Condo renovations

Anyone have any experience getting renovations done to their condo/loft around here? Thinking of having some work done. How hard was it? Did you use a designer, etc?
Found a couple of local places:
[url href=http://www.houstonandassociates.ca]http://www.houstonandassociates.ca[/url]
[url href=http://www.sabinahilldesign.com]http://www.sabinahilldesign.com[/url]
[url href=http://www.everythingsimple.com]http://www.everythingsimple.com[/url] - might be decorating only

- Kirk.

hi kirk, have you looked into battersby howat's work? they might do interiors as well as larger scale projects. their stuff truly rocks. www.battersbyhowat.com. but what are you looking for exactly? advice? a professional? you may also want to try kwantlen university college. they have an interior design program and you may be able to work with a student building a portefolio for a reasonable price.

Coincidentally, I did send Battersby and Howat an e-mail early last week. Didn't get any response. I guess I should use the phone, since some people still use those things I see their name everywhere nowadays. Unfortunately, I think they only do entire houses, as opposed to just small, interior renos.

But, to answer your question, their style is exactly the thing we're looking for. Yeah, they rock.

We've got a loft with a mezzanine. Want to do some renos. Enclose a sleeping area, redo the kitchen and bathroom, have some built-in storage. Trying to keep the budget around $30-$35k. Whatdaya think? Is it doable?

- Kirk.

I spoke to someone at Battersby and Howat. Said they've done smaller jobs in the past, but are way too busy nowadays. Oh well. Good to see that their work is getting lots of interest.

- Kirk.

ya, they told us they were busy when we approached them - in may - but i thought they'd have time when they finished the house on mayne island - or is it another island? oh well, it'll be nice to be able to look at their beautiful building everyday (we bought a house accross the alley from them) and be inspired to help the transitional neighbourhood we are part of. did you see the latest article on that building - their georgia street house - in saturday night mag in october?

anywho. We've got a loft with a mezzanine. Want to do some renos. Enclose a sleeping area, redo the kitchen and bathroom, have some built-in storage. Trying to keep the budget around $30-$35k. Whatdaya think? Is it doable?

i think it is possible but it really depends on how much you want to do yourself, and also the materials you use. do you want to use recycled materials? jack's building supplies has great stuff if you dig a bit, and they receive industrial windows from overstocked sites sometimes. they also have reclaimed plank foors. if you want to use ikea premade kitchen stuff - some of their modern, professional looking lines - you can also accomplish a lot. do you have to buy appliances too? that's the big chunk.

you have a loft, what's your area? main or so, or gastown? i mean, does your building have a modern aesthetics already? do you have a floor plan you could post?

We live over on Main 4th and walk everywhere. This sunny weekend led us out to Granville Island and across to Gastown. We walk through Main and Hastings, down Hastings, Carrall Street, etc quite a bit, even after midnight sometimes. Never have any problems, and your area is much nicer than that. Did you ever visit the [url href=http://www.koretlofts.com]Koret Lofts[/url]? Now, that's what I call an area in transition. I don't think some of those buyers realize what they're buying into.

I've seen the article. I've seen lots of press on them. I can't remember which one I read, but Battersby made some comment about his neighbourhood being iffy and that it's good that he works from home so he can keep an eye on things and call the cops if needed. I doubt it's that bad.

Back on topic. I called an architect cousin for some contacts. And, he offered to draw up some plans for us himself. He's used to doing more commercial work, but he's already done some prelims that were awesome. Definitely thought outside the box. One downside that might nix the whole thing is relocating the kitchen sink. I'm not sure what's involved with the drain pipe and how feasible that will be. After the plans are done, he said the next step is to hire an interior designer that can hire the general contractor and then the subtrades. Still learning as it goes... Worrying about the budget too...

I wouldn't say our place is really modern. I'll admit it's industrial. Exposed Q-deck ceiling, steel rafters. But the bathrooms/kitchen are really poor quality. They built these quasi-lofts so quickly and cheaply.

