Stairway to Heaven

BP Banister has been working diligently on our custom staircase! Check out the progression of the stairway from the main floor to the upper level.

A Skeleton No More

Over the last month the bare bones of temperance have been covered with drywall which has been through tape and mud and is now being painted! Everything is coming together, including the backyard deck.
Take a visual walk through the main floor of the house below. Do you recognize it? We swear it's the same house!

Step by Step

The Temperance build is a continual work in progress and is getting closer to completion everyday. We have been working step by step to perfect the interior and, although we haven't had any visuals of completed work for you, a lot of change has occurred. The drywall is all hung and the mud and tape process is about three quarters complete. This week we will add a little colour to the home with paint on the main and upper floors. Also, the stairs to the basement have been installed making trips up and down a little easier for everyone! BP Banister is continuing to work on the upper curved staircase which will be stained late this week.

Outside of the main living area there has also been some progression. The garage is completely finished and is now being used as a staging point for cabinetry, casings, baseboards, interior doors, and tile. Now that winter has arrived working on the deck and keeping access to the hot tub has become a little more difficult, but it's happening, nonetheless!

Keep checking back for a video update...we will have it up as soon as we can twist Tom's arm enough to get back out with the video camera!

Garage Luxury

As beautiful as the university area is in Saskatoon there is one downfall to living there - parking! Most houses along Temperance don't have a garage and if they do it is not attached. With a custom build this limitation is no more! Our custom home now has a paved driveway, beautiful garage doors, and a two car garage with in floor heat! Say goodbye to scraping windows and starting the cars in the cold mornings and say hello to a nice warm vehicle.

Adding Purple to Make it Green

The residents of the Temperance build made a simple request - they wanted their home to be green; so we went in and sprayed it purple! No, not the paint colour. Poly Plus came by last week and filled the walls and ceilings with purple spray foam insulation which is an environmentally friendly building solution. What makes spray foam so great? Because it is a spray instead of sheets of fiberglass, every crack and corner is completely filled leaving no drafts or room for air to enter or escape the home. This means the cold air stays out and the heat stays in allowing your furnace to not work quite so hard. This lowers your utility bills and gives you more comfort. Also, because the foam fully fills the space, bugs are less likely to enter the home in the spring. Spray foam also reduces moisture infiltration preventing mold growth. Watch how a little purple can make a home turn green!

Give Thanks for the Sunshine

This Thanksgiving we were giving thanks for the beautiful weather in the last couple weeks. The sunshine allowed us to make progress on the exterior of Temperance. The stucco and stone work is complete and the fencing and landscape preparation is underway. Soon the window wells will be finished and the homeowners will have a beautiful deck with a hot tub for some well deserved relaxation! Now that's something to be thankful for!

Just in Time for Fall

As the weather has been cooling down the exterior development and heating requirements have moved along at full speed to get ready for fall. The sidewalk has been all fixed up and the stucco and stone have been added to the exterior of the home. Our licensed electricians have been working hard to complete the electrical rough-in on the home including 140 pot lights! Very soon our Temperance home will be lit up for the dark mornings and evenings and will be toasty warm for the cool fall weather.

The Entrance to a Home

From the moment guests enter your house you want them to notice the care and beauty of your home. The front door on Temperance has created quite the buzz because of its beauty. To give you a little more insight to this gem Centennial General Manager, Tom Firth, was willing to share the process behind the door.

"Wow what a front entrance door and what a procedure to have it painted. In order to have an outstanding looking front entrance we started with a top of the line Fiberglass door; yes, that’s correct Fiberglass. We first picked up the components for the door and delivered them to the automotive body shop and they “Jammed” them for us. That’s a process of spraying paint into the edges that are pretty much hidden once the glass is installed and will ensure that any slight expansion or contraction does not expose the white color. We then returned it to the door plant and they assembled all of the components. Back to the body shop for final prep and paint, it took over 8 hours for prep and setup. It was then taken into the paint booth for its final coats of paint. A single stage black urethane automotive paint was used to ensure the door will not fade.

Disassembly from the paint jig as well as moving out of the paint booth and into the trailer for site delivery was a 4 man job due to the overall size, but in the end we got what we wanted - a first class magnificent front entry!"

If you’re curious, this door was prepped and painted by none other than Andrew Faris of Graveyard Customs and Restorations in Warman – 1-306-260-1155.

Consider a spectacular welcoming piece for your next home!

Outer Beauty

It's back to school time and fall is on its way! Before things cool down too much the Temperance home is getting its outer makeover taken care of. This week the front door was installed. This beautiful door was painted at a body shop with automotive paint to help protect against UV fading!



More outer progress was made than just the front door; the garage concrete was poured, outdoor pot lights were installed and the deck area was laid out!
Watch here as it all comes together!

Heating a Saskatchewan Home

If there is one weather condition in Saskatchewan that can be predicted accurately it is that the winters will be cold. When building a Saskatoon home one of the major things to consider is heating for the winter months, and some of the summer months too!

