Planning
Tools and calculators
Working tools rather than lead magnets. Nothing is gated, nothing requires an email address, and nothing you type is transmitted anywhere.
How these are built
Each tool does arithmetic on inputs you supply and structures a decision you have to make. None of them claims to know a price. Where a default rate appears it is labelled as an editorial assumption and you can edit it, and every tool states plainly what it gets wrong.
4 tools
Money
Builder Quote NormalizerThree quotes, different scopes. Normalize them to the same scope and see which is actually cheaper.Open tool →Construction Draw and Financing PlannerDraw schedule, interest during construction, and the peak cash you actually need available.Open tool →Allowance TrackerContract allowance vs. what you actually chose, by category, with the running total.Open tool →Custom Home Cost CalculatorIndicative range by market and tier, plus the categories a per-square-foot number never includes.Open tool →
Printable checklist
Lot evaluation checklist
Complete this before your offer conditions expire. Every item costs a small fraction of one percent of a custom home budget, and the last one is worth more than the rest combined.
| Check | What to obtain | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Land use and zoning | Designation, permitted and discretionary uses, setbacks, height, coverage, floor area. | Determines what fits. Get a rough massing study before you buy. |
| Title | Easements, utility rights of way, restrictive covenants, architectural controls, oil and gas interests. | Registered controls are enforceable and can constrain the design entirely. |
| Water | Municipal connection, or well record, drilling report, yield test and potability test. | On an acreage this is the first question. Yield varies parcel to parcel. |
| Sewage | Municipal connection, or soils and percolation assessment for a private system. | Percolation results determine system type and cost, and the field location constrains siting. |
| Power, gas, communications | Distance from the service point and a written extension quote. | Priced by the metre. Never assume from a neighbour’s experience. |
| Access | Approach permit requirement, driveway construction, winter maintenance, equipment access. | On a long or steep approach this is a real budget line and a real design decision. |
| Grade and drainage | Slope, walkout feasibility, spring runoff paths, historical flooding. | Determines site work cost and whether the house you want sits on the lot at all. |
| Soil | Bearing capacity, expansive clay, bedrock depth, fill of unknown origin. | Foundation design follows from this. A geotechnical opinion is cheap relative to the surprise. |
| Environmental | Floodplain, riparian setback, wetland, slope hazard, conservation authority, ALR status. | Can restrict buildable area or prohibit development outright. |
| Trees | Protected or significant trees on and adjacent to the lot. | Affects siting, staging, excavation, and in some municipalities carries penalties. |
| Existing structures | Demolition scope, utility disconnects, designated substance survey, buried tanks or cisterns. | On any pre-1990 house, assume a survey is needed. |
| Builder site visit | A written site-work and servicing opinion before conditions expire. | The highest-value item on this list, and the one most often skipped. |
Printable checklist
Builder interview checklist
Ten questions, and what a good answer actually sounds like. Take this to the meeting.
| Topic | Ask | A good answer |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | Which contract form do you use, and may I see a blank copy before we go further? | A specific answer — fixed price, cost-plus, or cost-plus with a GMP — and a willingness to send the document. |
| Price changes | Under exactly which circumstances can this price change without my written approval? | A short, specific list. A long or vague answer means the form you think you signed is not the one you have. |
| Allowances | May I have the allowance schedule itemised by category, supply-only or installed? | An itemised schedule you can take to a supplier and test. |
| Exclusions | What is outside this contract entirely? | Landscaping, driveway, window coverings, AV, appliances, design fees, permits, utility connections, GST — named without prompting. |
| Workload | How many homes will you have under construction alongside mine, and how many will my supervisor carry? | A number. This predicts your schedule better than any Gantt chart. |
| Warranty | Which provider are you enrolled with, and will you send proof of enrolment for this address? | The provider named, and a willingness to have you verify it directly. |
| References | May I speak with three clients from the last eighteen months, including one where something went wrong? | All three, without hesitation. The third one is the informative one. |
| Change orders | How are change orders priced and approved, and what is your markup? | Priced before work proceeds, signed by both parties, markup stated in the original contract. |
| Schedule | Is there a contractual completion date, and what happens if it is missed by a wide margin? | A clear answer either way. “We do not commit to dates” is an answer, and a useful one. |
| Possession | What does your deficiency and holdback process look like at possession? | A documented process, and a holdback that gives them a reason to close items out. |
No pressure, no drip campaign
Tools narrow the field. Reference calls decide it.
No calculator tells you what a two-year relationship will feel like. Three reference calls with recent clients will, and they are the highest-value hour in the whole process.