KERR CONSTRUCTION 9/14/07 4:00 PM
KERR CONSTRUCTION
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED
TO KNOW ABOUT HOME
RENOVATION:
1. Get the contract in writing.
2. Look for a professional renovator.
3. Take the character of your
neighborhood into account.
4. Plan how you will live in the
space during construction.
5. Know your financial boundaries.
Source: Greater Vancouver Homebuilders’ Association
Kerr launched the business 20 years
ago after spending his earlier career com-
peting and representing Canada on the
World Cup circuit as a member of the
Canadian Ski Team. “My whole life I’ve
been trying to do the best at everything I
did,” he says, “and that carried over into
construction.”
Since 1987, Kerr Construction has
built its client base designing and con-
structing custom-built homes and per-
forming complicated residential renova-
30 ■ CONSTRUCTION TODAY ■ OCTOBER 2007
Page 30
tions. About 75 percent of the
company’s total revenues are
generated from renovation, and
25 percent are from custom
homebuilding. The company
primarily serves clients in
upscale neighborhoods in
the lower mainland, west
and north of Vancouver,
within 25 miles of its head-
quarters. “The dollar value we
range from is quite wide, with
the average job being between
$100,000 and $800,000, with
some projects over $1 million,”
Kerr notes.
Kerr Construction caters to
mid- and upper-level-income homeown-
ers, but no project is too small. It special-
izes in design/build and in areas includ-
ing budgeting, permits and zoning, mate-
rials selection, warranties and scheduling.
“We’ve grown at over 900 percent in the
past five years,” Kerr notes, adding that
revenues are up 30 percent year-to-date.
The company’s 14 project supervisors,
three project managers and quality con-
trol personnel keep its projects under
close supervision to avoid scheduling
delays. “[Project Supervisor] Elton
Donald, the person I had onsite, was fan-
tastic,” Ewald says about her renovation.
“He was an excellent communicator and
very good at keeping things moving. He
was fantastic with the subtrades.”
It’s What’s on the Inside
Despite tight control over its building
and renovation projects, one thing Kerr
can’t control is the shifting interior
design trends. “It is getting more com-
plex each year,” Kerr explains. “What
used to be high-end is getting to be more
standard. People’s expectations have
gone up.
“The craftsman style in the last five
years has been the most dominant, but I
feel that this is changing. Now, people
want more of a contemporary, West
Coast-style. It’s more of a contemporary
look without the heavy moldings and
trim, but with lots of windows and lots
of warm woods and stone work.”
The modern layouts have also opened
up common areas in homes. “People tend
to want to change the floor plan away