Riko Passive Homes
Riko Passive Homes is Richard LeBlanc.
My passion for building things started at a very early age. I began following my father’s footsteps in the trade. Helping out on odd jobs during my school years to building a few houses a year was enough for me to leave my federal government job to open Riko Passive Homes and build homes full time. The old saying is true; find something you love to do and you’ll never work a day in your life!
With 15 years experience, I have built a strong portfolio; building houses, duplexes and rental units. It is important to understand what clients want when shopping for a home and ensuring the biggest investment of their lives is a good one.
Having done most of the trades hands on, including framing, roofing, siding, installing windows and doors, insulating, painting, installing flooring, staining and varnishing staircases and cabinets, doing finish work, etc., gave me a very strong understanding of what to look for when choosing the right subcontractors. I believe this is the best method to learn the trade. After all, home builders don’t require a licence or formal training to build a home and depend largely on employees and subcontractors. We base ourselves mostly on experience!
Choosing the Right Home Builder
1. Quality of the work – Visiting previously built houses or houses for sale by the builder will give you a good perspective on the quality and attention to detail of a builder.
2. Reputation – What people say about the builder tells a lot about his work.
3. Good working relationship with the builder – Feeling comfortable with the person you are hiring to build your home is important. Will you be dealing with multiple individuals or departments or will you be dealing with the same person for pre-sale, during construction and after sale? How accommodating will your builder be to changes?
4. Site visits – Will your builder be regularly visiting the site? Correctly managing subcontractors, locking doors at night, cleaning between trades? These are all factors that contribute to the quality of the end product.
5. Easily accessible – How easy will it be to reach your builder during and after construction? Does he promptly reply to messages? How often than not do you get him when you try to call him? How many projects are being built during any given time? How much attention and priority will your project have?