The selections schedule on a BC custom home: when each decision is due

The decision about the tile is the thing that arrives late, and by the time it does the wall it was going on has been mudded and painted.

That is the pattern behind most of the schedule slips we see on custom homes across Burnaby and Coquitlam, and it has nothing to do with the trades. A custom home is thousands of decisions, and each one has a date by which it must be made, set by the piece of the building that has to close around it. Miss the date and the crew either waits, or builds to the old drawing and reopens it later. Both cost time. The second one costs a change order too.

So we run a selections schedule on every build: one shared, dated list of every finish, fixture and product decision, organised by the stage of construction that locks it in. This post walks through that list, stage by stage, and then through the long-lead items that hurt most when they slip.

The calendar runs backwards from the inspections

The dates on a selections schedule come from the building. Each municipal inspection closes something. Once the inspector has passed the rough-in plumbing, the valves are where they are. Once the frame inspection has passed and the insulation is in, the walls close. Once the drywall is up, the blocking behind it is wherever it was.

The City of Burnaby publishes its inspection sequence for a new house in its Permits and Inspections for New Single and Two Family Dwellings guide: foundation formwork, foundation drainage and damp-proofing, sewers, rough-in plumbing under the slab, sheathing and the rainscreen mock-up, rough-in plumbing above ground, foundation insulation and slab damp-proofing, gas, rough-in wiring, hydronic heating, frame (with forced-air heating checked at the same time), insulation and vapour barrier, and then the finals for plumbing, gas, electrical and building. The guide notes the order can vary between projects and contractors, but the shape is the same everywhere in the Lower Mainland: services first, then frame, then insulation, then everything you can see.

Every selection sits somewhere in that sequence. Our job is to put the decision date well ahead of the inspection that locks it, and the order date for anything long-lead ahead of that.

Before the permit drawings

The first batch of decisions is the one owners least expect, because it comes while the house is still lines on paper. The permit drawings, and the energy model behind them, depend on these:

• Windows and exterior doors. Sizes, locations and the glazing performance. The energy modelling for a house built under Part 9 of the BC Building Code, which the province's BC Energy and Zero Carbon Step Codes page describes, uses the window schedule as an input, so a window change after permit is a model change.
• The roof form and the exterior cladding type. Both are on the elevations.
• The fireplace. Gas, electric or wood decides the venting, the framing around it and whether there is a gas line in the drawings.
• Every plumbing fixture location. Where each tub, shower, toilet, sink and laundry sits, because the drains and vents are drawn from them. The model can come later.
• The stair. Its type, its run and where it lands, because it sets the floor openings.
• The range. Gas or induction. It changes the gas piping and the electrical service, and both are on the drawings.
• Anything structural that a finish depends on. A wide sliding door at the back, a cantilever, a flush ceiling over the great room, a floating stair. The engineer sizes the structure around the choice.

Change any of these after the permit is issued and the approved drawings need a revision. The City of Surrey's building a house page, for one, says revisions after the permit is issued need additional approval and that inspections cannot be done while a revision is waiting.

Before framing

Framing is where the house takes the shape of the decisions made so far, and where a few more get locked in because the carpenters build around them.

The window and exterior door package is ordered here if it was not ordered at permit. The framers build the rough openings to the manufacturer's specifications, so the sizes cannot move once the wall is stood.

The tub and the shower base have to be exact models, because the framers build the tub deck, the shower curb and the niche to the unit. A freestanding tub and an alcove tub need different floors, different plumbing positions and different walls. A curbless shower needs the floor framed lower before anyone talks tile.

The kitchen and bathroom layouts have to be firm enough that the plumber and electrician can rough in to them at the next stage: the island position, the sink wall, the appliance wall and the vanity widths.

Pocket doors, barn door headers, dropped ceilings, bulkheads for ductwork and ceiling heights room by room are all framed in, and none of them can be added easily after the sheathing inspection.

Before rough-in

This is the stage with the longest list, because the plumber and the electrician are setting things to the exact fixture.

