Well.  I guess you could say it’s been awhile.  But not without good reason!  You’ll have to keep reading to find out why though

To say that we’re slightly overwhelmed would be an incredible understatement at this point.  It might as well be July as January February – there might be snow on the ground, but that’s pretty much where the differences end.  We are grateful for the hustle (especially at this time of year) but I’m not sure who is getting less sleep at this point.  Phil would definitely say it’s him, RIGHT PHIL?

So, the good – and yes, there is plenty of it.  We are just about at quota for the 2012 construction season.  This tends to take the heat off somewhat, which is a relief.  The Rallan is currently listed for sale on MLS (#1011565) and is located at 170 Bonnie Drive in Lively.  We still have a lot at 82 Bonnie Drive and are hoping to come up with a plan (including a 2-3 car split garage) for it shortly.  Phil has tentatively decided to proceed with construction of the Kennedy on our Landreville lot – the view of Timberwolf Golf Course from this home won’t disappoint.  This home should be listed on MLS within the next 2-3 weeks.  In an ideal world anyhow. 

The Kennedy

 The bad – this is where I’m really struggling.  Not just with a few of the situations we’re dealing with, but how to share them on this forum while retaining my diplomacy.  Phil and I have had some tough conversations over the last few months, as some of the decisions we’re making have the potential to set precedent for our business in the future.  We usually begin by discussing what other builders would do in the same situation, and much like the roofing decision from this past fall, realize that we don’t typically make decisions the way other builders do.  This is great for our clients, but sometimes poor for things like our bottom line.  We try to respect the fact that our clients choose us because we’re different from other builders, and therefore have to solve problems differently.  And here’s my first disclaimer:  if a builder ever tells you that they have yet to have a problem, RUN.  I am a snob with perfectionist tendencies, a habit of trying to control every little thing both going into and coming out of our business, and yet we still have problems.  They’re out there.  Sometimes they’re small, and they sort of knock on your door to alert you of their presence with a bit of time to act.  More recently, they blow the whole house down leaving only the door standing.  Please keep in mind this is only imagery – we’ve never had a house blow down.  The other piece I’m finding to be a challenge is how to stay the same in a business that is constantly evolving.  It’s often been said that it’s easy to be good, to be kind, to be nice when things are going your way; the true test comes when things are not.   There is a big part of me that doesn’t want to do away with the good, the kind, the nice – even in the face of unprofessionalism and pettiness.  If this business changes me to that point, I feel that more has been lost than can be recovered.  This goes for Phil as well.  Long before we were married, I felt he was the fairest person ever.  They say you marry your father, and in this respect I have to agree.  Over the years, in business particularly, Phil has had many opportunities to take advantage of a situation some would call a “victimless crime.”  As in, he would profit, but not necessarily at someone’s expense.  Even in these cases, he takes the high road.  Every. Single. Time.  It’s not easy being married to someone like this, but I appreciate having him as my moral compass.  Please don’t tell him that part though.  The toughest part of working with someone with these high standards comes when someone else fails to act properly.  It really hurts him when something unfair occurs, especially if it could have been prevented or was done in a calculating or malicious manner.  In Phil’s world, everyone would be honest, would be fair, and while life wouldn’t necessarily be any greater, everyone would be on even footing.  So at this point, he’s struggling too.  I’m not sure I want to see a Monkhouse Homes where I don’t feel good buying a housewarming gift or Phil acts unfairly.  As much as we’re being pushed in that direction, I hope we can resist – at least a little while longer.

The (not-so) Ugly

Well, that last bit was pretty depressing.  Rest assured that we will live to see another day, to build another house.  Hopefully yours!  Anyhow, you know it’s some kind of day when THIS! improves your mood.  It’s an entirely different thing to pull over and covertly snap a photo.  This is what I call looking on the bright side.  It might also have something to do with potty training, which is a big topic in our home right now.  If just one of these toilets had been not just lavender in colour but covered in Dora stickers as well, you might have seen me on the news that night running across Kelly Lake Road carrying one, to the sheer amazement and unadulterated glee of our two-year old.  Small things, right?

"Where have you been all of my life?"

