11 Mar 2015 Kevin and Jodi , The Shoebox
An artist with a painfully scrutinizing eye for fit and finish along with a registered architect and residential developer that has directly managed the creation of over 1500 homes squarely qualified us demanding clients. In addition, living in Vancouver meant that we would be building remotely. This set up our two main criteria for selecting the builder of our dream cottage: 1. Someone we could trust implicitly as we couldn’t be there. 2. Someone that was capable of digitally communicating every detail of the progress on the site, every day. 3. Someone that really understood modern architecture and the attention to detail.
We investigated nine builders, interviewed four, then narrowed it down to two to provide initial proposals with their thoughts on budget and timeline. Ultimately we settled on MRB and we are very glad that we did. MRB completely delivered on our expectations with respect to communication that included almost daily photographs, e-mails, and precise budgeting/invoicing.
Through this detailed communication and the ongoing dialogue through the many design iterations and budget adjustments MRB ultimately delivered on our first criteria; trust. With respect to attention to detail every aspect of the build was scrutinized by MRB. The natural wood siding on our cottage would make any fine furniture builder envious, the joinery is nothing short of exquisite. MRB will not be the least expensive builder that you will be able to hire.
However, we can honestly say that you would be hard-pressed to find a builder that will pay closer attention to the details and deliver the quality and ultimately give you the value for your money that MRB will. It has been my experience that a home that is well built the first time, by passionate individuals that stand behind their work and are in it for the long haul is worth more than a few dollars you may think you are saving by going with the cheapest bidder. The individuals that we dealt with from Smitty on the site, Lindsay in the office, Tom in the Shop and Mike guiding the ship were all an absolute joy to deal with and we have an ongoing friendship that really is ultimate testament to a successful project. We still get compliments from our new neighbours along the lines of “we miss those polite young men that built your cottage” or ” I have never seen such a ridiculously tidy construction site”. At the end of the day we are looking forward to the possibility of future endeavours with Mike and his crew and a lifetime of visits from our friends at MRB to our Kingsburg cottage.