Frequently Asked Questions...

Although a Sonoma Home comes well-appointed with luxury features, it is a good idea to pre-determine a budget for additional upgrades that you may wish to purchase to suit your lifestyle. Consider what your colour scheme and design style will be and bring any inspirational pictures with you. It is very important to carefully consider and decide on what kitchen and laundry appliances you will be installing. It is also very important to bring the Manufacturer Measurements and Specifications (provided to you by your Appliance Retailer and Supplier) with you to the Design and Selections Appointment so that your kitchen can be built according to your purchased appliance measurements. If these important documents are not provided to Sonoma Homes by the homeowner then Sonoma Homes will build the kitchen with standard kitchen appliance openings.

Our pricing is very competitive with other industry pricing standards. We believe in treating every one of our homeowners in a fair and consistent manner. The best way for us to do this is to treat everyone equally and to charge everyone the same price for anything that we sell.

Yes, most likely the upgrades purchased through Sonoma Homes will be more expensive than purchasing directly at a local home renovation store. The difference is that upgrades purchased through Sonoma Homes include the supply, labour costs and warranty through TARION Guidelines of the upgraded item and will be fully installed prior to you taking possession of your new home. Having your upgrades supplied and installed by Sonoma Homes removes the inconvenience of doing this after you’ve already moved in and provides you with warranty on both material and labour.

For everyone’s safety and to adhere to Sonoma’s strict workplace safety regulations and quality control provisions, we do not allow anyone other than contractors hired by Sonoma Homes to complete any work on our construction site. Any independent work completed by the home owner or anyone associated with the homeowner prior to the closing date will be removed immediately at the homeowners expense.

We source out higher quality standard features and finishes to install in all of our homes. For quality assurance reasons and to avoid unnecessary delays in the construction process, we cannot allow for homeowners to supply any finishes in the homes. Any finishes substituted or altered after the closing date, will not be warranted by Sonoma Homes and the TARION New Home Warranty.

Any requested changes to your already selected and signed off design selections and upgrades will be subject to an administration fee per item change requested as per your Purchase and Sale Agreement and may affect and delay the production of your new home. Should any delays occur as a result of changes by the homeowner to the selections list, Sonoma Homes will not be responsible for any potential closing delays. We do not recommend any changes to be made after everything has been signed off.

At your Design and Selections Appointment, the Design Consultant will assist you in the light placement of the included Sonoma standard light fixtures and pot lights that you may wish to purchase through Sonoma Homes. We do not recommend the installations of additional light fixtures purchased by the homeowner during the construction process of your home. Any and all additional light fixtures purchased by the homeowner must be installed after the closing date by the homeowner or a contractor associated with the homeowner to avoid possible damage to the light fixtures, as your home is being built on an active construction site and to avoid any unnecessary delays in the construction process, as in some cases the chandeliers can be very time consuming and complicated to put together.

If you choose to install your own air conditioner after you move in then the work being done by a private contractor may void the warranty on the furnace. There are many things to consider such as properly locating the unit and ensuring the proper distance is maintained away from certain venting pipes. Also please check with the municipality for the regulations pertaining to the location of the air conditioning unit and be sure to obtain the proper Electrical Safety Association (ESA) approvals from an ESA inspector after the installation of the air conditioning unit. An ESA permit is required to install an air conditioning unit. Prior to installing your own air conditioning unit, it is very important to confirm with Sonoma Homes regarding the required brackets and mounting of the air conditioning unit to ensure that the air conditioning unit does not interfere with grading work that may still need to be completed on your property.

Due to the fact that your house is on an active construction site and in order to protect your personal belongings from possible damage, we do not allow any appliances to be installed prior to the house deal closing on the closing date.

We recommend that you wait at least two years after your closing date.

A Sonoma Homes Representative will contact you at the earliest a few weeks prior to your closing date to schedule a Pre-Delivery Inspection Appointment (PDI). As per TARION Guidelines, this appointment consists of a walk through to view your home prior to the closing date to ensure that the features and finishes that you ordered have been installed. At the PDI Appointment, you will receive The TARION New Home Warranty Package. This package will include information pertaining to your TARION warranty; however, to inform yourself prior to the appointment, you may choose to visit the TARION website to view the document on line. If there are any deficiencies noted at the PDI Appointment, as per TARION Guidelines, Sonoma Homes will work efficiently to have the deficiency, if any, rectified prior to the closing date or on a scheduled date shortly after the closing date.

At least one month prior to your closing date, you should contact the utility companies (water, hydro, gas, cable & phone) and post office to set up your account and to receive your mail box keys. If you require the contact information for any of these companies, please contact the Sonoma Homes office and we will gladly be of assistance to you.

Due to the fact that your house is on an active construction site in order to protect your personal belongings from possible damage, we do not allow anything to be dropped off and stored in the garage, driveway or anywhere else in the home. Everything that you are moving into the home will have to wait until the deal transaction is final and complete through the banking institutions and the lawyers.