I'll try and post a floorplan, but my wife lent out our scanner to a friend, so don't hold your breath. Thanks for the tips on keeping costs under control. We were looking in the window of the new Miele kitchen showroom in Yaletown thinking that the hood fan probably costs more than our whole kitchen budget

Thanks for the info on [url href=http://www.jacksused.com]Jack's[/url]. I've never heard of them before.

- Kirk.

[quote:kirkj format=text/plain]We live over on Main 4th and walk everywhere. This sunny weekend led us out to Granville Island and across to Gastown. We walk through Main and Hastings, down Hastings, Carrall Street, etc quite a bit, even after midnight sometimes.[/quote]oh i love that too, walking this city at night. you get the sense that things are yet to come, yet to unfold, possibilities endless. and if you are lucky enough to encounter a modern structure it reveals another side of itself with the rythm of its windows, sometimes lit, sometimes not, and its immense shadows. i know my area is great. I think the Koret folks will be fine - that area (in transition, you are right) is also becoming quite vibrant - maybe the way the east side was ten, twenty years ago? same for the folks at the Edge, and all around that area.

[quote:kirkj format=text/plain] made some comment about his neighbourhood being iffy and that it's good that he works from home so he can keep an eye on things and call the cops if needed. I doubt it's that bad.[/quote]to be fair to him he didn't exactly say that. he said it used to be worse and one of the neighbours was afraid to go out even during the day. maybe age does that to people sometimes, but he is right, conditions used to be much iffier than they are now in that small pocket. if he's talking about who i think he is, now that man gets out and so does his wife, and he gardens again while she sits in the sun in the yard - you should see the tomatoes!

but yes, it's true - and good - that they (bbhw) keep an eye on things. we do the same. i'm not particularly fond of cops or of the abuse of power they represent and often effectuate; however they have helped this pocket. there is this house where a mad, loose cannon type used to live. he used to get completely hammered (usually by 4 pm) and boast that he punched women who didn't get in line and behave, whether they were pregnant or not - oh joy. lots of fine evenings on the deck we've had watching that dude.

he moved out now so it made a difference to intervene. the decrepit scumlord house is still there and a fair share of heavy dope deals happens there, but the pocket is much quieter - i guess they don't exactly want to be spotted. also, woodland has been designated a greenway by the city and will be developed as such in the near future. the park nearby has soccer games every saturday, and really i love the area. and hey, shit happens everywhere. while most crime on the east side is break-ins and theft, people on the snotty north shore hapilly shoot each other over what, i can't be sure.

but yes, back to topic.

[quote:kirkj format=text/plain]Back on topic [...] relocating the kitchen sink. I'm not sure what's involved with the drain pipe and how feasible that will be. After the plans are done, he said the next step is to hire an interior designer that can hire the general contractor and then the subtrades. Still learning as it goes... Worrying about the budget too...[/quote]a kitchen sink ain't that bad, the drain may be able to stay where it is while a connector pipe can be installed - depending on what the plumbing code allows of course. a good plumber will figure this out for not too much i think. now if you changed the location of the toilet that would be a problem! and there was an ad for a sustainable designer in the courier east side edition last weekend, maybe check that out?

[quote:kirkj format=text/plain]I wouldn't say our place is really modern. I'll admit it's industrial. Exposed Q-deck ceiling, steel rafters. But the bathrooms/kitchen are really poor quality. They built these quasi-lofts so quickly and cheaply.[/quote]so it can welcome a modern treatment easily, yes? yay!
check mobile kitchen units from ikea. http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_CA/virtual_catalogue/main.html
select 'kitchens' and then 'freestanding kitchen units and trolleys pages. the units on pages 1-2 and the units on p-4 are neat for lofts, not too costly, if you like that stuff. otherwise it will be more but they have a few lines of modern kitchens you can install yourself if you have a knack for such things.

