Splatsin Homes initiative offering affordable, unique housing option

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

“The idea actually started in 2013 and it wasn’t possible because of the types of building codes up until four years ago,” Grahame Go, CEO of Splatsin Development Corporation and Splatsin Homes, said following the ribbon cutting.

Cycling from Okanagan to Van Isle

Police asking for help locating missing man

11h ago

Stage 2 Restrictions

Water restrictions enhanced for Greater Vernon due to storage concerns

12h ago

international security discussions

Local MP attending Defence and Aerospace Conference in Turkey

13h ago

“Then I looked at that [again] and designed a type of home, then I researched, and once we got to a point, we then brought in the engineers and consultants and whatnot. So all together four years to get to this point.”

The homes are pre-fabricated in Vernon using foam insulation around steel studs for the walls and roof, which are fire, flood and pest resistant. The homes are also sustainable as the foam does not allow for heat loss. They will have low power consumption and will be solar compatable, and they will be built to meet STEP Code 5 requirements, B.C.’s net-zero ready designation.

Grahame Go, CEO of Splatsin Development Corporation, and Chief Michael Christian, standing beside a Splatsin Homes demo home (photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

The pieces are easy to transport and assemble, and will also be community built. Splatsin First Nation will use Red Seal certified members of the band to build the homes, and offer training opportunities to other First Nations throughout B.C. and the country so that certified members of their communities can lead the installation of the homes.

“[People] from other reserves can come here, they will need to bring a Red Seal because they have to understand construction and what needs to be done to finish a house,” Go explained.

“So they bring their Red Seal, they can bring their apprentices, and then we provide that training [in Vernon], then we basically certify them and we know they can build it properly and warranty it.”

Splatsin Homes has already developed seven styles of the homes, ranging from 1- to 4-bedroom units, and plans to come up with three other designs for a total of 10 home styles.

One of those homes will be built on the Splatsin land in Enderby on Old Vernon Road near the Rail Trail as a show home, and Go said they are in the process of getting band approval to build six of the new homes on the Splatsin Reserve, with the goal of having them up and occupied within a year. These will be new homes, and will not replace existing homes.

The design for Splatsin Homes’ show home that will be built in Enderby (photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

Go said the homes, once pre-fabricated at their workshop in Vernon, can be put together in a matter of days.

The homes will also be offered at an affordable rate, with each going for $320 per square foot.

Go said he hopes to see these homes go up across Canada, saying there is a need for more housing options and this model could serve as a solution.

“We’re not reinventing the wheel, but we’re making a high performance tire,” Go said.

“This is still a house to a normal person, people see this as a house, but they have no idea of the technology in the house to get it built. We’re using all these technologies that can speed up the process and make it very accurate, very square. We don’t have to worry about that, about putting up a framing wall and securing it and making sure it’s square, because it comes square.”

Go also noted the homes are “tariff free,” saying the steel beams are manufactured in the North Okanagan, the foam comes from Langley. None of the other components come from the United States.