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Beaver Homes and Cottages Packages: What Is in the Box, What Is Not, and What the Finished House Really Costs
Costs and financing Material packages From a builder
Beaver Homes and Cottages Packages: What Is in the Box, What Is Not, and What the Finished House Really Costs
I have finished a few houses that started life as a material package, and I have priced a few more for people who were surprised by the second half of the bill. The packages are decent lumber and a decent plan. The surprise is that the package is roughly a third of the house.
Short version: A Beaver Homes and Cottages package from a Home Hardware dealer is a material kit: the plan, engineered floor system, 2×6 wall framing, trusses, roof sheathing and shingles, vinyl windows, exterior doors, vinyl siding, soffit and fascia, house wrap, insulation, vapour barrier, drywall, interior doors and trim, delivered in stages. It does not include the lot, permit, excavation, foundation, septic or well, any labour, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, flooring, cabinets, fixtures, paint beyond primer, stairs, decks or driveway. As a rule of thumb the package is 25 to 35 percent of the finished cost; budget the rest before you fall for the rendering.
What is in the package
Specifications change by year and by plan, so read your own quote, but the standard package has looked like this for a long time:
- Plans and design support: working drawings for the model you pick, with a design consultant at the store to adjust them.
- Floor system: engineered joists and beams, steel or engineered posts, 3/4 inch tongue-and-groove subfloor with adhesive, hangers and connectors.
- Walls: 2×6 kiln-dried SPF exterior studs at 16 inches, 2×4 interior walls (2×6 at plumbing walls), plates, headers, house wrap and flashing tapes.
- Roof: engineered raised-heel trusses, 1/2 inch sheathing with clips, ice and water shield, underlayment, architectural shingles, roof vents, vented soffit.
- Insulation: R-22 batts with R-5 continuous exterior insulation on walls, R-60 in flat attics, 6 mil poly vapour barrier and acoustical sealant, foam for gaps. That combination is aimed at an SB-12 prescriptive package; SB-12 explained covers why those numbers go together.
- Windows and doors: white vinyl casements with screens and jamb extensions, pre-hung entry doors, locks and passage sets.
- Exterior: vinyl siding in the standard colours with trims, pre-finished aluminum soffit and fascia.
- Interior: 1/2 inch drywall (sag-resistant on ceilings), screws, tape and compound, primer, primed MDF trim, embossed interior doors and bi-folds.
- Basement furring walls and insulation for a finishable basement.
- Builder’s risk insurance on the materials, manufacturer warranties, and staged delivery to the site.
What is not in the package
This is the list to tape to the fridge.
| Not included | Typical Ontario cost on a 2,000 sq ft house (2026) |
|---|---|
| Lot, survey, legal | Whatever the land costs, plus $5,000 to $15,000 in soft costs |
| Building permit, development charges, Tarion enrolment | $5,000 to $40,000 depending on municipality; development charges are the wild card |
| Excavation, backfill, grading | $15,000 to $40,000 |
| Footings and foundation (poured or ICF), waterproofing, drainage | $45,000 to $90,000 |
| Septic and well, or municipal connections | $25,000 to $60,000 rural; connection fees in town |
| All labour: framing, roofing, siding, drywall, trim | $90,000 to $160,000 |
| Plumbing, electrical, HVAC (materials and labour) | $60,000 to $110,000 |
| Flooring, cabinets, counters, vanities, fixtures, appliances, paint, stairs, railings | $60,000 to $150,000, with no ceiling |
| Decks, porches, driveway, landscaping, masonry, fireplace | $20,000 to $80,000 |
| Contractor overhead and profit, or your own time | 15 to 25 percent of the above if you hire a GC |
Add it up and the package that quoted at $90,000 to $140,000 sits inside a finished house of $450,000 to $700,000 before land. That matches the ranges on cost to build a house in Ontario for a reason: the package does not make the house cheaper, it makes the lumber order simpler.
Who the package suits
Owner-builders who will act as their own general contractor get the most from it. The plan is done, the material list is done, the delivery is staged, and the store handles the takeoff. You still need to hire and schedule every trade, carry the permit, and pass the inspections. Being your own general contractor in Ontario is the honest version of that job description.
People hiring a builder should ask the builder first. Many builders will frame a package; some would rather order their own lumber because they get similar pricing and can change the plan freely. A builder who did not price the package will not warrant it the same way.
Cottage and rural lots are where the packages shine, because the dealer network delivers where a lumberyard might not, and the plans are drawn for that market.
What to check before you sign
- Get the current specification sheet for your plan and year, not the brochure. Insulation values and window specs move with the Code.
- Ask what the plan needs to pass SB-12 in your climate zone; the package insulation is a starting point, and the energy design summary is your designer’s job.
- Price the foundation separately and early. The plan assumes a foundation; it does not build one. ICF vs poured foundation cost has the comparison.
- Confirm delivery staging against your schedule; lumber sitting for two months in the rain is not a saving.
- Check what changes cost. Moving a window is cheap on paper and expensive after the trusses are ordered.
- Ask about Tarion. If you are building to live in it yourself you may be exempt from enrolment; if a contractor builds it, they must be licensed. How to check an HCRA licence takes two minutes.
The rendering problem
The pictures on the website are artist’s impressions. The stone, the timber brackets, the black windows, the deck wrapping the lake side: most of it is an upgrade or not in the package at all. Every time someone shows me a rendering and a package price together, the gap between them is the conversation we end up having. Fall in love with the floor plan, then price the elevation you actually want. Designing to a target budget is how to do that without the heartbreak.
Related guides on this site
Sources and further reading
Questions people ask
What is included in a Beaver Homes and Cottages package?
The plan, engineered floor system, 2×6 wall framing, roof trusses and shingles, vinyl windows and exterior doors, vinyl siding, soffit and fascia, house wrap, insulation and vapour barrier, drywall, primer, interior doors and trim, delivered in stages with builder's risk insurance on the materials. Read the current spec sheet for your plan; it changes.
What is not included?
The lot, permit and fees, excavation, foundation, septic or well, all labour, plumbing, electrical, heating and ventilation, flooring, cabinets, counters, fixtures, appliances, paint beyond primer, stairs and railings, decks, driveway and landscaping.
How much does a Beaver Homes house cost to finish?
As a rule of thumb the package is 25 to 35 percent of the finished house. A package in the $90,000 to $140,000 range usually ends up inside a finished house of $450,000 to $700,000 before land, depending on the foundation, site and finishes.
Can a builder use a Beaver Homes package?
Yes. Ask the builder before you buy it; some prefer to order their own materials so they can change the plan and warrant the work on their own terms.
Building in Simcoe County or on Georgian Bay?
We are ICFhome.ca, a family builder in Tiny Township with 45 years of custom homes behind us. Pick the path that matches where you are.
Reviewed and updated October 2026. Costs are Ontario ranges, not quotes; code references are to the Ontario Building Code in force at that date.
