精华 Richcraft Vs. Urbandale and Riverside South Vs. Barrhaven

[qbonline]

Yes, I agree that that Minto has upgraded its standard feature quite a lot! For example, the ceramic floor in bath room, decorative switch, low-E argon windows, glass insert in Garage door, pot lights in kitchen (for single house) etc.

Potlights in kitchen? This is not mentioned on Minto's specification, but I did notice many of their quick occupancy homes have potilghts.

 

[xinjing]

Thank you BigBand and Cube1234.
I am very interested to buy a new home in riverside south from Richcraft or Urbandale. Whose standard is higher?
Which style is better: living room and dinning room together or separated?
I love one model that is built by Richcraft called Fillmore
http://www.richcraft.com/fillmore.htm
There are two choices for this model: three bed rooms with an office or four bedrooms with an office. The price is different about $10,000
My family has two children. My son is going to university next month and my little daughter stays with us. We do not have many friends and our parents are over 7o and live in China.
Which choice is better for my family and for resell? Three bed rooms or four bed rooms?
This is my first time to buy a new house; I am little nerves. I would like to hear your opinions.
Thanks.

 

[qbonline]

I have been to riverside south a couple of times. I believe Richcraft is building in two sites there: Creekside and the Landing. Creekside is closer to the major bus route, Spratt Rd, where you can catch bus 99 to South Keys. The Landing is like where rich people go, because it is closer to the river, but the builder will only build 50-60ft homes there.

Urbandale has a higher standard than Richcraft, but of course homes are more expensive. Some of the standard Urbandale features not included in Richcraft are: copper water pipe (some people prefer it because it is more durable than plastic pipe), thicker baseboard, and the standard wall colour looks better than Richcraft. Potlights in kitchen, lower & upper hall way (a total of ~10 potlights), and VALENCE lights (undercabinet potlights) are also standard. However, some people think that Richcraft's standards are already good enough. (Erratum: gas rough-in in kitchen and laundry, and kitchen potlights are standard features at both builders.)

I would say that for a family of your size, a 2500 sqft home with double-garage & 4-bed is about right. Among the 35ft and 43ft singles, 43ft is better (only if you have the money). 43ft singles give you a deeper yard, a wider front-look (enough room to put a garage, a large window, and a front-facing entrance). I know many of 35ft homes have entrance facing 45 degrees. or 90 degrees. These are not very good, not only in Feng Shui, but also not convenient for moving furniture.

For 35ft singles, you might want to consider Sunny Brae and Sapphire from Urbandale. There is a model home of Sapphire at RS. Sunny Brae is also popular, and I have seen one sold on Grapevine. What I like about these models is that they have large open-space, and the cathedral ceilings in multiple places.. I am sure that you will be impressed.

In my opinion, Urbandale has probably the best design, along with Mattamy and Monarch. But Richcraft's price range is more sensible, and it is a name that people can trust. Richcraft singles tend to feel dark inside, because the narrow windows on the sides do not gather much light. If you are set on Richcraft, you should also consider the cheapest 43ft singles: Finch and Deerhurst.

 

[苦逼热狗]

PVC pipe is easier for future maintenance compare with traditional copper pipe. This is more likely depends on the contractor.
Richcraft has gas bbq and gas stove rough-in. It's standard for my new townhouse
They also have 4xPotlights in the kictchen. well, at least for mine
To be honest, both builders are nice builders. People usually ends up with shopping over the model, floorplan and for sure, the location.

 

[小傻]

In terms of price, Landing is on par with Kanata Lakes; and Creekside is more or less as Deer Run in Stittsville.

As for standards, these two builders are comparble. Urbandale gives you Valence which in Richcraft is an $1500 to $2000 upgrade, but Richraft gives you crown modeling for the kitchen cabinet which I think Urbandale does not....Gas and BBQ rough-ins are standard for both builders...

I used to own an Urbandale house and now moved in to a Richraft one. Here is a quick comparison I made"

Sales
Urbandale's sales person is very strict with the price and changes you made. There is no way (or less way) for you to negotiate the price; Depends on the season (and mood), Richcraft's sales person sometimes can be flexible...

Both builders pay commission to relator, but the rate are quite different. Urbandale pays 2% up to $7500; Richcraft only pays flat rate @ $2000 for their singles (for out of twon customer, it is 2%). So if you hear your agent says bad thing about Richcraft, don't be suprised since Richcraft is pretty mean to them


Floor plan
In terms of the design, both Urbandale and Richcraft are pretty weak. Same floor plans with slight modifications have been used for years. Having said that, both of them do have some popular models. Minto is good at design.