1109 Temperance has already been prepped for a nice cozy winter. In-floor heat has been laid in the basement to prevent cold feet and also in the garage to warm the cars. Just in case that isn't enough warmth, a gas fireplace has been installed in the great room for ultimate home comfort at the flick of a switch!

The Battle of Communication

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."- George Bernard Shaw

Whether it's marriage, traveling to outer space, or building a home, communication is a vital key to achieving success. Throughout the Temperance build there has been communication ups and downs. Thanks to consistent updating, shingling with Helgason Roofing went down as smooth as a cold beer. The communication regarding natural gas lines, however, truly was an illusion; the paperwork even disappeared! There are always bumps along the road, but they all smooth out eventually.

Hear more about the communication battles and see the most recent developments at 1109 Temperance Street.

90 Second Tour

After 5 weeks and 2 days the custom build on Temperance is almost completely closed in. This house is becoming more like a home each and every day. Take a 90 second tour through the front and back of the house and a peak into the basement developements!

Let the Light Shine In!

There is nothing better than getting up in the morning to the beautiful sun shining through your window and hearing the birds chirping! To maximize sunlight in the Temperance home large windows were installed on both the South and North sides of the home.


Front South Exposure


Back North Exposure

4 Weeks = A Whole Lot of House

With only 4 weeks into the carpentry section of our build we already have two floors, rafters, city approved plumbing rough-ins complete, and more!
It's amazing what can be accomplished in such a short time period especially with a constant battle against the rain clouds.

Zoom, Zoom, Boom!

The first stack of large main roof trusses have been lifted thanks to the Zoom Boom! Now that they are up they will be set by our carpenters and before you know it, folks, we will have a roof!

There Ain't No I in Team!

How many people does it take to build a house?

Let's count in this clip...plumbers, electricians, carpenters, project manager...in other words, lots! But when they all come together that is where the magic happens. Building a house doesn't just require many skilled individuals, it requires a team that works efficiently together.

Watch as the Centennial Team builds the second story of the house on Temperance and puts more pieces of the puzzle together.

Building the Walls

Remember what it was like when your hundreds of pieces of Lego finally started to take shape and look like a house or a spaceship or a pirate ship?

After piecing together superform, floor trusses, and hundreds of pieces of lumber, we are finally starting to see our house on Temperance take its shape! Floor truss systems are set, walls are built, and rooms are being formed.

Take your first tour through the main floor of the new 1109 Temperance Street.

A Quick Update

Last post we showed you that our floor truss system was almost done. Since then it's been completed, we have our first floor exterior walls up, and we're starting on the first floor interior walls. We've also got some of the backfill done, and our plumbers are just finishing up the rough-in plumbing in the basement.

As you can see we're at the stage where things are starting to progress very quickly.

Next week we'll be back with video so you can see how everything looks. In the meantime, feel free to take a drive past the site and see for yourself!

We Almost Have a Floor!

Things are sure starting to move fast now. Last post we showed you that the materials for our floor truss system were on-site and ready to go. As you'll see this time, it's very close to being completed!

In this video you'll also see the basement walls that are going up at the same time. Back when we discussed our footings, we talked about the curved wall that will reach up from the basement to the top floor. Here you can see it actually starting to take shape!

A Hive of Activity!

Things are really beginning to get rolling now! As you'll see in this video, there is quite a bit more activity around our home. Materials are on site and the crew is getting ready to put our floor truss system in place. Once that's done we'll backfill the excavated area around our basement which will make working on the home quite a bit easier!

We've also parked a small work trailer on the street out front of our site. If you're doing something similar, make sure you check with the city first to see if a permit is required (or your trailer may not be there when you show up to work the next day!)

Filling in the Foundation

With our Superform in place we are now able to pour the concrete for our foundation. As we've talked about in past posts, building in an existing residential area can pose a few extra challenges that a new area might not. In this case getting big trucks into our site is impossible. There's simply no room.

The solution? Bring in a pump truck.

As you'll see in this video, the pump truck uses a giant arm to pump the concrete from the cement trucks into our Superform. The hose on the arm of the pump truck reaches over the site without having to move the trucks. A small crew then manually guides the end of the hose over the Superform to ensure that the foundation is filled evenly.

Have a look!

Is it a Bird or a Plane? No, It's Superform!

Now that we have our weeping tile and gravel in place around our footings, we can really get going on the build. As you'll see in the video, our Superform walls are up and our site is starting to look less like a giant hole and more like the beginnings of a new home!

Superform is a more innovative and energy efficient way of building a foundation for your home. Typically foundations are built using temporary wood forms which are removed once the concrete has cured. The great thing about Superform is how easy it is to use. Basically using Superform is like playing with a giant set of Lego bricks. Each piece is preformed and then stacked into place to create the form for the foundation. As you'll see in the video, the end result is a hollow structure that's ready to be filled with concrete.

Another advantage to Superform is that it's also an energy efficient insulation. Since it ends up on the outside of the wall as well as the inside it helps to block the cold before it even reaches your foundation.

Tom Firth, Centennial General Manager, goes through a few more details in this video. So sit back, grab your popcorn, and get ready to learn!

Weeping Tile - Not as Sad as it Sounds!

