PARKSVILLE – Elegant house styles with modern design and award-winning craftsmanship can be accessed by every homeowner in the central Vancouver Island area, courtesy of multi-faceted, award winning VI Camelot Homes Ltd.

Known for its quality workmanship and attention to detail, the company was chosen as BC Builder of the Year in 2012. This award is the jewel among the host of awards and honours earned during the company’s 40-year history: 20 Canadian Home Builders’ Association Gold Care Awards; numerous Georgie Awards, including BC Builder of the Year; BC Custom Home Builder of the Year; Best Custom Millwork; Best Kitchen; People’s Choice; Best Outdoor Living Space; Best Media Room plus Best Custom Home Over 3 Million Dollars.

Show-stopping builds like Music by the Sea and the airy, breathtaking blend of stone and timber that is the Sproat Lake home have given the company a well-deserved reputation as a premium builder. Music by the Sea is a favourite for magazine spreads, with unique crafted touches like as a harp built into a staircase banister. The owner is a professional musician so the house features musical motifs, including an intricately carved wooden door panel by Jeremy Humpherville of Coastal Carvings in Coombs. Additional creative touches by Humpherville are integrated throughout the home.

The mansions may get the magazine covers but owner Dan McLeod points out these projects tend to overshadow much of the work the company does, which is building and renovating more modest family homes. “We’ve done those opulent show homes but we also do more typical construction, and we bring the same commitment to quality to both,” Dan says.

Office Manager Jamie Fretz agrees. “We build a normal house as well. Most of what we build is affordable family homes with Camelot quality.”

Proof of this are the awards received by the company honouring exceptional work on more modest projects, including:

  • Eaglewood Village Estates, recognized with a gold CARE award for best spec home under 2,000 square feet;
  • Silver for the best single-family spec home 2000 to 2500 square feet;
  • Gold and Silver for best small residential interiors measuring less than 1,750 square feet; and
  • Gold for the best residential renovation, the charming, Cape Cod cottage Ten Firs.

In 2013 VI Camelot Homes was also named BC’s Best Certified Green Builder of the Year, recognizing the company’s commitment to environmentally responsible construction.

One company speciality is custom timber frame houses, a look which is especially appropriate for west coast construction. VI Camelot Homes reaches back centuries to bring traditional had crafted mortise and tenon joinery into modern homes. Projects are assembled using the highest quality BC Douglas fir timber, or western red cedar. Each piece is closely inspected and hand selected to be straight and strong.

VI Camelot Homes is also progressive. This year the company celebrated its 40 years in construction by restructuring to integrate new, interactive software into their operation. This new program gives clients around the world real time access to their construction project. They have just launched a new website, with a stunning gallery of their work.

“We can do whatever it is you wish to do,” says project manager Dave Lampman. “Everyone’s wish list is different.” The system allows future homeowners to fine-tune their wish list for their new home or renovation at any point as the project unfolds.

VI Camelot Homes can offer flexibility because most of their build team are in-house. For example, they have their own on-site cabinet shop, where they build cabinets using only the best quality materials available. The cabinetry installed in Camelot Homes must last the life of the home.

The new cabinet shop was incorporated in the company’s newly renovated 6700 square foot building in Parksville Industrial Park. The company moved to the 1.3-acre property from Qualicum 18 months ago.

The shop boasts the best of the best: European tools, large clean work areas, and spray booth. “All custom millwork and finishes are done in-house,” Dan said.

Cabinet Shop Manager Peter Olsen, a cabinet maker for 30 plus years, also brings a degree in civil engineering to his craft. He works one on one with clients to design, build, and oversee the installation of all the cabinetry. The shop produces mantels, shelving, cabinets – all of which are also available in new home builds or as renovations.

Dan knows what it takes to produce quality. He started working in construction part-time when he was 15 and still in high school. His employer was the original owner of Camelot Homes, which was established in 1979. Dan started with painting and framing and – over the years – worked in all the trades.

“It takes a lifetime of work, 7 days a week, to get here.”

Now, as the company owner, he makes sure other young people get a similar chance to succeed. VI Camelot Homes is currently sponsoring four apprentices to their trade certification. “If employers don’t do that, how will people have a chance to come into this industry?”  

The company usually has 20 to 25 employees. From digging the hole in the ground to installing finishing details like the custom-milled trim work, much of the work done by VI Camelot draws on in-house crews. There is an excavation crew, a framing crew, electricians, painters, interior and exterior finishers, and more. Many companies choose the route of hiring outside sub-contractors but then have less quality control.

“We have total scheduling control over all the work we can do ourselves,” Jamie said. This helps projects stay on-time and on-budget.

Homeowners who want to renovate or update their home can hire the pieces of VI Camelot Home that they need. It might be a refresh-by-paint or an excavation or a bathroom renovation. “You can book our excavator, painters, siding crew, or order new custom-made cabinetry – whatever you need, we will make it work.”

A popular renovation is adding large view windows or removing walls to take advantage of the amazing island views from many properties. Owners of older homes who do not want to move can substantially improve the livability and equity in their home by renovating to enhance their view property.

All clients get the same attention to detail and quality. “All our projects are important to our team,” Dan said. Over the decades, VI Camelot has built hundreds of homes throughout central Vancouver Island, from Nanaimo to Campbell River and west to Port Alberni.

Being better doesn’t necessarily mean more expense. Dan notes a top, award-winning builder is more budget-friendly than many people realize.

Clients booking a renovation get the same services, ongoing project updates, and opportunity to interact with the crew as any new build. If a client stops by a job site, crew members are will welcome and work with them, while ensuring safety is observed.

Being in business for 40 years also means the company has a solid list of proven suppliers, many of whom have been with the company for decades. “They’re part of the reason we’ve been successful. We have incredible suppliers and trades,” Dan said. “Clients often remark about how good our suppliers and trades are to work with, which makes me want to stay with them.”

Everyone – employees, trades, and suppliers – gives 100 per cent, no matter the size of the project, Dan said. “I have some of the best in the industry.” He is quietly proud that his small team from central Vancouver Island has been named the best in BC more than once.

Coming soon is a new hands-on option for clients. A large display space has been cleared to create a showroom for custom kitchens, whether new-built or renovations. Having this on-site display benefits both the clients and the team who will oversee the project, since both can view options and discuss them first-hand.

Also recent is more commercial work for the company. Owners of commercial properties began approaching VI Camelot requesting quotes on their projects. This new field is growing and while the company will continue to build homes and do renovations, they are also enjoying the new challenge.

Although it has become a truism, Dan attributes some of his company’s success to ensuring everyone is enjoying the work. “When people love what they do, you get the best quality and creativity. That shows throughout the project – from interacting with the clients to putting the final touches on a renovation or new build.”.

Evidence of how this attitude produces success is displayed on the company’s new website, which includes an extensive portfolio of projects. There is something for everyone, from opulent dream homes to comfortable family homes to smaller renovations that dramatically increase a home’s livability and value.

www.camelothomes.ca