Okay, so you’ve been pretty patient.  The biggest reason (besides constant chaos and sheer laziness) for the delay in posting has been the big news for our family.  While Phil was busy building houses, you could say I was busy building our family.  This summer, our family will grow by 2 feet!  If you haven’t seen (what used to be) my waist lately, WE’RE EXPECTING!  I took this to mean my maternity leave was in immediate effect but unfortunately Phil is familiar with labour laws and sent me back to the office.  For another few months anyhow.  As I’ve said before, there is no light without dark.  In this case, there is no dark without light.  And boy, are we grateful for the light.

I guess you can consider this the second time I’ve posted about being humbled.  Only if you’re LIKE THAT and keep count, PHIL.

Last week the weather started to turn, and Phil had planned for a rain day.  In his mind, this means that he can tackle some paperwork, accomplish overdue planning, and have the computer all to himself for more than five minutes without someone screaming “Barney Barney Barney” (I’ll give you a hint – that person is not me).  In my mind, rain day is an altogether different animal.  I picture more of a family outing day, including plenty of daddy-daughter bonding time (where I get to have a nap).  Clearly, we were both about to be schooled.

The morning of the rain day, Phil received a text message from Mother Nature.  It read:

I.AM.NOT.PLAYING.

Okay, so it wasn’t actually from Mother Nature, but pretty close.  One of our favourite clients (and if you’re thinking that I describe all of our clients that way, you just might be right….) Mr. A sent Phil this photo:

Immediately, Phil knew his plans were going in the same direction that many of those shingles did – straight to hell.  I was disappointed too, as I figured my Starbucks visit was probably out the window too.  Feel free to cry yourself to sleep tonight.

So, Phil being Phil, he donned his new construction work clothes (really hunting gear but don’t tell the CRA…) and headed over to assess the damage.  Let me tell you, that photo did not lie.

Our concerns were different but equally important.  Yes, they were, Phil.  Being the one up on the roof, Phil was concerned for his safety and that of the other guys working.  He was worried about scheduling his (new) roofers.  He was worried about paying for all of this.  He was worried that water would leak into the A’s home and cause further damage and disruption.

Now, I know that you’re thinking I was worried about how to craft a clever yet poignant blog post about all of this.  And you would be WRONG.  Beyond being concerned about the homeowners (always), I was concerned about perception.  As in, how other builders/developers in that subdivision, as well as potential clients would perceive the quality of our construction.  Add to this mess the fact that I had told a very serious (I hope!) potential client to drive through the subdivision and pay special attention to our homes.  One of which no longer had an intact roof.  Do I need to show you the picture again?

So, the last thing I was planning on doing was writing about this, especially with photographic evidence.  Until I realized that this is the kind of opportunity money can’t buy.  Well, besides paying for a new roof anyhow.  Monkhouse Homes didn’t have to fix this.  We could have asked the homeowner to submit a claim through his own insurance.  We could have pushed him to contact Tarion.  We could have ignored his call, his text.  But that isn’t us.  Even though the roof is less than two years old, we know that it should be performing better.  So we’re replacing it.  It won’t be cheap.  It won’t be easy.  But it’s the right thing to do.

After my Dad died, I struggled with the overwhelming task of dealing with his estate as well as my grief.  Sometimes I wanted to give up.  Until someone told me:

“the RIGHT thing and the HARD thing are usually the SAME thing.”

There you are, just waiting around the corner.  Right next to hindsight and oh yes my best friend REASONABLE EXPECTATION.  Clearly, it’s been awhile.

Not sure how many others have a husband willing to phone-flirt (yes, it’s a word) with Eastlink in order to obtain Leafs TV and HBO for a free trial subscription, but if you do and you watched the documentary Homeless: The Motel Kids of Orange County last night, you are totally with me when I say WOW.  Here I am (like most of you, probably) worried about choosing the right kitchen faucet, hollering at a supplier when an install is late, or praying that the family room colour isn’t too-whatever.  Cue these children – incredibly sweet, very smart, and living with their entire family in one motel room.  Which just happens to be across the street from Disney Land.  Obviously, because life just isn’t cruel or ironic enough.  There is a definite tie-in with housing here, and I’m really trying to figure out a way to contribute, even in some little way, to this cause.  We are considering donating a portion of each home sale to Project Hope School, which is featured in the film and was created to accommodate these kids (50 weeks of the year) so that they don’t fall through any more cracks than what they have already.  Their website is www.projecthopeschool.org and they accept donations directly through the site. 