Now that the footings have been poured, the next step is weeping tile and gravel. For those of you who aren't familiar, weeping tile isn't really tile at all - you won't find it in our in-store Stone Tile gallery! It's actually a small pipe full of tiny holes that is placed around the footings. It's also sometimes called a foundation drain.

The weeping tile is put in place to make sure that any water that seeps to the base of the home is redirected away so that it doesn't pool around the footings and cause damage. Gravel and a porous stocking are put over the weeping tile to make sure that sediment is filtered out to keep the pipes from getting clogged.

You may notice a few things about our footings that are a little different than you might have expected. Tom Firth, General Manager of Centennial, goes over this in a bit more detail as he narrates this video.

Cement Shoes

We all know how important a good foundation is to the structural integrity of a building, but did you know that a good foundation also needs a good foundation? It's true. Before the foundation is ever poured, the footings are put in place to help distribute the weight of the finished home.

We've put together another video to give you some more information and a look at our footings. The video will also talk about some of the issues that you may encounter while building a new home in an existing area. In this case, because our new home will be wider than the old one, our excavated area comes very close to the neighbouring fence lines. As you'll see in the video, all the rain we've had lately has washed away some of the sides of our hole exposing the fence posts. We will definitely be fixing these as the build continues, which brings up another tip for you - always be a courteous neighbour. New home builds can be a little disruptive for established residents, so be sure you're communicating with your neighbours and make sure that you clean up after yourself.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

If you've lived in or around Saskatoon for the past few weeks, you already know how much rain we've had. In fact, it's been a record spring for rain. By the end of May, we were already up to 115mm of the stuff (normal average is 78.3mm)!

Fortunately, this wasn't us...

It doesn't take a meteorologist to figure out that these aren't the best conditions for building a new home. Just another reminder that despite your best laid plans, you have to be prepared to adapt your timelines to any eventuality.

Home Is Where the Hole Is

Well, we've cleared away the old house to make room for the new, but it's not as simple as just jumping right into framing. The next step is making sure that the area is excavated properly for the new house. Once again, we brought in the big machinery to do the heavy lifting for us.

Take a peek at our latest video that features our General Manager, Tom Firth, giving some tips about things to keep in mind when excavating in a residential area.


As mentioned in the video, it's important to always keep an eye on the big picture. The heavy machinery going into and out of the site will likely chew up the sidewalk to the point where it will have to be replaced. We've made sure that equipment only enters and exits in one place - the same place that we'd have to redo anyway when we put in the new driveway. Just one more helpful hint!

Bringing Down the House

Let's face it, building a house is very hard work. It requires a lot of coordination and planning, and even then you have to be prepared for the unexpected. Unplanned events like rain delays and equipment availability can make scheduling a real juggling act. Don't despair though! There is fun to be had as well. Demolition, anyone?

But before you just start knocking down walls, remember that safety is always the number one concern. Make sure that all your services are disconnected, overhead power lines are accounted for, and make sure the house is clear of people before you knock it down!

We've put together a video to show you the process. A word of warning, though - this video contains educational content!

Step One: Out With the Old...

When we looked at the old rental house at 1109 Temperance Street before knocking it down, we realized that it was full of items that still had value. Because we do our best to be environmentally friendly, we couldn't just haul them off to the dump to sit for the next million years, so we called Habitat for Humanity.

If you're not familiar, Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing safe and affordable housing for those who may not otherwise be able to afford it. They accept donations of any reusable building materials, which can then be bought at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore as an inexpensive materials option (with the proceeds going to fund the various Habitat programs).

We were able to save 2 fridges, 2 stoves, a toilet, a dishwasher, assorted bathroom hardware, and yes, even the kitchen sink (2 sinks, in fact)! These items will now be available for resale at the ReStore, and not adding to the already enourmous piles at the dump.

If you've got some reusable building materials that you are looking to get rid of, or you're in the process of getting ready to demolish an old house, we encourage you to check out Habitat for Humanity. Just follow the link to find out more, and stand with us as we work towards a better future for everyone.

Bringing It All Together

Welcome to the Centennial Custom Homes blog site!

Centennial is proud to announce the official start of its first custom home. Located at 1109 Temperance Street, this custom built home will benefit from our years of experience (over 40!) in the plumbing, heating, electrical, and home renovation industries.

1109 Temperance Street (before we got to it)

Over the coming months, we'll be taking 1109 Temperance Street and transforming it from an older rental property into a brand new Centennial Custom Home.

Designer's sketch of what the finished product will look like.

Bookmark this site and be sure to visit often as we'll be posting frequently about everything from the challenges of demolishing an old house in an established area, to the latest green products we installed and why! Along the way we'll be providing you with information on the how and why of what we're doing, as well as interesting stories, pictures and videos.

If you're considering having a home custom built, are currently in the midst of a build, or even just renovating a single room in your house, this blog will provide you with valuable information (or, at the very least, it will serve as a welcome distraction to all the hard work you've got ahead of you!)

Also, if you're in the area, feel free to take a drive by and see the site for yourself. We've added google maps to the main page of this blog to make it easy for you to find.

See you soon!