (Post 9525602)

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 Iâ€™m building and designing the house my self it wont just be built to code but far beyond minimum requirements.

Iâ€™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 donâ€™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 â€“30 c in winter shouldnâ€™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, Iâ€™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 itâ€™s a new build there shouldnâ€™t be too much to maintain for some time. As far a clearing the site weâ€™ll only partly clear it, like the idea of having trees all round, and the site clearing party has already been arranged thatâ€™s gonna cost a trunk of beer and half a cow on the bar b:beer:. septic tank and well have been sorted about 10k ( a friend of a friend );).

Iâ€™m sure the Ram truck with the plough on the front will do most of the drive way clearing thatâ€™s if I need to go anywhere in my â€˜ twilight yearsâ€™ probably fill the basement with food and just sit in the window and wait for it to melt in the spring:teeth_smile:

Solar panels are VERY VERY expensive, we have been looking into this too for our new build. A family member of mine is an engineer and he did the math on it for us and basically it would take approx 13 years for them to start paying back. Of course this depends which system, but seriously do tons of research on it :thumbsup::thumbsup:

NWAB	Jul 30th 2011 12:24 am

Re: Self build in Canada

Thank you James, yes it's nice to get a positive comment.

You might find this web page useful in you project http://www.electrospec.ca/lib.repr.htm

If there is one thing i've learned after 30 years in the building game in the UK " shop around " theres always a better deal out there and if you can do as much of the work yourself that really knocks the price down

and good luck with your build

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