Wildfire loss · Independent construction cost · BC & Alberta

The cost to rebuild is not the amount that was insured.

Independent construction cost assessment for property owners, contractors and local governments after wildfire loss. British Columbia and Alberta.

Serving property owners and local governments affected by the 2026 Southern Interior wildfires, and across British Columbia and Alberta.

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I · What I do

What I do

Twenty-three years in construction across four seats — subtrade, general contractor, cost consultant and owner's representative. The work is the same in every one of them: establish what something actually costs to build, and be able to defend the number.

Settlement reviewYou have an estimate from your insurer and it looks light. I review the scope and the pricing and set out where the two differ and what the difference is worth. A short written memo, usually inside a week, from documents you email me.

Replacement cost assessmentA full divisional estimate of what it costs to rebuild on your lot, to the code in force now, at current local prices. Used to substantiate a claim after a loss, or to check that an insured value reflects what the rebuild would actually cost.

Estimating capacity for contractors and adjustersScopes and replacement cost when your own estimators are at capacity. Hourly or per file. You keep the client relationship; I produce the numbers.

Cost documentation for local governmentCost substantiation for infrastructure recovery, including Disaster Financial Assistance recovery plans and claims. Separating code-required upgrade from betterment is usually what decides whether a line survives review.

For brokers. If a client's settlement looks light and you can't tell them why, you can send them here. No referral fee in either direction.

II · Why the number is bigger

Why the number is bigger than people expect

A house built in 1998 cannot be rebuilt to the 1998 code. It has to meet the code in force today, and the gap runs wider than most owners are told.

Building envelope

Insulation levels and continuity of the thermal break

Glazing

Window and door performance requirements

Airtightness

Sealing and testing that didn't previously apply

Heating and cooling

Equipment selection and distribution

Ventilation

Mechanical ventilation requirements

Structure and seismic

Connections, bracing and holddowns

Egress

Stairs, guards and opening sizes

Wildfire interface

Cladding, roofing, soffits and vents — only where a local wildfire development permit area applies

Energy is one line in that list, not the whole story. Site work sits outside it again — on acreage, the well, septic, driveway, retaining and outbuildings are often the larger share of the rebuild.

III · How the estimate is built

How the estimate is built

A Class C divisional estimate. Priced by trade division against a measured scope, using dated local rates, at an accuracy of ±10–15%.

Not dollars per square foot. Square-foot pricing is a Class D method, it carries far wider variance, and it doesn't hold up when someone reviews it line by line. Every rate in my estimates carries its source and its date.

IV · Where I stop

Where I stop

These aren't disclaimers. They're the reason the number is worth something.

I don't negotiate with your insurer.

I'm not a licensed adjuster and I don't act as one. I produce the cost evidence. You, your adjuster or your lawyer use it.

I don't advise on coverage.

I read a policy to know what to estimate. What it covers is a question for your broker or a lawyer.

I don't work on a percentage.

Fixed fee or hourly, quoted in writing before I start. A financial stake in your settlement would make my estimate worth less to everyone reading it.

I don't estimate and build the same property.

One role per property, always.

I don't promise a result.

A settlement review quantifies a difference between two estimates. What happens after that isn't mine to guarantee.

V · How it works

How it works

Send me what you have — the insurer's estimate, your declarations page, photographs, plans, assessment records. Whatever exists.

I confirm scope, timing and a fixed fee in writing before any work starts.

I build the estimate. Most of it is done from documents. Site attendance where it adds something the documents can't.

You get a written report you can hand to whoever needs to read it.

Most of this work is delivered remotely, which means distance from the loss isn't a constraint on getting started.

VI · Start a conversation

Start a conversation

Tell me what happened and what you've been given so far. If it isn't work I should be doing, I'll say so.

pieter@kingsleyadvisorygroup.com

Phone

(778) 255-9004

Pieter Schoeman, Principal · Kingsley Advisory Group Ltd. · Langley, BC
Independent construction & development advisory · British Columbia and Alberta
kingsleyadvisorygroup.com