Whistler offers a unique lifestyle that combines the convenience of urban living with the tranquillity and beauty of nature. With a population of over 10,000 residents, Whistler is an idyllic location to raise a family and build your dream home, with its mountains, forests and creeks, and an abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities.
Nestled in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Whistler Blackcomb is a renowned resort town that attracts visitors from around the world for skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking, and other outdoor activities. Whistler has established itself as a year-round destination and vibrant residential community with excellent schools, health care, and amenities.
Here are some reasons to choose a Whistler builder, select your neighbourhood and build your dream home in Whistler.
Natural beauty: Whistler is situated in a picturesque valley surrounded by mountains, forests, and lakes. Whistler’s neighbourhoods, such as Whistler Village, Creekside, and Nordic, are nestled in the heart of this natural beauty, with picturesque views of the mountains and forests from every angle.
World-renowned ski resort: Whistler is home to one of the most famous ski resorts in the world, Whistler Blackcomb. Host to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and consistently ranked as one of the top ski resorts in North America, Whistler Blackcomb offers world-class skiing and snowboarding for all levels, with 200 marked trails and 8,171 acres of skiable terrain, and five snowboard parks.
Year-round outdoor activities: Whistler is a four-season destination and an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, offering world-class skiing and snowboarding in the winter and a vast range of activities in the summer, including hiking, mountain biking, golfing, and fishing.
Vibrant community: Whistler is a thriving community with a diverse population that attracts visitors from all over the world. The area has a flourishing cultural scene, with a range of events and festivals throughout the year, such as the Whistler Film Festival, the Whistler Village Beer Festival, and the Whistler Children’s Festival. The community is also home to a range of artists and creatives, and several art galleries are showcasing their work. In addition to its cultural offerings, Whistler has a bustling nightlife, with a range of bars, pubs, and nightclubs catering to all tastes. The community is also highly active, with numerous sports and recreation clubs, including soccer, rugby, hockey, and ultimate frisbee, among others.
High-end amenities: Despite its remote location, Whistler offers a range of high-end amenities. Its dining scene is particularly noteworthy, with restaurants such as Araxi, Bearfoot Bistro, and Il Caminetto serving up gourmet cuisine using the finest local ingredients. The area is also home to a range of luxury retailers, including Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. For those seeking relaxation and pampering, Whistler has no shortage of luxury spas, such as the Scandinave Spa and the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler.
High-quality schools and healthcare facilities: The area is served by School District 48, which operates four schools in Whistler, including Myrtle Philip Community School, Spring Creek Community School, and Whistler Secondary School. These schools offer a range of educational programs, including French immersion and outdoor education. In terms of healthcare, Whistler is home to the Whistler Health Care Centre, which provides a range of medical services, including emergency care, diagnostic imaging, and laboratory services. The centre is staffed by highly trained healthcare professionals, and patients have access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.
A safe and secure environment: Whistler has a low crime rate, with the majority of offences being non-violent. The community is also proactive when it comes to safety, with regular community policing programs and initiatives aimed at preventing crime and educating residents about safety best practices. Whistler is served by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which provides law enforcement services to the Village and surrounding neighbourhoods
Investment potential: Whistler is a popular destination for tourists and second-home buyers, which means that investing in property in the area can be a smart financial decision. If you build your dream home in Whistler, you could potentially earn rental income during peak tourist seasons.
Proximity to Vancouver: Whistler is located just a two-hour drive from Vancouver, which means that you can easily access the amenities of a major city while still enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the mountains.
Whistler can be divided into twenty neighbourhoods, each with its unique character and charm. Building lots and land do come up for sale on the MLS in Whistler, but they’re limited, so Whistler builders tend to work closely with Realtors® who have their eyes on potential tear-down properties and pocket listings.
Coast Essential can help you build a high-performance, sustainable Net Zero Ready house or a Passive House certified home in Whistler. We can also assist with adopting best practices for your new construction project.
Our in-house designer can take your home from sketches to floor plans and elevations. We handle the permit process and work with engineers and the planning department to ensure compliance with local bylaws and BC Building Code specifications. Let us take your dream project from design to move-in.
A home renovation is an exciting way to enhance the aesthetic appeal and modernize your living space. We can design and build a more functional, comfortable, and stylish living environment for you. Aesthetic home renovations include cosmetic updates such as painting, updating the floor coverings, adding new light fixtures, installing new countertops, and replacing outdated appliances.
If the rooms in your home need changes to layouts, flow and functionality, a remodel is probably needed. Remodels typically involve structural changes such as reworking floor plans, moving walls to enlarge rooms, removing walls to create open floor plans, or adding rooms, While these projects can involve a greater investment and longer timeframe, they can have a dramatic impact on the functionality, enjoyment and value of your home.
At Coast Essential we will work with you to design and construct significant alterations and additions to your home to help meet changing needs while adding value to your property.