Watching this sadly truthful documentary did not unfortunately prevent me from feeling absolutely sorry for myself this morning as I drove through Azilda.  No, it’s not Azilda’s fault, just some sad memories about a happier time there.  Anyhow, I was on my way to visit a client from last year and I was armed with these:

Enter deliciousness.  I take no credit whatsoever – thanks to Custom Cakes and Treats on Lasalle. 

Monkhouse Homes created a new policy last week in light of moving from a “new” company to a company with clients who have been in their homes for years instead of mere months.  Or weeks.  Or days, right S family? Each year, on the anniversary of the closing date, our clients can count on seeing me (you were expecting Phil??) as well as some goodies, which are going to stay under wraps on the blog for the time being.  This is a great opportunity to catch up, hear about what’s right (and even what’s not-so-right) with the home and complete any necessary Tarion paperwork (30 day form, one-year form, two-year form).  First visit was implemented today, and happened to be with one of our nicest clients.  Apparently there are no coincidences.  Anyhow, this couple has a stunning home in an incredible setting and an eye for decorating like I’ve never seen.  Her colour scheme is unconventional but totally works.  The coffee was just right, we had a great chat, and I left with – what’s that?  Oh, right.  PERSPECTIVE.  Azilda, you totally rock.  Thanks to N, that’s not ALL I left with:

I call her Difficult Customer.  Just kidding. 

So, not sure Phil will count this towards my official post quota (oh yes, now that I have readers, he’s all into this “little” project and has even requested editing rights.  As if…) but I thank you for sticking with this my musings on what sometimes feels like everything except new construction, and if you’re new, no, they’re not ALL like this.

Wow.  We’ve finally had a few minutes to process all of the excitement from the last few days and all I can say is…wow.

Monkhouse Homes was chosen as the host builder for the LEEP / TAP initiative project unveiling on September 29, and we are so fortunate that our soon-to-be (happy) homeowners allowed us to use their home as the showcase site.  In addition to being incredibly easy to work with and so gracious about the event, they even attended!  The turnout was wonderful – I could not get over how many media representatives were there.  And yes, I shamelessly PVR’d Phil’s TV appearance :)   The President of EnerQuality came all the way from Toronto (not to be outdone by Natural Resources Canada from Ottawa), and it was great (as always) to see a familiar face from Union Gas.  SDHBA board members showed their support (and as fellow builders, this was meaningful!) as did some of our suppliers and reps from the City.  Laura from the Association did a great job putting the event together and completely amazed Phil and I with the speaking notes that she prepared for him.  In terms of hospitality, my eternal gratitude goes to Dave from 38 Gourmet who made sure that this crowd of (mostly) men did not leave hungry.  They could have eaten a little more though so that the leftover cookies didn’t find their way into my kitchen mouth.  Last but not least, shout-out to Michaels (and not “Michael’s – thanks for the correction…) and the two ladies working in the floral design department.  Last week, I popped in to find a seasonally appropriate arrangement for this event and was BLOWN AWAY by what they created while I waited patiently (and the baby waited not-so-patiently).  Are you feeling the love yet?

So, on to LEEP / TAP.  Have had this on my list of post topics forever, but have been secretly not-so-secretly dreading writing anything about it.  Thanks to my almost-sister Kelly who posted an Einstein quote on facebook this week to get me motivated : “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”  Bingo. First, the acronyms:  LEEP stands for Local Energy Efficiency Partnership and TAP stands for Technology Adoption Pilot.  Can you believe the government came up with that??  Just kidding, JAMES.  This program was initially launched in London, Ontario and more recently in four regional Home Builder Associations (London, BILD Toronto, Hamilton/Niagara, and Sudbury if you care…).  I laughed reading the program backgrounder when I came across the following: “Within each local a group of enthusiastic builders…” That would be putting it mildly when it comes to Phil and energy efficiency.  Let’s just say we’re lucky to have a child with all the bedtime reading he does… So each builder constructed a Discovery home and implemented various energy efficient technologies such as triple-glazed windows, ICF foundations, solar-ready systems, etc.  As much as we enjoyed and benefited from participating in this program, many of the technologies were features that we have previously included in our homes.  Not that I’ve ever been accused of blowing our own horn…

