Project Management

Simplify The Process

Building a ski home from afar can be daunting, especially in a foreign language. We simplify this process, handling much of the paperwork while removing many of the required visits. We liaise directly with all the necessary parties including architects, design teams, builders, town offices, etc.  We’ve seen standard builds require 10-20 visits to Hakuba, with each visit spent all weekend with the architects. We reduce this to a minimum by working with the necessary groups ahead of time and presenting you the best options.


Remove Excess Noise and Back & Forth

We help you focus on what is important. Our company steps in between you and the noise. Any project is going to have a lot of back & forth conversation that arise throughout the design and build process. It can be very difficult to know which are important decisions and which are not, and which require a decision immediately vs can wait later in the process.  We interact with the project stakeholders, asking all the relevant questions and gathering all the necessary information before coming back to you. This is usually in an email form and can be followed up with a phone call or chats if necessary.


Experienced in Hakuba

Invest Hakuba has a superior track record of delivering on projects in Hakuba. We are well experienced in building in Hakuba conditions. They are different that in Niseko or elsewhere. The regulations are different and the environment requires different designs. We help you avoid the pitfalls that we’ve seen happen. There have been a number of beautiful builds that absolutely should have sought outside advice for a simple review of plans. They’ve spent large amount of money on builds which are either extremely dangerous or built where it’s likely that the snow is going to break windows, or the materials they’ve used mean the house is going to deteriorate within 2 years. It’s very important to get these details correct at the start. Even the architects get it wrong as they are often more focused on how the house looks and design rather than the true functionality of the house. Even if you don’t employ a project management company, I highly recommend you seek multiple opinions on your house design from people experienced in the area.


Foreign Perspective to Building Designs

We help bridge cultural barriers between Western owners and Japanese tradesmen. This isn’t a simple language translation service – that won’t get you the house of your dreams.  Most architects and builders in the area are Japanese. Depending on their speciality, that could be mean ultra modern, minimalistic design or more traditional North American style log cabins, or very standard Japanese city homes built in mountain areas. Most haven’t spent any time overseas and haven’t built for foreigners, so their ideas of luxury or modern are very different than what a foreigner would expect. We’ve seen some very puzzling choices. What seems like common sense to non-Japanese often seems very foreign to them. It’s valuable to have someone who understands both sides step in and translate the meaning and cultural demands properly.


On The Ground

Invest Hakuba is truly local – we can keep a close on how your project is progressing. Our company is based in Hakuba. Aside from being 5 minutes drive from the architects/designers/builders, we also walk through the project everyday during the build.  There are a number of reasons for this. One is to spot necessary changes early in the process while there is still time to make changes. It is very common to make changes.  Other times it is to gain perspective on the build and see what else we might add to make the house even better. With any build, there is an incredible amount of details to consider. Being on site regularly gives you instant perspective.  These advantages would not occur if we were trying to manage a build from afar.


Advocating For You

Our team makes sure your project is always a top priority. It is invaluable to have someone advocating for you. Our main purpose is to build you the home you want. Because of how busy Hakuba is, architects and builders have to manage other pressures including other customers and multiple project deadlines. It’s important to have someone looking out for your best interests and avoid sub-optimal outcomes.


On Time & On Budget

We have a 100% successful track record of completing builds by original completion dates and within original budgets. Most of are builds are completed ahead of time.  From breaking ground, our builds can take 3-6 months to complete, depending on the complexity of the project. None of our builds has take more than 6 months after breaking ground with most taking in the 3-4 month time range.


360 Degree View on The Building Process

What sets us apart is our experience as property owners and property managers.  We understand the pain and pleasure that comes from building your first home.  There are many decisions to make during the build and it is very difficult to know if you are making the correct decision without prior experience.  Sometimes you aren’t even sure the right questions to ask.  We were property owners before we became property managers and we once were very inexperienced in building homes.  We started our own property management company to ensure our properties were cared for in the way we wanted and services provided to guests to a level that would match the quality of the builds.  When we offer our project management services and our advice on builds, it comes from years of experience as an owner and managing guests, and is backed by data.

Contact Us

To discuss project management options in Hakuba, please email alex@investhakuba.com

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