Our Process
Our Process
What It’s Like To Build Your Custom Home With Bercum Builders
Step 1:
Project Discovery
To ensure we are meeting your expectations, for your custom home build, we start every project with what we call Project Discovery.
There is so much more to building a home than plans and materials. Through honest and transparent communication, we aim to understand your needs, now and for the future. Hearing and understanding your needs is the key to the success for every project, and the relationship between Bercum and you. In our Project Discovery phase, we meet with you to understand your goals, wants, and wishes, and to ensure that we have all the information required to start planning successfully.
To ensure the very best plan for your specific project, we also use the experience of the select architects, home designers, engineers, and interior designers we work with. As a team, we work together to capture all the details in the plans and specifications.
Our Project Discovery phase can take as long as needed to ensure everyone’s comfortable with the project vision before moving onto the next step: we will never rush the process and always want to put your confidence and trust in us first.
Step 2:
Project Planning
Once we’ve completed the Project Discovery phase we move into the Project Planning stage. The Project Planning stage is where wants, wishes, thoughts and ideas go down on paper. With your goals in mind, we approach the project step-by-step to develop a design, and each step is supplemented with an estimate.
This process allows us to build a high-level Class C Estimate, which focuses on more general items, such as preferences for finishes, systems, floor plans, etc. By taking our step-by-step approach, you gain insight into the estimated project costs, early on in the design, so you can make informed decisions and redirect the design before: it’s been developed in great detail, we submit for a permit, and solidify pricing from our trades and supply partners. We collaborate with you on our project estimates to explore options, find alternate solutions (if needed) and make adjustments to the design and specifications to find the sweet spot between cost and project expectations.
Once the Class C Estimate has been approved, the design will be developed further to include all the remaining details required for a permit and construction. This phase is where we will engage with our suppliers and trades for pricing to develop the Class B Estimate. A detailed estimate serves as our guide, so we can build your dream home. Upon approval of the Class B Estimate, we contract our trades and suppliers to begin Project Construction.
Step 3:
Project Construction
Project Construction is when the real fun begins! Shovels hit the ground, and your dreams start to become a reality.
During this phase a full-time Site Supervisor and your Project Manager work hand-in-hand to manage the schedule, costs, and quality: capturing every last-minute detail from the foundation right through to move in. Our team is dedicated to building every aspect of your home to the highest standard, which means you can feel confident knowing that each phase of construction whether framing, flooring, or finishing touches is well-built to be lived in. Working with the architect, interior designer and our trades partners, we bring your custom home to life.
We’re dedicated to being as transparent as possible throughout our construction and will keep you informed with weekly progress reports (including photos), scheduled walk-throughs, and updated monthly project financials. Whether you want to hit the demolition button or stay up to date on our latest interior finishings, we work with your preferred level of involvement, so you can be informed every step of the way. We pride ourselves on our transparent approach and are always happy to answer any questions or concerns during each phase of construction.
Step 4:
Project Service
With construction complete, your new home is ready for you to enjoy! But before we hand over the keys to your new Okanagan custom home, we want to ensure you are familiar with your home and that it receives the care and services it needs to last a lifetime. This is where our Project Service phase comes in.
We will schedule a walk through with you to familiarize you with how to change your furnace filter, where your water shut offs and electrical panel are, etc. We also provide you with a comprehensive guide to your home that includes recommended trades and local businesses for seasonal and long-term maintenance of your new home. Every business, tradesperson, and professional we recommend is one we stand behind: ensuring your home gets the care it deserves, from people we trust.
Ok, now you can have the keys!
We are always available for help and only a phone call away.