Monarch Homes has a proud history of home building in the Grande Prairie area over the past 30 years, providing award-winning service with honesty, courtesy, and professionalism. We work with you on every step to build a house that balances your needs and wants with your cost expectations. We can’t wait to get started on this milestone journey with you.
What to Expect When Building with Monarch Homes
This meeting is a chance for you to get to know us and our building philosophy — to build houses with the same care and attention to detail we would expect for our own. We will show you some of our past and current projects, answering any questions you may have about the process. We will also ask you about the following:
- What is your budget? Is your financing approved or have you talked to your lender?
- What type of home do you want to build (for example, two-storey, bungalow, modified bi-level)?
- What do you want your house to look like? Do you have any sample photos?
- Where do you want to live?
- Would you like us to help you find a lot?
- If you own land and want to build on it, is the property serviced? If not, do you require our help to bring the services to the house site?
- How long do you plan on living in your new home?
- How energy efficient do you want your home to be?
- When would you like to begin your project?
When you are comfortable moving forward with us, we will enter into a Planning & Development Agreement with you. We would then collect your design ‘Wish List’, including:
- Exterior:
- Windows, doors, overhead doors
- Siding, stone, and decking
- Shingles and roofing
- Interior:
- Cabinets, countertops, shelving
- Door styles, handles and hinges, etc.
- Baseboards, casing, mouldings, and railings
- Paint types (white base vs. deep base colours, number of colours)
- Fireplace type and finish
- Sinks, tubs, showers, and toilets
- Kitchen and bathroom faucets, tub/shower trim
- Mirrors and other bathroom hardware
- Flooring/tile type and location
Don’t worry about your list seeming too big — having as much detail as possible during this phase helps us to price the home accurately. If you are not ready to make refined design decisions at this stage, you will be given options that fit your specified budget or given an allowance to make your choices in Step 3.
Once we have an idea of your wishes, we complete a detailed specifications document of your new home and create the preliminary floor plans and exterior rendering(s). Once the preliminary drawings meet your approval, construction drawings are then created. We use the drawings and detailed specifications to accurately price your home and provide you with a quote. The deposit from the Planning & Development Agreement is credited towards the cost of your new home.
If, for whatever reason, you decide not to move forward with construction at this point, your deposit is refunded less the costs incurred for the planning and development process. The construction drawings would be yours to keep.
Once we are ready to proceed with building your new home, you will work with our experienced team and expert trade partners to make all your detailed design selections, including (but not limited to):
- Exterior colours
- Budgeted finishing choices
- Paint colours
- Flooring and tile colours/patterns
- Cabinet and countertop colours
- Lighting Fixtures
The Monarch Team is available to answer all your questions, guide you through the selection process, and help you find that perfect design choice.
We understand that you may want to change some of the designs from what was previously specified during the Planning & Development phase. Monarch Homes strives to be as flexible during these instances as we can. For these requests, a change order is made and we will discuss with you if this will affect your budget before moving ahead.
We take great pride in the workmanship of our homes and love to show our homeowners the build in its major stages. During the build process, you can expect to be invited for a walkthrough at the end of the framing stage, before the rough-in of the plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems. We will go over the placement of lights, switches, outlets (anything electrical you’ll need access to), as well as preliminary cabinet placement. Once the insulation, drywall, and priming are complete, we will invite you back to discuss the finishing carpentry items, such as closet shelving and special millwork as well as flooring and tile details as spelled out in your budget. After that, we will hold a final reveal during your pre-possession walkthrough.
If you would like to see your home at any other time than the scheduled walkthroughs, we would be happy to accommodate you. For your safety and ours, we ask that you schedule the visit with us so one of our team members can accompany you. At that time, we will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the progress of your home.
We will give you advanced notice of the anticipated completion date so you can arrange final funds, insurance, utility transfers, movers, drapes and blinds, and any other finishing touches.
As a convenience for you, we will arrange for built-in appliances (e.g. dishwasher, over-the-range microwaves or range hood, wall ovens) to be installed if delivered to the home by a pre-determined time. Other appliances, such as the fridge, washer, and dryer, are to be arranged for delivery after possession so that we may properly finish painting and cleaning your new home where those appliances will reside. Before possession, a member of the Monarch Team will invite you for a thorough final walkthrough to:
- Ensure that you are completely satisfied with your new home
- Identify any concerns you may have
- Show you how to operate and care for your new home
- Review the warranty coverage and processes
After-Possession Care
Our commitment to our customers does not end on possession day. We pride ourselves on our after-care service and the relationships we maintain with our homeowners. If you have any concerns or questions about your new home, you can always reach us by phone or email. If you have an emergency, we are merely a phone call away to assist in any way we can. We will conduct regular follow-ups to make sure that you are fully satisfied with your new home.