Net Zero homes, whether they are newly constructed or existing buildings, generate clean energy equal to their consumption. They are considerably more energy-efficient, up to 80% less than homes built according to traditional standards.
The design of a Net Zero house is a combination of energy-saving building techniques and materials, such as high levels of insulation, air-tight construction, and energy-efficient appliances and lighting. Renewable energy sources like solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling systems meet your home’s needs.
Whistler homeowners who opt for a Net Zero home can benefit significantly from reduced energy consumption and lower energy bills. Energy-efficiency features such as triple-paned windows, super-insulation, and air-tight construction prevent heat loss and drafts, making it less expensive to heat or cool the home, with less energy.
Net Zero homes improve indoor air quality and comfort by reducing infiltration of outdoor air pollutants through the air-tight building envelope and super-insulation. The built-in filtered fresh air system also helps to reduce allergens and asthma triggers, keeping dust, pollen and air pollution outside where they belong.
Net Zero homes are an environmentally sustainable option that can significantly reduce your carbon footprint, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, while helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The Government of Canada has prioritized sustainable building design and renewable energy, with transitioning Canada’s existing building stock to net zero being one of nine core sections in their 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan. The Resort Municipality of Whistler regularly updates its district requirements, resulting in increased desirability of net zero homes as a way of future-proofing not only new construction but retrofitting existing homes as well.
In 2008, British Columbia’s province made energy efficiency a BC Building Code objective. Builders and designers can meet the requirements of the BC Energy Step Code through either a “prescriptive” or “performance” approach.
Builders must use energy software modelling software and on-site testing to meet the requirements of the BC Energy Step Code. They can use any material or construction method to achieve this. The high-performance staircase has five-step requirements for Part 9 residential buildings, from current BC Building Code requirements to “net-zero energy ready” by 2032.
A home that is compliant with the BC Step Code 5 and “net zero ready” is built to the same standard as a net zero home but without a solar or wind power renewable energy source installed yet.
Coast Essential strives for the highest construction standards in terms of thermal efficiency and air tightness and incorporates renewable energy through the use of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, air-source and ductless heat pumps, biomass fuel sources, and energy recovery technology.
The EPA reports that existing buildings are responsible for approximately one-third of greenhouse gasemissions. Simply constructing new net-zero homes does not adequately address climate change and the inefficiency of millions of older homes. Deep energy retrofits are the solution to upgrading existing homes to net zero.
Coast Essential conducted all architectural design work, construction management and services of the High-Performance renovation of this early 1980s home, transforming it into a modern Near Zero Energy building.
The project aimed to achieve Green Built Canada platinum certification and included a complete remodel and restructure to enhance the views and entertaining capabilities while meeting very demanding energy efficiency targets.
Passive House is an energy-efficient building design standard developed in Germany in the late 1980s. It aims to minimize energy consumption by optimizing building design and construction, resulting in a comfortable, healthy, and energy-efficient building. The standard can be applied to both new and existing structures, and it is gaining popularity in Whistler. Buildings must meet strict energy performance criteria, including airtightness, thermal insulation, and heat recovery ventilation, to meet the Passive House standard.
The 5 Passive House principles, as defined by the Passive House Institute, are:
Passive House offers numerous benefits to homeowners in Canada. It greatly minimizes the energy required to heat and cool their homes. According to the Canadian Passive House Institute (CanPHI), a house built to Passive House standards consumes 80-90% less energy for heating and cooling when compared to an average Canadian home. This can lead to significant savings on energy costs while reducing the carbon footprint of the building.
Indoor air quality and comfort are improved by meeting the Passive House standard. This standard requires a high level of airtightness, which prevents outdoor air infiltration and drafts while minimizing heat loss. The outcome is a more comfortable living space. To maintain a constant supply of fresh, filtered air and prevent indoor air pollution, the standard requires a ventilation system that delivers fresh air while recovering heat from the exhaust air.
Homes constructed to the Passive House standard are more durable and require less maintenance. Energy-efficient homes have a high resale value and may command a premium price. As environmental concerns and the demand for sustainable housing gain traction, Passive House construction is gaining popularity both in Canada and globally.
Upgrading your Whistler Passive House to a net zero home is achievable by adding a sustainable energy solution like a solar panel system. Your net zero home will then produce enough energy to meet its energy needs, and in some cases, even produce surplus energy that can be sold to BC Hydro.
At Coast Essential we aim for the highest construction standards for thermal efficiency and air tightness.
Coast Essential is committed to high construction standards. We offer cost estimation, permit submissions, subcontract tendering, and management of the entire construction process based on your budget. Our in-house architectural design services simplify the transition from conception to construction. This allows for quick permit submission and late-stage design elements if needed.
Our team of architects, designers and craftsmen specializes in building custom homes from the ground up. We manage every aspect of the building process from start to finish. Building a home involves many decisions. An experienced team can make the process of building your dream home efficient and enjoyable.