The custom home building process

"We have been working closely with Chris during construction of our dream home since June. It is a pleasure to observe Chris's keen eye for design and style. Each phase of the building has been executed professionally with the best sub-trades in Victoria. Chris takes pride in his work and it is reflected in our home."

"Nadine and I are both very fortunate to have had the opportunity to build a new home. And, more importantly, it's been a great experience for us having Chris involved. I believe I've told Chris in the past that despite the beautiful homes he has built, we wouldn't have gone down this road if we hadn't have met him."

"It is our pleasure to write a glowing testimonial to Chris Walker and his crew at Christopher Developments. Our project required the complete demolition and rebuild of an existing recreational property that had been in our family for over 75 years and had cherished memories to protect and enhance for many years to come. In short, a very important undertaking. We did extensive research of local award-winning builders including site visits and interviews and concluded that Christopher Developments had the right combination of experience, creativity, process control and integrity. Since we live in Toronto, it was imperative that we had a high degree of trust that Chris would manage the daily issues that arose and contact us immediately if we were required on site. He did not disappoint. His ability to add design touches “on the fly” and present ideas via CAD capabilities were exceptional. Chris’ partner Joan managed the budget and expense side of the relationship with timeliness and precision, sending detailed costing on a bi-weekly basis and meticulously checking each and every cost for accuracy. We did not find one mistake over the 18-month term of the project. Critical to the success of Christopher Developments are his team of Site Supervisors and trades who were all without exception polite and courteous and capable. “The proof is in the pudding” as they say and to that extent we were thrilled with both the journey and the final product."

"Chris Walker, of Christopher Developments, has designed our new home in Victoria and he is now in the process of building it. The home is a redevelopment on the site of a pre-existing home. Chris has carried the project seamlessly through rigorous environmental and architectural requirements. The project is both on time and on budget. Chris has been able to anticipate and identify complications. He's assembled very professional sub trades who are technically superior, as well, they try to minimize their impact on the neighborhood. I highly recommend Christopher Developments if you're looking to build a quality home with the knowledge that you're going to get exactly the home you've always wanted."

"This letter is for anyone who has the good fortune of both having the opportunity to build a custom home, and having the opportunity to hire Chris Walker for project management. We met Chris in September 2008, shortly after we purchased our lakefront lot. His article in the Sept '08 B.C. Home magazine prompted us to contact him, but he was also referred to us by the Parkins. Right away, we found Chris to be approachable, attentive and keenly interested in our future home. Although he had us at "hello", we went through the process of interviewing several other award winning builders, but no one else seemed to measure up to Chris in terms of both personality, and quality of workmanship of his past homes. We worked with Chris on a consulting basis for almost a year prior to construction commencing. Throughout that time, Chris gave valuable input into the design of our home, saving us thousands of dollars on paper by advising our design team from a builder's point of view, and in the process, helping us to create an even better and more functional home. After going through various time consuming processes, including a variance application and a geothermal application, we were able to start construction mid-summer 2009. Immediately upon entering the project management phase, Chris was feverishly lining up trades so that we could get our roof on in time before the rains came. It quickly became evident to us that Chris has a knack for attracting and retaining excellent tradespeople. Trades love working with Chris because he is highly organized and rarely does anything go awry when working on his job site. Chris has also been open minded to working with trades that we already knew prior. There has not been one day in the last six months where there hasn’t been at least a few trades people working on our home, as Chris has been synchronizing everyone perfectly. Chris is absolutely unflappable; he carries himself well and is a respectful and clear communicator. Whether dealing with the City on an inspection, or supervising the construction assistant, he treats everyone equally and with respect, and has extremely high standards for himself and others. With this being our first experience building, we have asked Chris many questions along the way. He usually responds to our emails within 24 hours, no matter how trivial they may seem. To Chris, every detail is important and deserves attention. Chris's wife, Joan, handles the administration and statement preparation. She is always very pleasant, her statements are easy to understand, and the books and records are always available to view upon request. Everything is transparent. It is extremely rare to find the qualities of design talent, artistic vision, coordination, efficiency, assertiveness, and effective communication all in one person. We have no doubt in our mind that Chris is in the top percentile of home builders in Victoria. A custom home, a dream home, is usually not just a family's biggest investment financially; it is also a family's biggest investment emotionally. This is your home, your sanctuary, your personal space. The most important decision you will make is who you choose to be your project manager. We suggest that you do not make this decision lightly. Your project manager is like the conductor of an orchestra; you can have the best trades in the world, but without someone like Chris at the forefront, you do not have beautiful music, you simply have noise. We wholeheartedly recommend Chris Walker, he has been a consistent performer from day one, and our home would not have been of the same calibre without his involvement. Please contact us at 250-478-8262 should you require more information."

