Where You Can Vacation...and be home the same day

TNT The Naked Truth

Don Pitcairn

Monday October 05, 2026

A House in 12 hours

People often ask me where I come up with all of my story ideas. 

The reality is quite simple, just keep an eye out for anything new, strange or different and ask yourself "I wonder what's going on there?"  Case in point was last week driving near 24 Ave. and 152 St. when a large truck with a wide load turned in front of me followed by a pilot car.  I could not tell what was on the truck because the load was covered by a huge white tarp but it seemed odd to me that this truck and load would be driving through the Sunnyside area.  My interest was further piqued when the truck and its massive payload turned left a block ahead into a single family neighbourhood.  Since I was already behind it, I decided to follow the truck and see where it led me.  It was only a couple of blocks until I got my answer.

The truck pulled up beside a house where a huge MEGA crane was sitting in a driveway at the corner of 21A Ave. and 153 St.  It was there that I realized what I was seeing was a modular home being shipped to a prebuilt concrete foundation at the rear of a pre-existing home.  I talked to the crew and met Salik Khan, the CEO or Chief Experience Officer from Rohe Homes, a Surrey company that prefabricates modular building units off-site utilizing the Lotus Building System.  The whole concept is to prefabricate homes, deliver them on site and reduce the time needed for traditional construction, often by 40 to 50 percent.  It also offers improved construction techniques and factory building where the components are not exposed to the elements.  In this case the concrete foundation had already been built and the new home was being delivered.  Amazingly the building modules have floors and walls that are hinged allowing them to be unfolded and assembled.  For the 1,200 square foot lane-way home I saw being delivered, the building was assembled in one day during a 12 hour shift.

Here are the five steps for getting a Rohe home:

Step 1:  Permitting.  We ensure your site is feasible for our Lotus Building System.  We also work with municipalities to make sure all requirements and certifications are met for your project.

Step 2:  Site Prep.  We make sure your site is ready for your new home.  Our local partners will ensure foundations are set and that mechanical, electrical, and plumbing connections are ready.

Step 3:  Fabrication.  Our factory builds your home in our controlled facility.  By building in our facility, we ensure every build meets our high standards with precision manufacturing.

Step 4:  Logistics  Coordination.  We use our project management platform to ensure a smooth delivery of your home.  We work with local partners to arrange the transport equipment and labour needs.

Step 5:  Install & Finish.  We secure your prefabricated home in place and get it ready for finishing.  Then, alongside local partners, we ensure the finishing is done to your customizations.

The best part about a Rohe home is that it allows property owners to become their own developer, adding or altering buildings without having to destroy a perfectly good home while adding to density for added space, rental income or for multi-generational living.  If you thought that this modern construction technique was only for small homes such as laneway houses, you are in for a big surprise.  Rohe Homes offers designs for three and four plexes along with single family homes of 4,000 square feet featuring up to 8 bedrooms and six bathrooms.  The building modules can be laid out and stacked in a variety of layouts conforming to the owner's needs, creating unique homes that are then custom finished both inside and out.  The real beauty of this system is that it reduces construction time and impact on the surrounding neighbourhood with parking congestion, noise pollution and tradesmen coming and going, often for years.

If you would like to see the house that was built in a day, it is located in the rear of 15309 21 Ave with the new Rohe home directly across from 21A Ave.  You can check out the innovative construction techniques and modular building designs at https://www.rohehomes.com/  .  It turns out their offices are located only a few blocks away at 15388 24 Ave., unit #202, South Surrey in the building with Pure Pharmacy, the Peninsula Liquor Store and H&B Cuts.  The owner of the lane house property has told me that when the new house is fully completed, he plans to invite people from the neighbourhood to tour the building, talk to him about the experience and meet the members of the Rohe Home team who helped make it all possible.  I for one am going to ensure that I'm on the guest list as I'm very interested in seeing the final product for myself.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn 

Rapid Tranist In The Lower Mainland - You Probably Never Knew Existed

REPORTING FROM THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN TRAIL.

I have had the pleasure of running in no less than six election campaigns in White Rock.  Three in which I was successfully elected to serve our community in the council chambers.

Knowing this many people in the community are interested in how this election is going?

1.  This is the nastiest election local election I have ever seen.

2. The Provincial government completely threw everything into chaos by dropping an election right on top of the already in process civic election.

Provincial and Federal elections can be called at any time.  Civic/local elections are the ON LY elections that have their dates carved in stone.  We knew the end of our 4 year term would be decided by an election on October 17.  We have known that for the past 4 years.

Readers of THE WHITE ROCK SUN and political armchair quarterbacks are well aware of my tribulations and successes over the years.

I have been attacked with an ABC sticker campaign in 2022 (some of those ABC stickers still exist in our community).  They had zero effect to the best of my knowledge.

Fast forward to our current election cycle.  The big difference for me is, as opposed to running as an independent as I have in the past, this election I joined a group now known as TOGETHER FOR WHITE ROCK.

It has been a very different experience.  Joyous when we come together and all pull together, frustrating as hell when it takes days to make a simple decision.  To the unitiated we are not a slate.  We are a team that shares a somewhat common vision for the future of White Rock.  Three of our team members combined bring over 20 years of council experience to the game.  We have worked alongside each other and have had our battles but at the end of the day we are able to put our jackets on at the end of the council meetings and respectfully walk out into the night.

Over the years when people find out I am on council they shake their heads and say “Oh hell I could never do that you must have a thick skin from all the criticism?”  I do have a thick skin, one that rivals a Texas armadillo.  You have to understand I worked in the Music/Media industry for over three decades.  You want to know about two faced back-stabbers, well how long do you have and would you like to see my scars?

Now over to nasty.  

I can well imagine many reading this editorial will wonder how far I will go into the nastiness.  Not far at all for two reasons.  

1. I won’t give it any fuel.

2. There is a very strong possibility I will be launching legal action against some of the purveyors for their actions.  At the advice of my lawyer I will not go into details here.  Believe me though, after October 17 all will be exposed.

Unfortunately when the story is told most considering service to our community will say  “ Yes, and for that very reason I will never stand for office.”

We’ll talk soon, in the meantime I look forward to talking to you on the street or at our upcoming community TOWN HALL meeting (see below).

Thank you for your continued support.  

I care, we care and TOGETHER we can do wonderful things over the next 4 years.

David Chesney

Editor/Publisher

Third term White Rock city councillor