[quote:kirkj format=text/plain]the new Miele kitchen showroom in Yaletown thinking that the hood fan probably costs more than our whole kitchen budget [/quote]gosh. miele. i wish.

we know appliances will be a big big chunk (and the ground water heat pump for the hvac syst i'm dreaming of, and raising the house and pouring a new foundation, and, and, ...) but we'll do a lot ourselves elsewhere (designing, framing, finishing, reusing, recycling) so mah boy can get his dcs range! we're also aiming for bosch re our dishwasher, and energy star compliant appliances wherever we can. sears is a good source for those somewhat necessary toys. if your credit's good, they give you 12 months no payments and no interest. and they'll match lower prices you find. chek also harveys on kingsway (near rupert i think) and ask for their kinked models, sometimes the kinks are well hidden on the sides of machines and the reduction in price well worth it.

there is another used bldg supply in surrey, i'll post when i find the address. is your cousin interested in some extra work?

the building salvage yard in surrey i was talking about above:

http://www.surreynewandused.com/

You've really got me thinking about these supply places. Habitat for Humanity has a place in Burnaby that they sell discount new and used stuff too: [url href=http://www.habitat.ca/restores.html]http://www.habitat.ca/restores.html[/url]

As for the Koret area, I have a friend who works for a developer, and he knows that we like areas with a bit of an edge, for lack of a better word. But he cautioned us against that area. He explained that normal edgy areas eventually gentrify (good or bad, whatever) if they're in a decent location. But, the Koret area is under city bylaw/planning/etc to never really gentrify (ie the Salvation Army up on Cordova will always be there, the youth centre will always be there, the shelter on Powell will always be there). He said that if we're planning on moving in and hoping that the area gets better, that might never happen. He also likes to shoot down my idealism of a more inclusive society all the time too. He pointed out that I'm fine with people asking for money, but when they demand it and tell me to f*ck myself if I don't give it to them and then smash my car... well, nice friends I have, eh? He even thinks the area will get worse as other parts of the city gentrify. I don't know what to believe, but I can't afford to gamble my lifesavings on a place that I might never be able to sell. Welcome me to the cynical world sigh.

I couldn't get a copy of the Courier. Is there a website or anything with more info? I'll probably contact the Houston and Associates place because they're right across the street.

I can ask my cousin. Like I said though, he's more commercial/industrial. He worked on the Surrey Central City project. How about the place that did the Vancouver Special reno? [url href=http://www.pechetandrobb.com/lakewood.php]http://www.pechetandrobb.com/lakewood.php[/url]

- Kirk.

oh that girl so rocks. this project was features in WL a couple times. have you seen the house? i bike there everyday en route to work. that is fabulous work and it is not imposing on the neighbourhood - she must have navigeted very carefully, that area has mush stronger and restrictive guidelines than mine.

ya innercities will always have inner city elements. but is that not why they are so vibrant? i can understand the investment point of vue, i guess the people to sell to if one buy at koret would have to be as daring as the buyer. may i ask where your friend lives?

hey thanks for the habitat link. i will certainly check that out. keep that coming. i'll do the same.

we still have that ed. of the courier - i'll get you the number but it may be after the holidaze (that's not me, credit goes to marshall for that beautiful word) until i post again cause we're trying to finish a couple rooms in 5 days for a xm dinner with family and johnny is already demolishing walls and we have to paint and cook and get new door handles and make a xm tree and and and ... ayayaye!

althought i know nothing more about that person than that ad, here is that sustainable guy (or gal?):

sustainable designer - design / drafting / permits / building - (604) 505-2129

MY GOD IT'S COLD!!! I had to check my (edit) ears at the Skytrain to make sure one of them didn't fall off.

Hmmmm... I'll pass on that designer. No name, no address, etc. Sounds like a self-described whatever is fashionable job hopper. I've met some people like that who claim to be massage therapists, legal advisors, AND yoga instructors (ie everything under the sun that you don't need a license for). I could be wrong, but too risky for me.