If you’d like further info on the LEEP / TAP program, you can either visit www.enerquality.ca or our personal residence, as Phil would never turn anybody looking to discuss green building away.  I kid you not.   Here is some of the media coverage from the event:

                Q 92’s online blog post: http://blog.rogersbroadcasting.com/q92sudburynews/2011/09/29/5-sudbury-home-builders-part-of-technology-adoption-pilot-tap/

                CBC radio interview with Phil: http://www.cbc.ca/pointsnorth/episodes/2011/09/30/new-environmental-standards-for-home-builders/

So, a big thank-you once again to everyone involved in the project and the host home tour in September.  And now, photos. 

It was as good as it looked...

Short formal program followed by a tour followed by my ego enlarging...

No, Phil was not retouched. And yes Mr. McBurney, I am SHAMELESS

After a few months of (ongoing) unpacking, I managed to find my soap box.  It turns out I can’t be humble for long.  You are shocked, I know.  Anyway, the subjects of my fury this post have a few things in common but the most outstanding one would be a total and complete lack of ethics.  Oh, and the desire to argue with me which Phil anybody will tell you is a fool’s mistake. 

One night last week, Phil brought the ipad up to bed (the man never stops playing Angry Birds working) and pulled up a listing for a bungalow in the Grenoble Court subdivision for one of our houses (the Ashbury).  Now, I’m good – but I’m not THAT good.  Listings are usually a pretty big deal around here, and while I’ve had some “off” weeks, never have I missed a listing.  Well, it turned out that while the house was indeed one we had built, it was another builder’s listing.  I DID NOT SLEEP THAT NIGHT.  I know – people are starving and dying in the world – but this listing made my blood boil.  The next morning, I phoned the realtor to ask why ON EARTH he would use a photo of one of our homes (that someone is actually living in) to advertise his builder.  I expected embarrassment, sheepishness, hesitation, and a big.fat.apology.  Apparently this was not my day.  Or was my day, if you consider that I LOVE ARGUING MOOT POINTS.  First, he explained that he didn’t know it was MY house.  I pointed out that it was somebody’s house, right?  Then he said it wasn’t HIS fault that the builder hadn’t built this model before and he needed a photo of SOMETHING for the listing.  The details are still hazy, but I think it was this point that made me snap.  EVERY new model for us is exactly that – a new model.  So, how do we obtain material with which to advertise?  We pay approximately $2000 to a company specializing in construction renderings.  And that sum doesn’t even begin to include the amount of time that I spend with that company making sure that every detail down to the window panes reflects the image of our company.  I guess I really am the idiot here – why would I go to all of this trouble when I could simply drive around town with my cell snapping (crappy) photos of unsuspecting homes that I hadn’t built, didn’t own, and most certainly hadn’t bothered to obtain permission to photograph. And then advertise as being for sale.  Can you imagine how you might feel if you were to see YOUR HOME on mls.ca??  After bringing up this last point in vain, I could tell that the conversation was not going anywhere. I asked him to remove our photo before the end of the day.  You can really tell that he is a detail-oriented individual because although the photo was removed (leaving a blank image in its place) the description of the home still reads “to be built similar to photo.”  Survival of the fittest in this industry still exists, right? 

We have been (and continue to feel) excited about the Grenoble Court subdivision, but one issue we find challenging is the plethora of (okay, two) private builds in the development.  Should you have lots of time on your hands and enjoy the prospect of me talking AT you for about six or eleven hours, please message me so that I can tell you why I am against private builds.  Because although this post is long, there isn’t enough room on the internet for my rant on THAT one.  Anyhow, there is a privately-built home for sale in the subdivision currently, and when I spoke with the listing agent (not the same one as above, but they have got to be from the same circular family tree) he told me that there is “nothing wrong” with what his client is doing.  When I pointed out that what his client is doing is illegal, I got *crickets* on the phone.  I assume because this realtor is so used to playing it unsafe that the word “illegal” didn’t even faze him.  Again, there was not much use in arguing with what amounted to an overpaid brick wall, so I dropped it.  It’s my hope that all of those precious dollars I send to Tarion (I can hear the illegal builders now – “Terry who???”) are going to be put to good use this quarter in laying some heavy fines.  For the love of all things good, I need a good night’s sleep

