Albertans save thousands on Sask.-built homes

[SpongeG]

what are these houses like? are they like trailers? they don't really look klike trailer homes though

A Saskatchewan company is giving Albertans facing skyrocketing housing costs a cheaper alternative.

McDiarmid Homes in Saskatoon turns out 100 ready-to-move homes each year, and 80 per cent have been sold to Albertans.

"Alberta's been a hot market for us," said company spokesman Brant Regush.

"Labour is a little cheaper here, which is fortunate," he said. "We're able to pass that on to the customer and with the delivery costs they're still able to save thousands of dollars."

This year, the company's new homes have been hauled on semi-trailers to lots from Fort McMurray to Lethbridge.

In Cremona, northwest of Calgary, David Reid's 1,600-square-foot, three-bedroom home arrived in one piece. The house, which cost $130,000, is just one of four Saskatchewan-built homes in the community.

He had to lay the foundation and install heating and plumbing, but the carpeting, tile work, painting and even the light fixtures had all been installed.

"We spent a weekend out there choosing colours and we left it to them, and when it showed up it was exactly as planned," he said.

"We probably saved ourselves $50,000 to $60,000 doing it this way."

http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/topstories/2006/12/12/ab-newhome.jpg

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2006/12/12/alberta-sask.html

[Boris2k7]

Hmmmm... pre-fab houses being mass-produced. Well, it looks like modular housing isn't that far in the future.

[Coldrsx]

^Modular CONDO TOWERS will be the next fun thing....

[Boris2k7]

I've heard about a project in Vancouver doing that if that is what you are thinking of...

[Coldrsx]

I've heard about a project in Vancouver doing that if that is what you are thinking of...

yup...it can be very simple actually and not far off lego....but structurally it has some issues.

[Distill3d]

according to MLS.ca there's a whole neighborhood in Regina with houses for sale for $11,000 - $19,000.

[Dylan Leblanc]

yeah, Washington Park

[ReginaGuy]

according to MLS.ca there's a whole neighborhood in Regina with houses for sale for $11,000 - $19,000.
what's your point? you can find houses for under $20k in any city. Except maybe in Alberta and BC. And those results include vacant lots

[Greco Roman]

what's your point? you can find houses for under $20k in any city. Except maybe in Alberta and BC. And those results include vacant lots

Don't mind him; he's just blowing smoke ;)

[Jay in Cowtown]

They're popular in rural areas where it is harder to find someone to build a house... and it's way cheaper.

[h0twired]

Now only if we could get some of Michelle Kaufmann's pre-fab houses in Alberta.

http://livemodern.com/mkd

[Dalreg]

what are these houses like? are they like trailers? they don't really look klike trailer homes though



http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2006/12/12/alberta-sask.html

They are RTMs. Ready to move. They are the exact same quality or maybe even better than on site built homes. Almost any home built can be moved. It is just a matter of jacking them up and towing them down the road. They are very common in rural Saskatchewan. As they can be built at a lumber yard in a larger community and then moved to the final site where ever that may be.

[SpongeG]

ah

prefab is pretty popular overseas isn't it?

[freeweed]

what's your point? you can find houses for under $20k in any city. Except maybe in Alberta and BC. And those results include vacant lots

He's probably just bitter because his monthly mortgage payment is approaching $20k. :haha: :haha: :haha:

[Only The Lonely..]

^Modular CONDO TOWERS will be the next fun thing....

The Winnipeg architecuture firm IKOY built a tower like this in pretty much every city in Western Canada. Winnipeg has two that I can think of.

Based on what I've read the materials and drawings for this building came right out of a box. I think they built the whole thing in less than 10 months.

It'd be cool if the a DIY kit for this thing was available at Rona.

http://canada.archiseek.com/manitoba/winnipeg/downtown/smith_street/images/le_chateau_york.jpg

[Coldrsx]

^yup the one in calgary and Edmonton are prominent.

[Only The Lonely..]

My best friend lives on the 21st floor of the building in the picture; the second top most suite on the left to be exact.

It's prefab construction at its best, but nothing beats getting shit faced up there.