Things are rolling along. Still haven't picked a designer, but my cousin has been asking around for us. He went to talk to the Simple place and came to the same conclusion as us, not our style. He put me in contact with a friend of his, but not our style either. Sort of like that Inspirations Furniture store on 6th and Granville. You know? Kind of modern, but not? I guess it's Contemporary? Everything is too beech, rounded and shiny. What's with all the black marble and chrome?!?

Oh yeah, naturally, my buddy lives in a Concord Pacific glass condo.

- Kirk.

montreal and ottawa were at minus 15-20 a week or so ago so i find this almost... balmy? you'd have to look hard for all of your edited ears in the warm little squirrel's nests under the woodpile, over there, unless you like frozen round popsicles.

but gosh do i MISS MAH BIKE!!! we can't walk straight on that crap ice. although i have to admit that i like vancouver without salt trucks and snowplows - it is sooo silent! back east, when it snows it's work time and the engines keep you awake all night long... aaaaanyway. back to topic...

that designer. i called her. her name is Catherine Kaminak. she has some degree of arch schooling and is pursuing her arch license at this time. her fee is $40/hr. i have not met her so i cannot tell you whether she feels solid to me or not, but she told me she prefers remodels and renos to new construction. she is working on a duplex on 12th right now, you could ask her for a tour?

the Simple place what's that?

Sort of like that Inspirations Furniture store on 6th and Granville. You know? oh do i. that place is totally gross. lack of honesty in style i'd say, or tacky. but hey. i'm sure lots of people like it. i like inform. and koolhaus. and even ikea. btw inform has a sale on now.

a Concord Pacific glass condo. - i'm so surprised i'm gonna have a heart attack. nobody ever remembers that line - it was robin williams in that kids' movie i can't remember the title of. he played a parrot? i think it's a great line.

your cousin, maybe i'd like to talk to him. or his other friend? would he be ok with that? does he have contacts with modern, industrial and sustainable gc's?

ttfn

The Simple place: [url href=http://www.everythingsimple.com]http://www.everythingsimple.com[/url]

Damn, I never thought it'd be this hard to find an interior designer!!! What's with this city? Is it so strange that I don't like drapery and crown moldings?!?

Calming down...

Here's another architect. Nice work.
[url href=http://www.patkau.ca]http://www.patkau.ca[/url]

I did mention you to my cousin. He said he's way too busy right now, but appreciated the offer. He said EVERYONE is busy right now. The place he works at has been trying to hire for months but there's no one.

- Kirk.

yep, everyone is busy right now. that big boom exploded into everything. i guess that's why i want to talk to people now, so that i can have a bit of time to evaluate and then book them for later, ha!

nobody reads dwell here? this is SO bizarre. good lord! people are so attached to macmansion crappy finishes :disgust: i guess it's too hard to finish a place w/o crown mouldings?

she may not be cheap but i think she may be able to understand you - and she has exquisite taste in bikes - try hunt down alda perrera.

i'll keep my eyes open for people that might like to do something cleaner also.

maybe try find someone that worked on koo's garage in strathcona?

there is also an architect at kwantlen - though with the rotating strikes he may be difficult to reach - but i think he may be able do send you in a direction you may like. i don't think he would remember me but i did study at the id dept once and he's an interesting guy: Ihor Pona (Ihor.Pona@kwantlen.ca)

i like patkau. were they not in dwell once, or azure?

also, kirk, your link didn't work somehow, page not found. i'll try google.

bye bye

I contacted one place. I mentioned the plan, size, what we want done, etc. I asked if it sounded like something they would be interested in taking on.

Answer back was yes, interested. Cost is $120/hr. I assume that also applies to any initial meeting as well.

Is this standard practise? I had thought most designers would be on a percentage basis. New at this, so pardon the ignorance.

- Kirk.

hi kirk, how is your project progressing? found anyone yet? we were at koolhaus yesterday, drooling over some of their products, and we found out one of the girls that work there has a background in interior design. she seems to like modern. maybe she'd be good for your project?let me know and i'll mail you her name or something.

