Site Conditions
Kelowna is one of the few Okanagan communities published as its own row in the BC Building Code Appendix C climatic data table, which takes the guesswork out of structural design values. The table lists Kelowna at 350 m elevation with a January 2.5 percent design temperature of -17 °C, a ground snow load of 1.7 kPa, a rain load of 0.1 kPa and a 1-in-50 hourly wind pressure of 0.14 kPa. Confirm the figures against the current Code edition, and note that a hillside lot well above 350 m carries more snow than the table row implies.
The city spans a wide range of ground conditions. Lower Mission and parts of Rutland are flat and fully serviced. Upper Mission, Wilden, Kettle Valley and Black Mountain climb, and on those lots the foundation, the retaining and the driveway grade become the interesting part of the estimate.
Lot width tends to be the real constraint in the older established areas. A carriage house needs its own access, its own parking and its own separation from the main house, and on a narrow Rutland or Glenmore lot that geometry decides the design before anyone picks a finish.
Kelowna also has the most competitive trade market in the valley, which cuts both ways. Availability is better than anywhere else we work, but so is the number of builders quoting your job on volume. We are not the cheapest quote you will get here, and we will tell you exactly what the difference buys you rather than leaving you to guess.