阿土仔 from CFC is a super expert for floor plans He knows every floor plan from every builder in town, and have compared them in the past two years. I would strongly recommend you guys send him a QQH and ask

Building Standard
To be continued

After Sales Service
To be continued

 

[qbonline]

Just checked. You are right that Richcraft standard includes potlights in kitchen, and gas rough-ins. But potlights in hallway are standard only at Urbandale.

For those who live in a Richcraft home with potlights in the kitchen, how much difference is there between potlights and the white rectangular light fixture in the kitchen of older Richcraft home? I don't know if it is worthwhile to upgrade to potlights in my new home (not a Richcraft home). It seems like that potlights are not very bright, is it so?

 

[小傻]

...

For those who live in a Richcraft home with potlights in the kitchen, how much difference is there between potlights and the white rectangular light fixture in the kitchen of older Richcraft home? I don't know if it is worthwhile to upgrade to potlights in my new home (not a Richcraft home). It seems like that potlights are not very bright, is it so?

In terms of functionalities, I don't think there are much difference. It all depends on who is the boss at home

For example, my boss at home pushed to upgrade with the traditional valence lights (not puck lights) in kitchen which costed about $1700. We probably used it 3 or 4 times altogather since we moved in..

Pot lights are not cheap from any builder, and for kitchen you may need at least 6 +1 (above sink)...that's about $1800...

 

[BigBang]

You probably meant the undeveloped land along planned Transitway. But it's far north of current Richcraft lots. Further development like this along Longfields will probably turn that currently quiet road into an artery as city planned, but it won't devalue Woodroffe Estates properties much.

Besides, I really don't think where will be any apartments there in the future. Not many would rent apartments in a satellite town like Barrhaven. Probably we will see terrace homes there. But terrace homes are not cheap so residents there should have very decent income.

Woodroffe Estates 的位置的确不错. 但是, 那里有很大一块City的地. 前段时间报道说, City有plan在那里开发中低层的公寓. 总之,将来那个小区的环境有一些不定性.

 

[BigBang]

If you really really like the 3 bedroom option, then go for it. As I said before, you buy house for yourselves, not for some future buyers' preferences.

Otherwise, go for the 4 bedroom option. It's always better to have one extra room and you will find use for it. For resale's sake, single houses in this price range probably need 4 bedrooms to satisfy the majority of potential buyers.

Thank you BigBand and Cube1234.
I am very interested to buy a new home in riverside south from Richcraft or Urbandale. Whose standard is higher?
Which style is better: living room and dinning room together or separated?
I love one model that is built by Richcraft called Fillmore
http://www.richcraft.com/fillmore.htm
There are two choices for this model: three bed rooms with an office or four bedrooms with an office. The price is different about $10,000
My family has two children. My son is going to university next month and my little daughter stays with us. We do not have many friends and our parents are over 7o and live in China.
Which choice is better for my family and for resell? Three bed rooms or four bed rooms?
This is my first time to buy a new house; I am little nerves. I would like to hear your opinions.
Thanks.

 

[BigBang]

If I were ever to buy a house in Riverside South, I would definately choose the Landing site.

After all, greener environment and quietness are main (if not only) appeals of current Riverside South community. If you care so much about convenience of commuting that you'd rather sacrifice the rare riverside+forest park appeal (Kanata Lakes actually has no lakes and is close to man made golf courses), then why not just choose Barrhaven?

I have been to riverside south a couple of times. I believe Richcraft is building in two sites there: Creekside and the Landing. Creekside is closer to the major bus route, Spratt Rd, where you can catch bus 99 to South Keys. The Landing is like where rich people go, because it is closer to the river, but the builder will only build 50-60ft homes there.

Urbandale has a higher standard than Richcraft, but of course homes are more expensive. Some of the standard Urbandale features not included in Richcraft are: copper water pipe (some people prefer it because it is more durable than plastic pipe). The baseboard is thicker, and the standard wall colour looks better than Richcraft. Potlights in kitchen, lower & upper hall way (a total of ~10 potlights), and VALENCE lights (undercabinet potlights) are also standard. Many of these are trendy features (for look mostly), an average family might think that Richcraft's standards are good enough. (Erratum: gas rough-in in kitchen and laundry, and kitchen potlights are standard features at both builders.)