Every plumbing fixture has to be chosen by model before the above-ground rough-in. The plumber sets the valve bodies, the drains and the supply stubs to what the fixture needs. A wall-hung toilet needs a carrier, the steel frame that holds it, inside the wall. A floor-mounted tub filler needs a supply up through the floor at one precise spot. A rain head on the ceiling needs a drop from above. A second shower valve or a body spray column needs its own lines. Our plumbing rough-in post goes through what the inspector is looking at; the point here is that the fixture decision is what the inspector is looking at, made permanent in pipe.

Appliances have to be chosen by model too. The electrician places the circuits for the range, the ovens, the hood, the fridge, the dishwasher and the wine fridge to the specifications, the plumber runs the gas line and the fridge water line, and the cabinet shop builds the openings to the same sheet. A model change after rough-in can mean a new circuit, a moved gas stub and a rebuilt cabinet.

The lighting plan is finalised here, down to every switch and dimmer, and the low-voltage runs for data, speakers, cameras and the EV charger rough-in go in at the same time. The heat pump and ventilation equipment are sized and located, because the ducts and refrigerant lines are being run.

The mirrors and medicine cabinets get decided now too, because the electrician needs to know where the sconces sit relative to the mirror, and the framer needs to know if a recessed medicine cabinet is going into the wall.

Before drywall

The pre-drywall walkthrough is the last look inside the walls, and there are a handful of decisions that have to be closed before the boarders start.

The fireplace unit itself should be on site and set, because the framing and the venting are inspected around it. Shower niches are framed and their tile layout confirmed, because a niche that does not land on a grout line looks wrong forever. Blocking for grab bars, towel bars, wall-mounted vanities, TV mounts, curtain hardware and closet systems goes in now, which means the owner has to have decided where each of those lands. In-wall speaker wiring and any spare conduit go in.

This is also where we walk the house with the owner and the designer, plans in hand, and check every rough-in against the selections sheet. It is the last cheap moment to find a valve on the wrong wall.

Before trim and finishes

Once the drywall is taped and primed, the visible decisions come due. Flooring, by product and by room. Tile, by product, size and layout, for every wet area and floor. Paint colours, and the sheen for each surface. Interior doors, by style and by size, and the door hardware to match. Trim profiles for baseboard, casing and any panelling. Cabinet colours and door styles, if the shop has not already started. Plumbing trim, which has to match the rough-in valve set two stages ago. Light fixtures, which were located at rough-in and are now chosen for real.

Countertop slabs have a hard dependency: the fabricator templates after the cabinets are installed, and the slab has to be on hand by then. Choosing a slab after the cabinets are in means the kitchen waits for the stone.

The building sets the deadlines. Our job is to put every decision a comfortable distance ahead of the wall that will close around it.

Icon Projects Team

The long-lead items, and why one late decision moves everything

Some products take longer to arrive than the stage that needs them, so the order goes in before that stage starts. On our Burnaby and Greater Vancouver builds the list is short:

• Windows and exterior doors. Ordered at permit or the start of framing. Late windows mean a framed house standing open through a wet Lower Mainland autumn, with the sheathing inspection done and the rainscreen mock-up waiting.
• Appliances. Ordered before rough-in, held by the supplier until the kitchen is ready. Late appliances hold the cabinet shop, which holds the countertop template, which holds the plumber's final.
• Custom interior doors. Ordered before drywall. Late doors hold the trim carpenter, which holds paint.
• Stone slabs. Reserved before the cabinets go in. Late slabs hold the kitchen sink, the faucet, the dishwasher hookup and the backsplash tile.
• Plumbing fixtures. The rough-in valves and carriers are needed at rough-in; the trim at finishing. A fixture line that is out of stock at rough-in stops the plumber that week.
• Specialty lighting and hardware. Anything made to order. Late fixtures hold the electrical final.

A single late decision moves the whole schedule because the trades are booked in sequence, and each one starts when the one before it finishes. A crew that arrives to a stage it cannot start moves on to its next job, and getting it back depends on that crew's calendar. One missed slab reservation can turn into a kitchen that sits without a sink while the tile setter, the plumber and the electrician each wait their turn to come back.

