Whole house¶
HVAC — ducted heat pump replacing baseboards, 2+ zones
Goal — heat in winter, cool in summer.
Ducted air-source heat pump replacing the existing electric baseboards. Looking at a "high-velocity" (small-duct) system — the small-diameter flexible ducts retrofit into a house that has no existing forced-air infrastructure without tearing up walls and ceilings. Brand up to the builder; if a different small-duct technology fits the retrofit cleaner, that's fine too.
Coverage — upstairs (4 bedrooms + master ensuite + upstairs bath) and main floor (foyer, living, dining, kitchen, main bath, sauna, rec room). Lower-floor garage and storage are not heated or cooled.
Vent placement
- Living room: floor vents
- Upstairs bedrooms: wall vents
- Other rooms: wherever fits the airflow + finishes
Zoning — minimum 2 zones (upstairs separate from main floor so bedrooms can be cooled independently for sleep).
Controls — Wi-Fi smart thermostat per zone for remote pre-conditioning before arrival.
Existing baseboards come out throughout the conditioned area — wall patching coordinated with painting.
Plumbing — poly-B → PEX, gas tankless
Replace polybutylene supply lines with PEX. Gas tankless replaces the existing electric tank.
Gas service — natural gas hookup is in progress with BC Hydro. BC Hydro is waiting on specs from the plumber to advance the hookup. Plumber's scope is gas plumbing into the house (distribution); the service connection itself is BC Hydro. The same gas service feeds the living-room gas fireplace — coordinate. Builder to drive the plumber + BC Hydro coordination so this stays on the critical path.
Hot water capacity — sized for 2 simultaneous showers max. 1-shower sizing is acceptable if it's notably cheaper. Washing machine also draws on hot water.
Crawlspace — full insulation
The crawlspace is open, so plumbing, electrical, and HVAC duct routing happen first to use the access; insulation goes in afterward.
Perimeter-insulation flavors (when encapsulating): rigid foam board (mid-cost, R-10 typical), closed-cell spray foam (premium — higher R-value + air seal in one pass), or mineral-wool / batt (cheapest perimeter, lower R per inch).
Flooring — wood-look durable floors, tile in wet rooms
Replace existing flooring throughout the conditioned area. Existing surface varies — mostly carpet, but the rec room currently has tile that's being pulled and replaced with the same wood-look material as the rest of the house.
Living areas + bedrooms — wood-look durable flooring. Material tier picked below.
Wet rooms (main bath, master ensuite, upstairs bath, sauna anteroom) — tile.
Heated floor (electric mat) only in the new main-floor bathroom.
Garage + lower-floor storage — existing concrete stays.
Interior doors — replace all (~12–15 doors)
Replace every interior door — bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, sauna, rec-room access — under a single specification rolled out consistently across the house. Hardware finish coordinates with the kitchen (matte black or brass).
Painting — new paint everywhere except wood
New paint everywhere — every room, walls + ceilings. Cedar walls preserved as wood; treatment / refinishing TBD. Doors painted as part of the door replacement. New paint and trim around doors, windows, and baseboards. Paint schedule (rooms / order / finishes) TBD.
Electrical — outlets, ethernet, service capacity
Outlets — replace in every room.
Ethernet — one drop for a Wi-Fi access point if easy while walls are open.
Service capacity — builder to confirm whether existing service handles the new appliance load. Removed: electric tank water heater. Added: induction range, ducted heat pump. Washer + dryer stay. Call out an upgrade if needed.
Other electrical work — builder to flag anywhere else in the house that needs redoing or upgrading.
Insulation
There's a noticeable draft in the living room. Possibly from vents in the bathrooms / wet rooms, or from cracks to the crawlspace. TBD — based on cost, see what we can do to mitigate.