I would say that for a family of your size, a 2500 sqft home with double-garage & 4-bed is about right. And you should consider 35 and 43ft singles. 43-ft singles are of course more expensive, but these homes usually give you deeper yard (because the home itself takes up more horizontal space and saves vertical space for your yard), a wider front-look (enough room to put a garage, a large window, and a front-facing entrance). I know many of 35ft homes have entrance facing 45 degrees. or 90 degrees. These are not very good, not only in Feng Shui, but also not convenient for moving furniture.

For 35ft singles, you might want to consider Sunny Brae and Sapphire from Urbandale. There is a model home of Sapphire at RS for you to see. Sunny Brae is also popular, and I have seen one sold on Grapevine, so resale wise it is pretty good. What I like about these models is that they have large 2-storey open-space, and the cathedral ceilings in multiple places.. I am sure that you will be impressed.

In my opinion, Urbandale has probably the best design, along with Mattamy and Monarch. But Richcraft's price range is more sensible, and it is a name that people can trust. Richcraft singles tend to feel dark inside, because the narrow windows on the sides do not gather much light. If you are set on Richcraft, you should also consider the cheapest 43ft singles: Finch and Deerhurst.

 

[xinjing]

Thank you for everybody's replying.

If I have an agent help me, will the two builders pay commission to the agent?

Hi Qbonline,

Have your had chance to see the model home from urbandale called: Isla Vista? If you did, what do you think about this model?

Thanks

 

[苦逼热狗]

Richcraft pays $2000 commission to agent if it's in-town buyer (current address is within 100km or 200km around ottawa area)
$3000 for out-town buyer.

 

[阿土仔]

In terms of price, Landing is on par with Kanata Lakes; and Creekside is more or less as Deer Run in Stittsville.

As for standards, these two builders are comparble. Urbandale gives you Valence which in Richcraft is an $1500 to $2000 upgrade, but Richraft gives you crown modeling for the kitchen cabinet which I think Urbandale does not....Gas and BBQ rough-ins are standard for both builders...

I used to own an Urbandale house and now moved in to a Richraft one. Here is a quick comparison I made"

Sales
Urbandale's sales person is very strict with the price and changes you made. There is no way (or less way) for you to negotiate the price; Depends on the season (and mood), Richcraft's sales person sometimes can be flexible...

Both builders pay commission to relator, but the rate are quite different. Urbandale pays 2% up to $7500; Richcraft only pays flat rate @ $2000 for their singles (for out of twon customer, it is 2%). So if you hear your agent says bad thing about Richcraft, don't be suprised since Richcraft is pretty mean to them


Floor plan
In terms of the design, both Urbandale and Richcraft are pretty weak. Same floor plans with slight modifications have been used for years. Having said that, both of them do have some popular models. Minto is good at design.

阿土仔 from CFC is a super expert for floor plans He knows every floor plan from every builder in town, and have compared them in the past two years. I would strongly recommend you guys send him a QQH and ask

Building Standard
To be continued

After Sales Service
To be continued

写这么长，真有闲功夫，看来你还不够忙！顺便问一句： 你觉得 Security System rough in 有意义吗？总觉得家里没什么可偷的，看着当啷着几根线就心烦。不过话又说回来，现在不做的话，将来万一加 Security System 麻烦吗？

 

[小傻]

写这么长，真有闲功夫，看来你还不够忙！顺便问一句： 你觉得 Security System rough in 有意义吗？总觉得家里没什么可偷的，看着当啷着几根线就心烦。不过话又说回来，现在不做的话，将来万一加 Security System 麻烦吗？

I paid aorund $400 for the security ruogh-in for my first house, ADT only gave me $60 credit when they installed the system. The security system installer can "fish" the cable line easily...This is an upgrade not recommeded and I didnot do it this time.

The other upgrade may not be necessary is the waterline for fridge. I rememberd Richcraft charged me more than $200 for this, and it I got laughed by my co-workers...

DIY ba, I offer you all the tools necessary later on...

 

[阿土仔]

I paid aorund $400 for the security ruogh-in for my first house, ADT only gave me $60 credit when they installed the system. The security system installer can "fish" the cable line easily...This is an upgrade not recommeded and I didnot do it this time.

The other upgrade may not be necessary is the waterline for fridge. I rememberd Richcraft charged me more than $200 for this, and it I got laughed by my co-workers...

DIY ba, I offer you all the tools necessary later on...

太好了！又可以省几个大洋了，真是 “钱到用时方很少！”