How we run the calendar with the owner and the designer

At the start of pre-construction we hand the owner and the interior designer the selections schedule: every decision, grouped by the stage above, with a due date and, for long-lead items, an order date ahead of it. The designer owns the look and groups the decisions into working sessions that run ahead of each stage. The owner owns the decision. We own the deadline.

Three habits keep it honest. First, we review the list at every owner meeting and flag each decision three times before its date: at one month, at two weeks and the week it is due. Second, every selection comes back on a signed sheet naming the model, the finish and the supplier, so the site team and the trades are reading the same page. Third, for anything the owner is still torn on, the designer holds a fallback selection in reserve that fits the rough-in already drawn, so a hard choice does not become a stopped crew.

Anything that changes after its sheet is signed runs through a written change order, with the schedule effect stated on it before the owner approves. It is the only way the owner can see what a late change costs in weeks before deciding whether it is worth it.

A custom home rewards owners who decide early. The house that finishes on time is the one where the tile was chosen while the walls were still open.

Frequently asked questions

What is a selections schedule on a custom home?

A dated list of every finish, fixture and product decision the owner has to make, with the date each one is due and the stage of construction that sets that date. On our Burnaby builds it is a shared document between the owner, the designer and our site team, and we review it at every owner meeting. It exists so that no decision is asked for after the wall that holds it has been closed.

Which decisions have to be made before the permit drawings on a Burnaby custom home?

Anything the drawings and the energy model depend on: window and exterior door sizes and locations, the roof form, the exterior cladding type, the fireplace type and its venting, where every plumbing fixture sits, the stair design, and whether the range is gas or induction, because that changes the gas piping and the electrical. Changing any of these after the permit is issued means a revision to the approved drawings.

What do I need to choose before framing starts?

The exact tub and shower base, because the carpenters frame the deck, the curb and the niche around them. The window and exterior door package, which is ordered at this point and must match the openings. Pocket doors, ceiling heights and any dropped ceilings or bulkheads. Kitchen and bathroom layouts firm enough that the plumber and electrician can rough in to them.

Can I choose plumbing fixtures after the rough-in in a BC custom home?

You can choose the finish and the style later, but the type and the location of every fixture has to be fixed before rough-in, because the plumber sets the valve bodies and the drains to the specific fixture. A wall-hung toilet, a floor-mounted tub filler, a rain head on the ceiling or a second shower valve each need different rough-in, and Burnaby's inspection schedule checks the above-ground rough-in plumbing before the frame inspection closes the walls.

Why does a late appliance decision hold up a custom home build?

Because the cabinets are built around the appliances. The cabinet shop needs the exact model to cut the openings for the range, the hood, the fridge, the wall ovens and the dishwasher, and the electrician and plumber need the specifications to place the circuits, the gas line and the water line. Appliances are also a long-lead item, so a late model change can mean waiting on a new delivery after the kitchen is otherwise ready to install.

What is a long-lead item in home construction?

A product that takes longer to arrive than the stage of the build that needs it, so it has to be ordered before that stage begins. On a Greater Vancouver custom home the usual ones are windows and exterior doors, appliances, custom interior doors, stone slabs for counters, plumbing fixtures and specialty lighting. We order these against the schedule rather than against the date the owner finishes deciding.

How do you run selections with an interior designer in Burnaby?

The designer owns the look and the owner owns the decision; we own the deadline. We give the designer the selections schedule at the start of pre-construction, they group the decisions into meetings that run ahead of each stage, and every selection comes back to us on a signed sheet with the model, the finish and the supplier before the stage it belongs to begins. Anything that changes after that runs through a written change order.

What happens if I miss a selections deadline on my custom home in Coquitlam or Burnaby?

The crew either waits or builds to the last approved drawing. Waiting costs schedule, and building to the old drawing means the change later comes through a change order that can involve reopening finished work and calling an inspector back. That is why we flag a decision three times before its date and why we ask the designer to hold a fallback selection in reserve for anything the owner is still weighing.