Phase One Design

Most homeowners start planning their custom home too late.

Construction is only one part of the process. Before you can break ground, there are months of design, permits, pricing, and consultant coordination.

If you're planning to build in 2027, now is the time to start.

Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/AYLU1WsXb8Y

Can you spot the 100+ hidden details in these photos?

Most people see a beautiful Port Moody waterfront home.

A 2023 HAVAN Award winner.
A finalist for three Georgie Awards.

And yes, we’re still proud of that.

But behind the pretty photos, this project required a lot of technical decisions:

• approvals involving the City, waterfront conditions, foreshore, environmental considerations, and private moorage
• separating the dock permit from the house permit so construction could keep moving
• solving approximately 30 feet of grade change from street to water
• rethinking floor levels, ceiling heights, retaining, and how the home stepped down the site
• budget reviews that helped save our client $100,000+
• dock design based on the client’s actual boat, water depth, access, and use
• large waterfront openings balanced with privacy, glare, overheating, and exposure
• durability details for wind, saltwater, low-slope roofs, decks over living space, waterproofing, and drainage

One slide shows a Revit view from the design process.

That is the part most people never see.

But builders do.

The drawings either anticipate these conditions early, or they show up later as pricing surprises, RFIs, redesign, and schedule delays.

A waterfront home should not just face the water.

It should understand the site before construction starts.

Interiors | Karly MacLeod
Custom builder | Marcraft Homes

Sometimes I have to deliver bad news to a client regarding their custom home lot. But I'd rather do it sooner rather than later... Before they finalize their lot purchase