Uprise Design's Houses

Maximizing Your Home’s Potential: The Magic of Secondary Suites The white picket fence, a lush green lawn, and the dream of owning a home—these are some of the things that make up the quintessential Canadian dream. But in an era of skyrocketing real estate prices and increased living expenses, this dream seems to be moving farther away from reality for many families. But what if there were a way to turn your home into a potential financial asset that could help balance these costs? Welcome to the world of secondary suites—a transformative home addition that's helping countless families redefine their financial strategies and space utilization. Secondary suites, alternatively known as "granny flats," "in-law suites," or "accessory dwelling units," are self-contained residential units located within or on the same property as a single-family home. Not only do these additional living spaces offer a great deal of flexibility in use, but they also present a...

Every build has a cost; How do you design with budget in mind? Establishing a range of accuracy If this is your first build or you haven't built for a while, how are you supposed to know how much to budget?  What influences budget?  How do you make decisions through the design that affect budget? While we can't cover every aspect of cost in one post we will walk through some ideas and examples that will shape our thinking around design, building cost and budget: Starting with a review of industry standard methods and working our way to design principles that will help you make better decisions. You'll develop a framework that will aid in identifying elements that add to construction cost and therefore should be considered when thinking about budget. Our belief is that good design plays an important role in budget and that you shouldn't have to go through the process blind not understanding the factors that contribute to building cost. Common ways of creating a budget Ac...

  Uprise House Plans 2D Drawings - The Baseline Before I get ahead of myself and rant about all of the amazing qualities of 3D design, I should point out that 2D drawings remain the foundational form of communication in the design and construction of a house. I'm not here to slag the art and science of the "blueprint".  With that said, I will now go on the record and say unequivocally that designing, collaborating and finally executing a house project in the conventional way puts all interested parties at all phases at a severe disadvantage.  There are limits on how you can analyze information and what can be communicated using 2D drawings in a 3D world. If nothing else, and I'm speaking now to the purist, 3D visualization speeds up and clarifies interpretation.  "It only makes sense that we use the best information available and apply it to house design to create the best possible results"   Standard Elevation Modern Technology Changes the Game With powerfu...

Unlimited budget?  Unlimited space to build? I didn't think so!  So how can you organize and simplify your wish list into a meaningful guide that leads to a great house design?  Start with these questions to clarify and condense your needs, wants, must-haves and nice-to-haves. 1) What's my lot type? Understanding the lot type will drastically reduce the extent of your search. The typical types are: Walk out, walk up, and patio. Find out more  here .  Also check out the description of the  main story .  2) What’s my budget?  In some ways this is one of the most important questions to figure out. This will help establish parameters such as size, complexity and level of finishing for your house. You can read more about budget  in this post. 3) Who’s living here/ What phase of life am I at?   A family in the middle of raising kids will have different needs than a retired couple who frequently travel.  4) How many bedrooms and ...

The obvious goal is to start building, but there are a few more steps.  You need a Builder, and a Budget and a Building Permit.   Builder We encourage builder engagement as early as possible to make the transition from design to construction smooth.  On the other hand, maybe you're still considering the options and want a couple of builders to look at the documents before moving forward. Both paths are acceptable and have their own benefits.  In both cases the next step is to provide your builder with the Construction Documents. With them they will start the  tendering  process and begin assembling the required papers for permits. Budgeting Any of the ballpark pricing up to this point will now be developed into a working budget. In practice, every consultant, trade and supplier will now review the drawings and will submit quotes back to your builder.  Is there more to it than that? Yep!   Because your house is made up of many parts, assembled by m...

What needs to happen  between “the decision to build” and “shovel in the ground”? This a two part post, because You're obviously interested in the design timeline, but   also when you can start building.    The first post will cover the design phase "the decision to build" and the second post will cover most of the downstream activities up to "shovel in the ground".  After you understand the process, we’ll go over common timelines. If you’re really in a hurry, you can always scroll to the bottom.      A couple notes:  1) We'll assume you will be selecting a Pre-Designed plan, as the custom process is a lot longer and will need its own explanation.  2) You'll notice a lot of links to other pages. These links will give you a deeper view of each step.      Here we go!  1. You have a beautiful lot and know the house type you’ll be building. 2. You've narrowed down your wish list to the top 100 must-haves...

Maybe your perfect plan already exists? The allure of a custom designed house is understandable. Every decision is designed for you, your family and your lot. While that works for some people, not everyone has the desire, the time or the design budget to invest in the custom process. If you want a running start and are less interested in the step by step of starting with a blank screen and all the possibilities before you, choosing a pre-designed house plan is a great way to go. A house plan allows you to streamline the process and get building  more quickly. 10 reasons to use a pre-designed house plan. Cost: You save money. Pre-designed plans are less expensive than a custom design and ensure lower design cost. Why? Savings are found by leveraging the effort the design team has already put into floor planning and exterior creativity. Win! What’s more valuable than money? Time: You save time. Most plans are construction ready and can go directly to your builder. You will be up an...

Are you dreaming of building a home? Not exactly sure what you're getting into? We hope that you'll find this blog helpful. We want to answer all of the “What do I do now? Why is this important?” questions along the house design path.  From understanding the land you just purchased, through the process of design and the path forward into construction. The journey can seem overwhelming at times, but you’re going to be prepared. Our goal is to give you the language and identify the landmarks along the way to help you make the best decisions for your new home. We’ll follow a similar, but not identical path to many people who have travelled this road before. Along the way we’ll also introduce you to other cooperatives on the journey, until you can comfortably cross over to the experienced team of your selected builder. Who are we? Why do we have any authority to be your guide on this adventure? We are Uprise Design and we have over 12 years of experience bringing clients through th...

Ten Steps to a Streamlined House Design Let's be upfront about it, house design is a complex and time consuming process. E ven the idea of starting can be overwhelming.  But despite the many decisions in front of you, house design can be made manageable - with the right guidance! We have compiled what we think are the 10 best strategies to a streamlined design process. 1) Understand your lot: Your building site may be the single largest external influencer on your homes design. Start by getting to know both the physical and legal features of your lot. By understanding the limitations, decision making becomes simplified.  I suggest reading our post  You have Dirt...  to get a deeper look at site analysis. 2) Know your budget:  How do you determine your budget? I believe it's a two step process that involves your banker, your builder and your house plans...twice.  Start by seeing your mortgage broker to determine your borrowing potential. Factors includi...