Bring Your Dream Home To Life.
Niagara Custom Home Builder.
Dedicated Custom Home Builder in Niagara
We use insulated concrete forms (ICF) for quality custom home builds and renovations.
Custom Home Building & Renovation Services
We Are A Top Rated New Home Builder Niagara Region, ON
We build all year round. While most builders typically use wood frames, Authentic Homes Inc. uses insulated concrete forms which allow for an uncompromised home building process which is mostly unaffected with our winter climate. The key advantage to you is a durable and energy efficient home.
While this may sound as though we are generalists, this really means that we offer you a centralized way to manage your custom home build or renovation project.
Authentic Homes Inc. does not have a monopoly on skill, so we work together with other professionals and trades to ensure we bring to reality your project objectives. This includes design, planning, financing and of course, post construction service
You can still build your custom home without starting afresh. This is where remodels and renovations come in. We have always believed that although some older dwellings may not seem attractive, they still do have what we call "good bones" allowing untapped potential.
Our expertise gives you the quality and refreshed home you may be looking for. With our end-to-end project management we will help you determine the true value of your current home, the needs and conditions structurally then determine with you the likely real estate value. As we do this, it'll give us a good idea to advise you on the best steps forward whether your goal is to use it as an investment or reestablish it as your home
Many people who come to us love the neighborhood they live in when they find that their current home no longer suits their lifestyle, or family. They do come to us to explore building a custom home on a new lot, however, in many situations a home addition or extension may suit their compromise.
Mixing an addition with a remodel comes close enough to a new home build while keeping you in your neighborhood.
Not just any type of swimming pool but we build custom swimming pools as part of the custom lifestyle you seek. Our experience with custom landscaping and integrating your swimming pool into your backyard oasis is part of our experience and skill.
Our pool design and construction utilizes insulated concrete forms rather than fiberglass, liner or the popular container pools, because it gives you endless possibilities, flexibility and durability of your finished product.
We provide you affordable and creative hard rock, brick and stone landscaping including walkways, retaining walls and water features to match your goals and custom home. This design and construction is custom and meant to last and augment your project needs.
Our focus is on creating and maintaining "green spaces" as well as implementing an environmentally friendly construction philosophy.
We are a full-service design & new home builder in Niagara. Custom renovations and additions round out our expertise.
Authentic Homes specializes in custom new home builds, home additions and renovations within Niagara and surrounding areas. We have been building quality projects for over 30 years. Our reputation for excellence is unparalleled both with consumers and industry alike. We are one of a few builders and construction firms that utilize insulated concrete forms as a cornerstone of our home building and design philosophy.
As an experienced custom home builder in Niagara we create quality lifestyles for homeowners. Our building process and insulated concrete forms give your custom home energy efficiency and durability.
Past Custom Home Building Projects
What do you envision for your new home build or renovation?
I was impressed that they were able to build what we had envisioned as our beautiful home
F. Dicarlo - toronto
I met Paul a number of years ago when I contacted Authentic Homes to complete a full renovation, adding a third floor room and addition using ICF. I then contacted them to build my storage structures and ICF inground concrete swimming pool. I was impressed that they were able to build what we had envisioned as our beautiful home.
Since then I have sought their services to work on my parents home, renovations to my in-laws home and an ongoing services contract to oversee any repairs needed to a site in downtown Toronto. I recommend Paul and his team at Authentic Homes to anyone looking for quality workmanship or if I run into anyone that says they have a project or need a reliable contractor
satisfaction
100%
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why work with us
As your Niagara custom home builder we guarantee reliability and quality.
Build and renovate your home with confidence! Our promise lies in our safe and sustainable building process using energy efficient materials.
Are we the best custom home builder in Niagara for your project?
Durability, quality and flexibility of design. In other words, your home will last longer, feel more comfortable and will be built with higher quality materials. Most standard homes meet the minimum municipal code requirements as a baseline. This is why many people have to do renovations to an existing regular standard home. You will have more options for your materials and design such as architecture, stucco, siding, brick and flooring types
We do still use traditional stick frames for building some of our clients homes.
Insulated concrete forms (ICFs) are cast-in-place concrete walls that are sandwiched between two layers of insulation material, usually expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam insulation forms. The foam blocks are stacked as interlocking blocks, connected with steel reinforcing rods. They offer well-insulated, airtight, energy-efficient building enclosures. Also, ICFs are a great fit for regions prone to severe weather because of their system strength. See image below:
The building perimeter walls made from ICF are not framed, therefore overall framing costs are reduced. Total home energy consumption is reduced, thereby not only reducing your energy bills, 60-70 percent, but also reducing the negative impact on the environment. One of the biggest benefits of using ICF is the continuous insulation on both sides of the wall that virtually eliminates thermal bridging and energy loss.