Sonoma Homes can only release the keys to you when all of the paperwork and any other administrative procedures have been completed by the banking institution, the homeowner’s lawyer and the Sonoma Homes lawyer. Sonoma Homes cannot release the keys until we receive notice from our lawyer that the house deal has closed. Even if your lawyer says that the transaction is complete, it is very important that you wait to receive confirmation from the Sonoma Homes office, by a telephone call or by email. We do not recommend that you go to your new home and expect to move your furniture and possessions into the home, before the closing transaction of the house has legally occurred. Sonoma Homes will not give access into the home under any circumstances, prior to the home being closed legally and until Sonoma Homes receives notification from our lawyer. When Sonoma Homes receives notice that the deal has closed, one of our representatives will call or email you directly to notify you and make arrangements for the keys to be picked up in front of your new home by 4pm or the next day if it closes after regular construction site hours.

All homeowners pay a tree planting fee. This fee ensures that the new community will be balanced, sustainable and attractive. The locations of the trees are pre-determined by the Municipality’s Pre-Approved Site Plan and may not allow for a tree to be planted directly on your front lawn. The purpose of the tree planting fee is for the tree planting and landscaping of the entire community not for specific and individual properties.

Under any circumstances, the grading of the property may not be altered prior to the final inspections and approvals from the Developer’s Servicing Engineer, and inspections and approvals by the Municipality. This process may take up to 2 years or longer. If the homeowner experiences water leaking and penetration inside the home as a direct result of a fence being installed, concrete work, patios or decks being built, etc. or the driveway being altered by the homeowner, prior to Sonoma Homes receiving the mandatory approvals and grading Certificate from the Municipality, then Sonoma Homes will not be held responsible for these repairs, should they occur for the above reasons, the repairs will be entirely the responsibility of the homeowner. The Municipality will not release any of the security deposits to the Developer/Builder of the new community should they discover any grading alterations from homeowners prior to their inspections and approvals.

After the entire community is completed and built including but not limited to the final lift of the asphalted road, the completion work of the curbs and sidewalks and all other servicing and landscaping works being fully completed, the Municipality will conduct several inspections to ensure that the grading and other factors meet the Building Code Standards. Once everything is approved, the Municipality will release the deposits to the Developer and the Developer will then release the deposits to the builder and the builder will release the deposits back to the homeowners. This may take several years depending on how large the community is.

There are many things to do in preparation for your closing date.

  • Approximately 2 weeks before your closing date, schedule an appointment with your lawyer.
  • Sonoma Homes will provide you with your TARION Certificate of Completion and Possession (CCP) which registers your home with TARION at your PDI Appointment. You will then provide this to your lawyer. You will use the registration number, found at the top right corner of this certificate, to create an account at TARION’S My Home. This account will help you to manage important warranty deadline dates, submit forms and keep track of any correspondence between you and TARION.
  • Approximately 2 weeks before your closing date, contact your mortgage lender to ensure that the finances and paperwork are in order, and if required, to schedule the appraisal of the home with Sonoma Homes.
  • At least one month prior to your closing date, you should contact the utility companies (water, hydro, gas, cable & phone) and post office to set up your account. If you require the contact information for any of these companies, please contact the Sonoma Homes office and we will gladly be of assistance to you.
  • To maintain the proper humidity levels in your home, we strongly recommend that you purchase a dehumidifier and plug it into an electrical outlet in the basement and allow for the dehumidifier hose to drain directly into the nearby floor drain. This should run continuously every year from April to October. Doing this, along with running an air conditioner during the hot summer months, will help remove any moisture in the house and will eliminate any possible warping and buckling of wood finishes in your home including but not limited to hardwood floors, kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, oak staircases and door closings.
  • During the winter months, the air is drier and moisture levels need to be increased, therefore, we strongly recommend running a humidifier to balance the moisture in your home.
  • At your PDI Appointment, you will be shown exactly where all of the exterior water shut offs are located in the house. This is extremely important to know because you will have to shut off the water supply to all of these taps to avoid any freezing and bursting of water pipes during the late fall and winter months.

TARION has provided new home warranty to millions of homes all over Ontario for more than 40 years. This warranty is provided by Ontario builders and lasts up to seven years. The warranty takes into effect on the date that you take possession of your new home. Sonoma Homes recommends that you be aware and keep track of your warranty deadlines and dates and submit any forms and warranty concerns that you may have in time so as to not miss any important home warranty deadlines. Improper maintenance of your home can significantly affect your TARION home warranty eligibility. For a detailed outline of seasonal maintenance tips and other important warranty information pertaining to your TARION New Home Warranty please visit the TARION website. For further clarification, contact the Sonoma Homes office for assistance and additional information.

Important warranty information about TARION dates:
  • TARION has provided new home warranty to millions of homes all over Ontario for more than 40 years. This warranty is provided by Ontario builders and lasts up to seven years. The warranty takes into effect on the date that you take possession of your new home. Sonoma Homes recommends that you be aware and keep track of your warranty deadlines and dates and submit any forms and warranty concerns that you may have in time so as to not miss any important home warranty deadlines. Improper maintenance of your home can significantly affect your TARION home warranty eligibility. For a detailed outline of seasonal maintenance tips and other important warranty information pertaining to your TARION New Home Warranty please visit the TARION website. For further clarification, contact the Sonoma Homes office for assistance and additional information.

Stay Connected

Register here with Sonoma Homes and stay up to date on new communities and all of the latest information from us.

Are you currently under contract with a Realtor?
Are you an existing Sonoma Homes Owner?
Are you a realtor?