[Only The Lonely..]

^yup the one in calgary and Edmonton are prominent.

Are the buildings in Calgary and Edmonton party buildings too? The Chateau York is the closest thing Winnipeg has to a twenty story fraternity. All that's missing is the greek letters over the door and a goat.

At all hours of the night you can find semi naked girls running around, guys puking in the hall and the odd vagrant drinking a Lucky in the pool.

[Coldrsx]

^not sure about calgary, but the one on jasper is mostly university/coll and some young proff so yes.

[Only The Lonely..]

Cool, I guess Winnipeg and Edmonton aren't that different afterall.

[Coldrsx]

Cool, I guess Winnipeg and Edmonton aren't that different afterall.


waiting for murman...

[Only The Lonely..]

waiting for murman...

Sure think about it..

1.) Winnipeg and Edmonton have two of the highest concentrations of people with Ukrainian ancestry outside Ukraine.

2.) We both compete for the title of crime capital of Canada.

3.) We're both provincial capitals.

4.) We're both passionate football towns

5.) We’re both blue collar towns...


I have a friend who lives in Edmonton and works at the Chorus station in town (Kissin country?) He said I'd never know the difference except for the fact that Edmonton still has its hockey team.

You guys are practically the Winnipeg of the North or we're the Edmonton of the south. Whatever way you look at it.. ;)

[h0twired]

^not sure about calgary, but the one on jasper is mostly university/coll and some young proff so yes.

In Calgary it is called Bromley Square. In the early 80s my dad's company had an office in the attached office space and they had a suite in the apt for employees to stay in while they were in town.

http://www.buysell.com/userphotos/profile/16112005_84914b.jpg

[Kevin_foster]

:O Houses for the amount my downpayment was!?

Yikes man, I gotta start an internet company. That way I can live in a $20,000 (or even $130,000) house and pay it outright :P.

Then I would proceed to build a starbucks right next to my place with the remainder of the proceeds. Call it Fort Bucks if you will

[mersar]

The Winnipeg architecuture firm IKOY built a tower like this in pretty much every city in Western Canada.

In Calgary it is called Bromley Square.

So this means we can blame Winnipeg for giving us the lunchbox? I believe the general consensus is that its one tower that we wish we weren't graced with. Especially due to its proximity to the Calgary Tower, and the inevitability that it ends up in most shots of it from the south.

I'm not sure what the breakdown on who lives there is, but its on the edge of the core so I'd imagine that its probably a good mix of people living there.

[MichaelS]

So this means we can blame Winnipeg for giving us the lunchbox? I believe the general consensus is that its one tower that we wish we weren't graced with. Especially due to its proximity to the Calgary Tower, and the inevitability that it ends up in most shots of it from the south.

I'm not sure what the breakdown on who lives there is, but its on the edge of the core so I'd imagine that its probably a good mix of people living there.

Wasn't there a rumour floating around a couple of months ago that Bromley Square was getting renovated (exerior included) by a company that recently purchased it? I hope so.

[ReginaGuy]

So this means we can blame Winnipeg for giving us the lunchbox? I believe the general consensus is that its one tower that we wish we weren't graced with. Especially due to its proximity to the Calgary Tower, and the inevitability that it ends up in most shots of it from the south.

I'm not sure what the breakdown on who lives there is, but its on the edge of the core so I'd imagine that its probably a good mix of people living there.
they gave us a lunchbox too, ours it called Embury Heights.. I didn't realise there were so many identical lunchboxes out there.. What was that winnipeg firm thinking!?

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/5377/216213tz1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Claeren]

So Bromley Square, the one on 10th ave, is completely pre-fab?

Were they concrete pre-fab units then? Or were parts (like walls) just assembled but finishing took place on site?


Anyone here know good online resources for the architectual side of high-rise prefab? The concept has always interested me and i am aware of the benefits and theories and such, but i am looking for more technical information... anyone?


Anyone with personal experience with prefab? (Of any type/scale, from any perspective - design, theory, or ownership, etc.)?



Claeren.

