Custom homes by Canada & Klein
The construction of a new home is similar to producing a new baby. The process is long and arduous - sometimes even longer than nine months - and it demands a commitment to planning and making thoughtful and far-reaching choices. Towards the end of the production, some of the participants wonder why they ever initiated such a project. But when the house is complete, fresh and clean, and featuring the dreams and idiosyncrasies of that particular family, production fatigue is replaced by pride and pleasure.
It is exhilarating to be part of a team that creates something as large and significant as a new home, especially when the homeowners' tastes and needs are taken into consideration in its design. Because the planning process is so crucial, it is important to trust in the skill of the designer to foresee how the lines on paper will take shape in space. It is equally important to trust in the skill of the builder to oversee every step of construction and to have the experience to offer thoughtful on-site solutions to the inevitable adjustments required.
Canada & Klein serves an area of metropolitan Chicago where there is little undeveloped land. Therefore constructing a new building nearly always involves the deconstruction of an existing structure (see our "Green Building" section for information on recycling material from the old structure.) Between initial planning and final application for the Certificate of Occupancy, the following is some of the work that is usually particular to new home construction:
- Terminatation of all existing utilities
- Installation of a temporary electric service
- Having asbestos testing done (and removed, if present) on the home
- Obtaining a demolition permit from the County
- Removing all trees and landscaping that are in the proposed “footprint” of the new home
- Installation of all site engineering (storm sewers, manholes, downspout connections)
- Installation of new water, sewer, electric and gas mains from the street
- Obtaining interim/preliminary surveys during construction
- Maintaining construction fencing and driveway
- Coordinatation of phone, cable, satellite TV connections
- Finish grading and landscaping the site per the approved civil engineering drawings
While every community has its own particular rules for new construction, almost all have some variation of the same set of issues and rules. Our experience in working in the City of Chicago as well as in most North Shore communities is a real benefit to the homeowner who is building a new home. We have seen it all and know how to get it done.