It's insane out there! 8)

I can't count how many designers I've called. We upped our budget to $60k and can't find anyone to take on our job. The industry is booming right now, so our job is too small. The impression I got was that even single houses are too small because most designers are now doing entire condo/townhouse developments.

The phone call usually goes like this:

Me: Hi, I've got a loft that I want to get some work done. Budget is $60k, and...

Them: (Interrupting) Sorry, we're not taking on any new jobs at the moment. Thanks for calling.

I'll try the Koolhaus woman. Just PM me her name/number. Thanks!

- Kirk.

sorry kirk, haven't logged in for a bit, busy with the house, etc. will get her name and will get back to you.

Believe it or not, things are still moving along.

It came down to a couple of designers. And, boy, was it a hard decision. I'm still wondering if we made the right choice. I suppose that's normal.

We're meeting with him again tomorrow to go over more of what we want done. Plan is to do the renos in May. In-laws are going out of town for the month and have offered us their place to stay. Crossing my fingers that this will work out.

- Kirk.

I noticed your discussion with some interest and I am not sure if you have found what you need or not. I run a new design firm here in Vancouver named Cause and Affect. www.causeandaffect.com We would be interested in talking to you about your project. Check out our website and let me know if our work interests you. I am a registered architect in the UK and my wife/partner is an interior designer. We completed a project this past Easter for the DV Home and Interior Design Show called the Concept Condo. It might be some interest to you. Let me know, good luck with your project.

-Steven

Hi Steven,

Thanks for the reply. I remember seeing your profile on the little pink foldout cards from the interior design show. The Concept Condo at the DV show was amazing. So was the Jorg Olif booth. I think I was talking to Rob MacDonald at UBC a couple of weeks ago. I love their bikes. Hope the new store goes well. It's not far from us.

I should post progress updates here more often. I'm sure others are interested.

So, here goes.

We started this entire process at the end of last year. It took forever to find a designer that was willing to take on the job. I think there's just way more lucrative work out there than a condo reno. Plus, I'm sure doing commerical work with developers rather than owners is less headache. We even had a couple of designers call us 5 minutes before they were to meet with us and say that they weren't coming. This is after we rushed home from work. We did have a bit of a leg up because I have an architect cousin who drew up an initial space plan and was very helpful in sitting in on our conversations. He called in a lot of contacts too.

SEVERAL months later, we eventually did manage to find two designers who were willing to do the work. One was Kelly Deck at Simple. I have nothing but positive things to say about her, so I assume it's okay to mention her name. She's awesome. I didn't contact her originally because her past projects weren't as modern as we were looking for. But, after talking to her, she could easily do it. PLUS, she has that one thing that we all want, she completely listened to us and always got back to us rightaway. Enthusiastic and super easy to work with. This is a big thing. I can't imagine the project not going smoothly with her. Some designers made us feel like we were just merely mortal fee payers. I guess in this economy, we are. :grin:

So, what did we do? We went with someone else. It's now June, and nothing has started. To be fair, it's NOT his fault. His firm does a lot of work with Bing Thom, including the Chan Centre. Amazing work. They do millwork inhouse. He won out based on experience and his style matched our exactly. He redid the floorplan. Had lots of suggestions. Gets back to us quickly and is very receptive. We were hoping to get things rolling in May and finishing around the end of June. My wife and I are expecting a baby on July 1; hence, the reason for the renos in the first place.

Unfortunately, he couldn't line up a contractor. He thought he had one, but then the guy just kept delaying, and on and on. I think the contractor found better work. He called some more contractors, but he was getting the same run around of I'll get back to you. Weeks go by....

I had a mover all lined up, and we were ready to move, not into our in-laws because it was getting too late, but into a small temporary furnished apartment which is a couple grand a month. My designer had a separate crew ready to do demolition. Still no contractor. It was ridiculous. I pulled the plug and said to just forget it until after the baby arrives and things settle out. We're hoping to start it in 3-4 months instead.

