Spring is almost here and we can’t wait for the warmer weather! These wet cold days have made things challenging on the construction front but we have made significant progress over the last month and are excited to share it with you!
Here’s a quick recap of our last month here at North Lakes
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Our Triplex pair in Central Oshawa is moving along well with interiors expected to be finished by the end of March. The Brickwork has begun this week so the exteriors won’t be too far behind!
At the six-plex we have completed the framing and the skilled trades have been working away on their rough ins.
Check out the video below to see the recently framed building.
The semi-detached triplex site in Bowmanville is back to life with the framing well underway.
Our public meeting for our next apartment building has been booked for April which is one of our last steps on this site before we can start construction.
CMHC’s Design Catalogue
We have finally started to see some of the housing designs that have come out from both CMHC and several municipalities.
These designs are to be made available so that way the approval process can be sped up and get more homes built faster. Eliminating the requirement for a building design review from the municipalities. Since it is taking a significant amount of time from submission to receiving your permit.
This is a great step however this step in and of itself likely wont achieve the desired effect. Building permit submissions are circulated to multiple departments within a municipality and most often it is not the building review that takes the most time. Without expediting these other departments reviews the permit times will unfortunately remain taking roughly the same amount of time.
Another issue that would need to be resolved would be servicing timelines. At the speed of our current development and construction timelines often servicing is one of the last things to be completed. We have had to wait for over two months for one of our Coach Houses for the electrical provider to turn on the power for the home after it was complete!
Unfortunately, pre-approved designs won’t help with that.
Design Review
The designs have a modern feel and seem to emphasize cost control, which is good when they are looking to mass-produce housing.
The homes also do not include basements for any of their designs which lends themselves to mass production in a factory setting and assembled on site. This is killing two birds with one stone as far as the government is concerned. The first, likely in the future as technology improves building homes in a factory will become cheaper than building in the field helping to keep housing prices down. Secondly, it is impossible to build carbon neutral when including a basement as concrete stores a significant amount of carbon making any concrete building considered an unsustainable practice.
Should You Use Their Designs
Using their designs does have some benefits, you won’t have to pay for designs, it is more environmentally friendly and it won’t delay your project timeline. Most likely, over time choosing these designs will be more cost-effective as they become mass-produced.
However, you also need to consider if using these designs is worth the trade-offs you will incur. Losing the basement on any missing middle project is significant. With limited living space available, deciding to build without one is a major consideration and will lower the maximum value you can achieve from your property. You will also lose the ability to customize your building to fit your needs and the needs of the lot. Potentially hindering your final product.
Personally, I think this is a great step towards the future of housing. However, I don’t think the positives of using the Catalogued designs outweigh the drawbacks for most people at this current time. In the future that value proposition will likely continue moving in favor of preapproved plans and factory-built homes, however today it’s likely not the best choice for most consumers.
For those that are interested here is the link to the catalogue of designs from CMHC.
Want to learn more about what we are involved in?
Check us out through the links below!
For any concerns or inquires you can reach us at info@northlakesdevelopments.ca or through our website contact page.