A man pulled every dollar of equity from his home to build an ADU above his garage for his son. The contractor told him no permits were needed. No drawings. No investigation. Just started tearing the roof off the garage and building. $200,000 later, he has no roof on his garage, a stop work order on the property, and he is going back to work at retirement age to cover what that contractor cost him.

In the same week, a homeowner called Frontier because his basement renovation is now 180 days in when the contractor promised 90. The budget has ballooned 40% over a number that was already a fraction of what the project actually costs. He was given a quote in the $40,000 to $50,000 range for a $150,000 project.

These are not rare stories. And in EP06 of BuildCast, Jonathan and Chris are not gentle about what causes them.

They also go deep on site management challenges on complex infill and rural builds, the building materials that are changing how custom homes get built including LVL lumber and pressure treated LVL beams, thermal breaking and net zero construction, balloon framing versus platform framing and why the switch happened, and why the process that protects homeowners always starts before a permit is ever pulled.

Jonathan joins remotely from Nova Scotia this episode. The family company DNA runs throughout the whole conversation.

Two brothers. One mic. Zero filter.

TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Welcome to EP06, Jonathan joining remotely from Nova Scotia 1:53 Site management on complex infill builds in Brantford, Simcoe, and Hamilton 3:21 The crane story: how a roof structure almost pushed a foundation in 5:33 Family company DNA: why Frontier is built differently from the inside out 7:45 Three new home builds this summer including a custom home and a semi-detached infill in Simcoe 13:00 The contractor horror stories: a $200,000 ADU disaster and a 180-day basement renovation 18:20 "If anybody tells you you don't need a permit, you need a permit" 20:35 Minor variances explained: what they are and why they add months to a project 26:05 LVL lumber and pressure treated LVL: the building materials changing custom home construction 33:14 Balloon framing vs platform framing and why fire safety changed everything 35:44 Thermal breaking, net zero building, and what it means for the homes being built right now

ABOUT FRONTIER BUILDING GROUP Frontier Building Group is a women-led, family-owned design-build contractor founded in 2007 and based in Waterford, Ontario. We specialize in whole-home renovations, additions, and legal accessory dwelling units, managing every project from feasibility and design through permitting, construction, and after-care. We serve homeowners in Waterford, Brantford, Paris, Simcoe, Brant County, Haldimand County, Norfolk County, Ohsweken, and Six Nations. We are not the cheapest option. We are the one you call so you only have to do this once.

FIND US Website: https://www.frontierbuildinggroup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontierbuildinggroup/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrontierBuildingGroup/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@frontierbuildinggroup TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@frontierbuildinggroup LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frontier-building-group/ Call us: 519.448.3946 Email: info@frontierbuildinggroup.com