[Claeren]

they gave us a lunchbox too, ours it called Embury Heights.. I didn't realise there were so many identical lunchboxes out there.. What was that winnipeg firm thinking!?



Profit maybe?

:haha:



Claeren.

[freeweed]

they gave us a lunchbox too, ours it called Embury Heights.. I didn't realise there were so many identical lunchboxes out there.. What was that winnipeg firm thinking!?

As Claeren said, profit.

That, and there was no Internet back in the 60s/70s, so they didn't think anyone would ever notice. There's actually a lot of cookie-cutter highrise development from that period that you'd never notice unless you travel an awful lot.

[murman]

Sure think about it..

1.) Winnipeg and Edmonton have two of the highest concentrations of people with Ukrainian ancestry outside Ukraine.

2.) We both compete for the title of crime capital of Canada.

3.) We're both provincial capitals.

4.) We're both passionate football towns

5.) We’re both blue collar towns...


I have a friend who lives in Edmonton and works at the Chorus station in town (Kissin country?) He said I'd never know the difference except for the fact that Edmonton still has its hockey team.

You guys are practically the Winnipeg of the North or we're the Edmonton of the south. Whatever way you look at it.. ;)

:tup:

[Only The Lonely..]

The Lunchbox eh?

In Winnipeg it's referred to as the 'Milk Carton'..

I like the building's outward design as far as generic 70's high rises go. In Winnipeg, the downtown building is a little run down thanks to rent controls.

I'm not sure about the other tower in the Village?

I don't have a lot of info on how those buildings were constructed. However, I’ve had the chance to talk to one of the partners from IKOY; he went on at great length about how all of those buildings were pretty much thrown up over night.

Naturally, profit was the raw motivator. Just think about how much money you save if you don't have to generate a new set of architectural drawings each time you build a new tower.

[Only The Lonely..]

they gave us a lunchbox too, ours it called Embury Heights.. I didn't realise there were so many identical lunchboxes out there.. What was that winnipeg firm thinking!?

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/5377/216213tz1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Isn't this Regina tower at the corner of some numbered street and Winnipeg Ave? Weird..

[mersar]

The Lunchbox eh?

In Winnipeg it's referred to as the 'Milk Carton'..

We refer to ours as the lunchbox as the top of it features a solid horizontal bar thats separated from the actual roof by a good distance, and is supported on either side of the building, giving the impression of a handle.

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/8622/calbuilding9tt.gif

It's also twice the height of the others, coming in at 31 stories.

[Only The Lonely..]

^^^

That's a good lookin lunch box. I wonder who has the tallest?


Winnipeg's Chateau York has 24 floors and is about 319 ft. The top level has penthouse suites that contain a 2nd floor.


There's also a smaller one across the river that's about 15-17 stories.

Le Chateau York
http://www.rentcanada.ca/cityscape/smi132a.jpg

[YYCguys]

Wasn't there a rumour floating around a couple of months ago that Bromley Square was getting renovated (exerior included) by a company that recently purchased it? I hope so.

I thought I read it in the Calgary Herald some months ago. I don't recall if it were being reno'd as condos or remain as rentals though. But a reno is definitely needed for that very ugly building!

[YYCguys]

Now only if we could get some of Michelle Kaufmann's pre-fab houses in Alberta.

http://livemodern.com/mkd

Wow! Those are pretty cool! Pricey, but cool! I like the Sunset Breezehouse design and look the best! I agree that I'd like to see this company set up shop in Calgary! Boy, would it ever be popular, with our housing and labour crunch!

[Boris2k7]

mkSolaire

Lovely... http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/8867/hugcc4.gif

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6660/s1frontmy3.jpg

The mkSolaire™ modular home, MKD's newest product line, is an open, spacious, loft-like home designed to offer healthy living in the city. This is a perfect design for an urban-infill lot, or for any site where a family can enjoy a light/loft-like feeling in their home. This 2- or 3-story design works well for narrow lots, and is also particularly suited to multi-family developments where walls are shared and costs are reduced.

[Only The Lonely..]

^^^

Wow, it's hard to believe that's prefab.