"Working with Christopher Developments, we have gone from bare land to living in our new home. Of the many capabilities we evaluated in selecting our builder, one of the early benefits that helped us select Christopher Developments was Chris Walker's creative inspiration. Chris had the reputation, organization and professionalism that you would want for your partner in building a custom home. In addition he had the creative talent to put a design on paper and then deliver on that vision. Christopher Developments had access to high quality trades and suppliers. We found them to be professional and timely but with that old-world pride in their workmanship. Due to the attention to all details, from the build as well as budgeting, we felt informed and comfortable with the process. On many occassions Chris presented creative alternatives to our requests/concerns and executed flawlessly. Throughout the process Chris listened to any concerns and worked with us to deliver our home that has met, and often exceeded the original concept."

"We had intended to interview multiple contractors for our project, to be absolutely certain we found the right partnership but, after our first meeting with Chris, we looked no further. We couldn’t be happier that we trusted our instincts. From start to finish, building our home was an enjoyable experience. Beginning with Chris and Joan, all of the professionals, trades people and suppliers involved were highly skilled and respectful. Any concerns we had or changes we requested were addressed promptly and resolved to our satisfaction. And, most importantly, with the job completed, we love our new house."

"Chris Walker is the best overall home builder I have ever worked with. His even keel temperament and work ethic engenders a successful work climate that produces great results. Chris' sense of responsibility about his role in the client contractor relationship gave us a realistic budget, on-time scheduling, and reliable feedback throughout the process. He has solid experience and displayed focused attention to detail, both on the job site, as well as in record keeping. In addition, Chris has an architect's creative eye that has yielded ideas and outcomes with the finish work on the house that has been impressive. I would recommend Chris Walker to friends and associates without reservation."

"It was a pleasure to have Christopher Developments design and build our home. Chris was attentive to our design needs, creating elegant solutions that are both aesthetic and practical. Chris is truly service oriented and has such a professional and keen eye to make every detail of our house precise. You feel as if he is treating your house with the same care and attention that he would building a house for his family. Chris’ high standards are evident with his hands on involvement in the building process and in the trades he selects to perform the work. All the companies he chooses to build are held accountable and provide excellent craftsmanship. The accounting for our home was transparent, timely and accurate. Throughout the build, billing was done on a consistent two week basis measured against our targeted budget that we established at the beginning of the process. This aspect of working with Chris and Joan is probably overlooked because of the beautiful home that is created but knowing you are within budget and that the finance portion of the project is accurate and fair is a welcome bonus of working with Christopher Developments."

"At our first meeting with Christopher Walker we were impressed and instinctively knew we could trust Chris’s expertise and attention to detail to build our custom home. It was a complicated build due to the lot location and regulation restrictions and as we were not local, we had many concerns. Chris was calm and attentive and always available to answer our many questions as the whole process was so new to us. His valuable knowledge and guidance was genuine and his ability to organize and make our dream home a reality was nothing short of amazing. Chris’s reputation and team of qualified trades is invaluable. Even now, with our beautiful home complete, Chris’s pride and commitment is very much evident when dealing with any questions we have. We are so lucky and thankful that Chris Walker was available for our project. It takes a very special team with a very special skill set to achieve the results that Christopher Developments achieves on each and every project. Chris’s vision, determination and passion ensures success for all involved with a special injection of the WOW factor to take it to the next level!"

"Building our home with Chris was a pleasure. He was calm, thoughtful, resourceful and creative. His team was held to high standards and they delivered. We could not have been happier with the process or results. What impresses me is the commitment to excellence from beginning of the planning process through construction and even after taking occupancy. Chris is absolutely dedicated to 100 percent client satisfaction."

"From the first time we met with Chris we knew that he would be the one to help us design and build our dream home. His calm and attentive demeanor put us at ease for all the decisions that lay ahead. His attention to detail and extremely high standards were evident in all of his previous builds and he did not disappoint in this regard. Every trade that Chris works with is held to his high standards. The most important and impressive attribute was Chris's constant communication with us throughout the entire process. He answered every call and text and he was always there for us with our best interest in mind. Our new home exceeded our expectations and we pinch ourselves every day that we get to live in such a beautiful home."

"Our choice of Christopher Developments occurred after researching two homes near our property only to find they had both been built by Chris. Living out of province during the planning phase and for the first 6 months of construction required someone we could trust and communicate with. Chris has a talented group of people that he works with. Highly skilled craftsmen with amazing problem solving skills and an appreciation of what he is trying to achieve. Chris’s attention to detail in every aspect of the build and constantly communicating with us to ensure our wishes were met was so appreciated. Joan who is an integral part of the running of Christopher Developments carefully guided us through the financial responsibilities and provided full transparency on all aspects of the costs involved. The house was created and built with an emphasis on Care, Skill and Trust. We now have a beautiful home."