Well, this IS getting long, but I hate to end on a negative note.  Anybody who attended George Vanier PS in Lively BEFORE they demolished it might remember a creepy little poster downstairs outside of the library.  It featured a disturbing looking painter splashing paint all over the sun (and himself).  The motivating slogan was “it’s hard to spread sunshine without getting a little on yourself.”  Cheesy, but also applicable to negativity.  So, I’ll end with a laugh, courtesy of Michael’s.  SHOUT OUT to them…more about that in the next post.  For now, here’s what Everleigh and I picked up for the office this week – I’ll just say that Phil is less than impressed.  Considering the kind of month we’re having, I say the timing couldn’t have been better.

September…back to school, back to business, back to brass tacks.  My sincere apologies for the extreme gap in time (um, April??) between the last post and this one, but hello?  New, updated web site? You’re welcome, Phil. 

A well-earned shout out to Red Cow Technology on the east coast (that’s Canada and NOT India…) and the fabulous Andy Carr, Kristelle Morgan, and Ryan MacVicar who have worked through some challenging technical issues in order to bring our site back to being as close to perfect as can be.  Thank you for your sense of humour and understanding that no, I wasn’t really joking when I just asked that question ANDY.

The 2011 construction season was a hot one – both literally and figuratively.  If you haven’t been through the Grenoble Court subdivision in some time, GO. NOW.  Just kidding.  Sort of.  We were so proud to have the first house up in the neighbourhood, and have added a second, the Camden.  It’s fabulous and features the James Hardie fibre cement siding that I have raved about in the past.

The downside (as we quickly learned…oh fate, why did we tempt you?) of testing a product that is not widely used in our area is a complete lack of qualified installers.  I have never personally spent so much time on site and on the phone with contractors and guess you can say spent a few weeks in Phil’s shoes.  More like work boots.  Gross.

Thanks to Shawn and his dad Paul (aka Jingles) the project was completed and our newest clients (I call them the M&M’s) were able to call this house home.  The experience did not come without a large dose of humility though, as this was our first and hopefully last delayed closing.  Never again will we be able to tell a prospective client (hopefully, that’s you) that we’ve never been late on a closing.  However, we can tell you that we’ve been through the process and lived to tell the tale.  Hopefully I’m not speaking out of turn when I say that the M&M’s are relatively pleased with the way we handled the situation AND continue to invite us to their parties.  We really like parties.

Monkhouse Homes was also thrilled to work with two custom clients this summer – one home will be featured as part of the LEEP / TAP initiative and should be completed shortly.  You might say we committed a robbery on the second one – that is, we “stole” clients away from a pre-fab home builder in Montreal.  You’re welcome, Ontario. They had made a deposit and finalized their prints before realizing they could not live in anything less than one of our homes.  Or something like that…

Construction has also been started on the Rallan, an impressive two-storey home on Bonnie Drive in Lively.  Pricing and details to come, but it’s a large home and will be stunning.  Promise.

To close this season, we’re also doing one last home in Grenoble Court before calling it quits for the year and flying to our winter home in Monaco.  Right…  The Linden is a 1650 square foot bungalow and is a brand new design both for us and for Sudbury.  I won’t say you’re welcome again.  Thanks though to Mr. S, our designer extraordinaire who really doesn’t get enough credit for the great work that he does.  I was once told by a brilliant realtor in Southern Ontario that layout is everything.  Paint, flooring, even entire kitchens can be changed, but you have to live with a layout forever.  Pretty much anyhow.  So we’re doing our best to give you what you want.  Phil has found that the best way to get what he wants is to tell me REPEATEDLY until I have no choice but to give in.  So, follow his lead and let me know what you like.  Comments from people not selling Viagra or trying to get me to download music illegally would be refreshing.  Email or facebook (like our page – please!) messages are also welcome.

To close, thanks for your patience, your interest, your love.  Served on the side, you’re really helping this pie go down.