ICF building technology offers resilient buildings that withstand severe weather events like hurricanes, tornados and floods better than stick-built construction. Many new ICF homes include a safe room designed for emergency situations.
It depends on the local market in terms of costs of material and labor, and experience of the contractors involved. But that’s also the case with a wood-framed custom home as well.
Using ICF wall construction generally adds about 2% to 4% of the house construction cost. This is a rule of thumb only, actual prices are influenced by many factors, such as particular architectural features, site issues and are subject to local market demands as well.
Yes. We believe this to be very important because we do not believe you can build a custom home in a vacuum. We handle all aspects on your behalf as well as working together with your other professionals like architects and designers. Anyone working on your project as a sub-contractor is pre-vetted by us and has worked with us over several years. Here are some of the areas we manage the process for you:
- Design
- Permit application process
- Financing
- Construction and Post-Construction
Simply put, it depends on your goals and budget. In terms of cost, most people don't think about all the other soft costs like development cost, having to setup a new water and electrical source if none is available. The benefit of building on an existing lot include having an existing sewer and water system, familiarity with the area and amenities and less soft costs. Regardless, your dream home should be in the location you choose and we can help you figure what's best.
In general, local by-laws determine the dimensions of your home and can vary from municipality to municipality. This information can usually be found by contacting the local urban planning and building department in that locale which is something we would do on your behalf. In terms of rough numbers, bylaws in general suggest or require that the maximum square footage of property that your new build can occupy is on average 31% of your total property area.
Let's assume your lot is 250 feet deep and 75 feet wide. This means the total property area is 18,750 square feet. Using our 31% suggested average, you are allowed to build a home that is 5,812 square feet (double that if you have a second storey), not including the lower level basement. Are you curious if we are the best choice custom builder for your Niagara Region home? Interested in knowing what size bedrooms, garages, home office you can build? Consult with us today:
On average you can expect the whole process to last 12-18 months. By process we mean permits, designs and adjustments and the execution of construction and building. The planning phase (2 months) usually dictates the construction and building phase (8-12 months). We generally don't think of the time to build in terms of size of the house because there are other factors that go into completing the home such as mechanical systems and time intensive finishes to kitchens or bathrooms.
Time may also be increased due to other extenuating circumstances or preferences such as building near a conservation area or height restrictions that you may be seeking exemptions for . Our advantage is that we use insulated concrete forms to build your custom home which allows us to build better and with less intermediate steps even during typical "slow winter months".
Pool walls built of Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) have better insulation on the interior and exterior sides of the formed shell. This dramatically reduces heat loss/transfer, gives you more flexibility in design and construction and most importantly, savings on long-term operating costs. An ICF concrete pool is essentially "forever" because of it's lifespan.
Essentially the solid and 'hard' materials that make up your yard such as stone and interlocking. We customize the hard landscape materials in the built environment structures that are incorporated into your property. This includes features such as paved roads, walkways, retaining walls and water features. This complements the exterior of your custom home adding to the long term value.
Our teams vision and passion for quality to deliver dreams. Beyond that, the most important thing to you is our experience, the quality of your build and consistency of your finished product as we use an in-house team for all projects.
We specialize in new home build custom home, custom home renovations in part or as a whole, and home additions. We offer full design and end-to-end aspects of your custom home building projects having the manpower and expertise to bring your dream vision to life.
Get Started With Your Custom Home Build or Renovation Project
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Get in touch with Authentic Homes Inc.
Get a feel for us by calling us or completing the project request form below. This way we can briefly discuss and understand your project needs and see if we are a good match for you and can fulfill your project desires.
Project Request Contact Form
Tell us about your custom home project!
Let's get started with your custom new home build, renovation or addition. Complete the form so we can get back to you to understand your needs and if we can help bring your vision to life!
Client Testimonials - Niagara Custom Homes
We recently had our dream new home build. This was our first experience with a construction project, so we were very overwhelmed.
Paul made the home addition construction process absolutely seamless. He let us know exactly what to expect at every step along the way. He handled every detail and we didn’t have any stress whatsoever.
kelvin
HOME BUILD
Our experience building homes and completing projects with Authentic Homes was excellent in all ways. Everyone at this company is great at what they do and very detailed in every stage of the building process. Just as importantly, the employees of Authentic Homes are a pleasure to deal with, very nice and very responsive.
Will Gonell Owner - Gonell Homes Inc.
CUSTOM HOME BUILD
I cannot say enough positive things about Authentic Homes Inc. I just completed a total home renovation, inside and out. From the very beginning they were nothing but amazing; helpful, informative, and patient. Communication, on top of their work, is one of their best qualities as a company.
Fausto
HOME RENOVATION & REMODEL