Whole-home renovations
A whole-home renovation is a scheduling problem wearing a construction costume. The trades are the easy part; the order they arrive in is where projects are won and lost.
Context
There is a threshold in this work that homeowners are rarely told about. Under the Homeowner Protection Act, a renovation that removes or replaces enough of the original structure is deemed substantially reconstructed — and at that point it is legally a new home. It requires a BC Housing Licensed Residential Builder and registered 2-5-10 warranty insurance before the municipality can issue the building permit. As a rule of thumb, if the new construction is around three times the size of what remains of the original, you are across the line.
Durak Homes is not a Licensed Residential Builder. We renovate existing structures. If your project is heading toward that threshold — and ambitious whole-home projects sometimes drift there without anybody deciding to — we will tell you at scoping and you will need a licensed builder, not us. It is a worse sales conversation and a better one to have in month zero than in month five with a permit refused.
Below that line, the substance of the job is sequencing and change management. Every wall you open on a house of a certain age produces information. The measure of a contractor is not whether surprises happen, it is whether they arrive as a priced written change order before the work, or as a number on the final invoice.
Scope of work
What is actually in the proposal
Eight line items, each one a row you will see in the written scope, with a plain explanation of what it covers and why it matters here.
- Existing conditions survey
What is actually there: structure, services, insulation, previous unpermitted work. Unpermitted work found in the walls has to be resolved with the municipality and it is better found now.
- Hazardous materials
Full survey by a qualified surveyor before demolition on any pre-1990 house. Asbestos abatement, where required, is carried out by a WorkSafeBC-licensed abatement contractor — that is a licence we do not hold and do not pretend to.
- Engineering coordination
Beam and post sizing, foundation review and lateral bracing where walls come out, with the engineer's letters going into the permit file.
- Permit management
Application, drawings coordination, and the inspection schedule. Timelines are the municipality's, not ours, and we will tell you what they are currently running.
- Building envelope
Where cladding, windows or roof are in scope: drained and vented assemblies, because in this region every wall is a wall that will get wet.
- Mechanical, electrical, plumbing
Sequenced rough-in by licensed trades under permit, coordinated so that no trade has to undo another's work.
- Change management
Priced written change orders, signed before the work happens. A running total you can see, not a reconciliation at the end.
- Handover
Deficiency walk, permit sign-offs, warranty documentation and manuals, handed over as one package.
Questions
About whole-home renovations
Do I need to move out?
For most whole-home projects, yes, and budgeting for it honestly at the start is better than discovering it in month two. Phased occupancy is sometimes possible, but it lengthens the schedule and it costs more than the rent you save.
What happens if my renovation becomes a new home legally?
You need a BC Housing Licensed Residential Builder and 2-5-10 warranty insurance registered before the building permit issues. We are not licensed for that and would hand the project over. We would rather tell you in month zero than have your permit refused.
How do you handle the surprises?
In writing, priced, and signed before the work happens. Contingency is named as a line in the estimate rather than hidden in the margin, and unspent contingency stays yours.
Reviews
What Azem's clients say
5.0 out of 5 across 5 reviews, every one of them public, attributed, and linked to where it was posted.
Azem of Durak Homes is everything that one would want in a contractor — reliable, conscientious, efficient, considerate, and knowledgeable. In short, he gets the job done, and leaves the worksite spotless. I am happy to recommend his services.
Bathroom renovation · October 2024 · Verified on Bark
Azem was extremely efficient and very professional. He got the work done and cleaned up everything afterwards. We will be utilizing his services again!
Repairs and carpentry · October 2024 · Verified on Bark
Super efficient. Azem came within an hour, assessed the work and did the repairs quickly and efficiently. He didn't leave any mess. Really happy with the service and would highly recommend him to friends.
Repairs · September 2024 · Verified on Bark
Related
Kitchen renovations
A kitchen is the densest room in the house — services, ventilation, water and heavy cabinetry all landing inside four walls. Most of what goes wrong in one goes wrong behind the drywall.
What's in the scope →
Bathroom renovations
A bathroom is a small room with a water problem. Everything that matters in one is decided in the two days between the framing being closed in and the tile going on.
What's in the scope →
Basement finishing and suites
Finishing a basement is not a framing job. It is a water-management job that ends in framing, and the order matters more than anything else on this page.
What's in the scope →
Decks, siding and exterior work
The leaky-condo crisis is living memory in this province, and it is the reason drained, vented wall assemblies are standard practice here. Everything on the outside of a house in this region is a water-management detail.
What's in the scope →Ready to price it?
Send the age of the house, what you want changed and roughly when. That is enough for Azem to tell you whether he's the right call.