In a weird sense, we were sort of lucky. Imagine if we moved out, the demolition crew tore apart the place, and then the contractor walked away. I hear about this happening all the time nowadays. Close call. Shudder! 8)

Kelly Deck has a contractor that she works with almost exclusively. So, I doubt it would've been a problem with her.

Too bad, because I already bought a funky Offi Bebe crib to go with the renos:

[url href=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/20/garden/20hshop.html?ex=1118721600en=7fd78f8dcc9ac983ei=5070oref=login][/url]


- Kirk.

Kirk,

Glad to here it's all working out. Your project type is always difficult for designers and architects as it falls into a difficult area of not being quite big enough for most firms. That means that you are left with small firms or individuals. I was curious as we are one of those firms who would like to take on small interesting projects but find that the financial side of things does not always add up. Hope all goes well when it begins.

Steven

Back to insanity. Allow me to rant on a bit because I need to vent.

Our designer said all the contractors he spoke to aren't even booking things until NEXT YEAR. This is just insane. We should've been finished everything months ago. Now we're being told we can't even start for several more months. Every couple of months, we're told next month. Next year, I'm sure we'll continue to be told next month.

I'm getting really pissed at this whole thing. This industry is starting to feel like dealing with used car salesmen.

- Kirk.

More news. It really is getting insane out there. My designer was able to get quotes from two contractors. They're both about $90,000. Keep in mind that the budget has gone from $30k to $60k. Now they're saying it will cost $90k. This is for work on a 1000sqft condo. I'm starting to think moving is a better idea. :zz:

i'm curious to know what the scope of work is for your project? $90k is obvoiusly steep for a 1000 sf condo reno. of course labour costs are high right now, but keep in mind that there are tons of suppliers out there now that offer good quality contemporary fixtures and finishes without a hugely expensive price tag. hopefully your designer gets this! what is your designer spec-ing? part of design for me is sourcing everyday materials and using them in non-conventional applications. with a little more creative intelligence i'm certain you can bring your budget back to reality. i did an extensive design-build reno to my loft for about $30k- new bathroom, kitchen, lighting, loft addition etc. (although i did a lot of the work myself).

To be fair, there is a lot of work to do. New bamboo flooring with Nuheat electric radiant heating. New Kitchenaid appliances, not high end ones though. Whole new kitchen, it's being relocated. Since I got two quotes that were about the same price, I'm not complaining. I'm just trying to decide if it makes more sense to move.

- Kirk.

I do not see the down side on the Koret(other than the kitchen). The same fears expressed about the location,location ,location were expressed about Beatty,518, when we bought there. 10 years later and 150% profit proved the naysayers wrong. I mean there is a drug clinic around the corner from Beatty. I'll take a Womens Shelter any day. Sq footage costs of 3 to $400,some with water views (mine),is unbeatable. If you have ever seen a Ghetto,Barrio, you would never compare it to the Eastside. The neighborhood will only improve with time. I'm glad we bought there I only wish I could afford the 1,ooo,ooo penthouse!

My neighbour's ex-girlfriend used to work in the Koret display home (or whatever you called their presentation thing). I ran into her working there. I only knew who she was because I recognized his car that she parked out front. But I remember she said they were going well. Did they all have parking spots when the units went for sale? For some reason I thought they didn't have parking. But later on, I read something that said they did.

I think you're right about the area. Woodwards is coming in. The Carrall Greenway is coming in. The new streetcar line will be coming in. My wife is always going to Dream and The Block. Sometimes even Venus Mars. This is all pushing east. We've been to the One Lounge. Food sucked, but I assume it got better since they're still in business. Gastown is going through a revitalization (again). The westside of Chinatown is getting funky with Funhauser and Bombast. The northern end of Main is getting some galleries like Hungry Thumbs. We walk down to the Alibi Room for brunch once in a while. I think The Edge helped a lot.

I suppose the question of whether the area will improve or not is basically decided. The only issue is how it will play out. Sam Sullivan versus Kim Kerr just isn't as exciting as Jim Green versus Kim Kerr.

- Kirk.