Kerr Construction and Design

We started our design consultation with Kerr in April 2019 and experienced a thorough interior design process that set us up for construction starting in January 2020. We are so grateful for the Kerr team and their commitment to our project. We were down to the studs in our kitchen and 2 of our 3 bathrooms when the pandemic hit. We needed to pivot on a few items and Kerr handled the details smoothly. We are very happy we decided to go with Kerr and their full design and project management services. I am a designer and felt my input was well integrated into the final design. Frankly, I was stumped with how to remodel our kitchen and the design team proposed an out of the box concept that we just plain love! Thank you Jim and the whole Kerr team for your full service and attention during a particularly complicated period of construction. Can't wait to have our Celebration brunch!

I love my family, my job my, my neighborhood. I just felt my house was not really my dream house. I started on a journey of renovating my house and home. I interviewed roughly 6 to 7 contractors who all seemed to have an exceptionally good reputation online. How did I come to choose Kerr Construction and Design? The first person I met from Kerr Construction, was an exceptionally charming, affable lady who showed absolutely no sense of arrogance or judgment. Believe it or not for an industry where one should be trying to win customers, the other contractors or their representatives almost seemed to think that I was bothering them with the project that I had in my mind, or from their perception the project was too small, yet they were willing to do the project as a favor. This attitude was very hurtful. Not once did anybody from the Kerr Construction company give that impression; not once. The individuals who translated the project from what I wanted in my head were the Kerr construction team (carpenters, painters, electricians, landscapers to name a few). This involved a site project manager (Mark Austin) who is brilliant. He has three-dimensional thinking, is absolutely devoted to the work he does. Mark is incredibly knowledgeable, he can troubleshoot, he is an exceptional leader getting his subcontractors and staff to remain organized and 100% functional. No money on earth can pay that kind of dedication and devotion to a job. I have never met a group of people who work so well together, seem to like everything they do, and are so obsessive-compulsive that they make sure that each job is done the best that it can be. They do not cut corners; all they care about is how good the job is. This is what the Kerr Construction team does. They do not chitchat, do not gossip, they do not waste time drinking coffee, they do not smoke, they respect all the COVID 19 social distancing rules and regulations…. They just work hard; they like what they do; their results are spectacular. You might think that such quality and talent comes with a heavy financial price. Perhaps the price is not the lowest but it is not feasible to do the job that Kerr Construction team does at the level of quality without, at the minimum, asking for an appropriate remuneration for the talent and final look. In my opinion the Kerr Construction of talented professional individuals who would do a job correctly and beautifully and make you feel not that you are customer but an actual friend for whom they are working to make sure that you remain their friend. I have recommended the Kerr Construction to my professional colleagues and personal friends for any job big or small. Once Kerr Construction finishes everything that they are supposed to do, I will miss working and seeing people who are so dedicated, so normal, so polite, and gracious.

In March 2017 we began to work with Kerr Construction and Design to undertake a major renovation to our 3 bedroom 1940 Vancouver bungalow. We added roughly 1800 sqft of additional living space which included an upper bedroom floor with 2 master bedrooms complete with en-suites, larger main floor kitchen and dining area and a home theatre to our basement. The remainder of the basement contains a mechanical room, washroom and additional storage. A legal one bedroom basement suite was also created. A roof-top deck with mountain view was also provided. At the rear of the house we built a large two-car garage complete with washroom. This was a project to allow us to enjoy our home as we age. We call our home the "upscale cottage" with a focus on traditional finishes. Our core motivation was to increase the functional living space, comfort, and accessibility. To improve accessibility, a residential elevator was incorporated to allow access to all 4 levels. A significant amount of our budget was used to work with the design team in creating the function and finish of our home. Several layout options were provided and we worked with Nisha and her design team at Kerr to create the living spaces that worked well for us and our family. Regular meetings with Nisha were held before any construction commenced. The entire design process, before "shovels in the ground", including finishing decisions and obtaining city permits from the COV took one year. Many design decisions were required for a project of this scale. Nisha and her wizard Ellen were wonderful to work with. Always willing to adapt to some on the spot requests, Nisha would amend the design and even provide detailed renderings to show us what our ideas would look like. This was extremely helpful. Nisha would gently guide us and remind us of our design vision when we would start to play designer ourselves. Her day would not end at 5 pm as their were many e-mail exchanges after regular work hours. Once construction commenced there were some snags incorporating some mechanical components with our original design. Nisha came to the construction site and suggested some solutions. The trade off was we lost some valuable in home storage. As the project progressed there were some additional construction constraints that caused a review of the basement suite kitchen design. Nisha provided a prompt re-design for us to review. She also cleared up some issues with the COV in record time in order to minimize the delay in construction. For a couple doing their first (and final) home renovation we feel the money spent on design was well worth it. We feel fortunate to have Nisha as our lead designer as she was fun, friendly, organized and effective. For those who are reading this review, may we suggest setting aside some of your design decisions and budget to allow you to to address any additional wants and needs during the construction phase. If undertaking a large project like this, be prepared that alterations to your original design may be required. In our case, some of the products were discontinued during the time-frame from planning to installation. All in all the money and time spent on design was well worth it. It can be overwhelming and exhausting to customize your home. Working with a designer is a must, and working with an experienced designer like Nisha from Kerr Construction and Design is an invaluable asset.

Kerr Construction worked with us to design our dream home. Upon completion our home won an award for best design!!! We enjoyed working with the Kerr team who were very helpful, creative and professional and we highly recommend Kerr Construction.

We don't normally take the time to write reviews. However after the amazing care and personal attention that Kerr Construction gave to us we thought it only right to let others know. The Kerr team came to our rescue at out estate home and helped us realize the final product. Everyone from the team on site to the team in the office were nothing but exemplary. Products were top notch and the work ethic equal to how I would have done it if it were me.Thank you again to the Kerr team. We wish you nothing but good wishes for 2020 and beyond.

We hired Kerr construction to redo the main floor of our older house, including a kitchen and dining area. We originally decided to go with them because we liked the idea of the design team being a part of the same company as the construction team. This was a very good choice for us. I think we got the “A Team” for both design and construction. Nisha came up with a perfect plan utilizing all of our small space. She was always available to answer questions and responded to all emails and texts. She understood our vision and took it up several notches. We never would have come up with such a beautiful plan without her. When construction started Jack was our lead carpenter. He is a very skilled carpenter and his attention to detail is amazing. He was at our house every day and we knew when we were out of town that he would take care of things around the house including dealing with deliveries, making sure the house was secure etc. We always knew our home was in good hands when he was there. Also all of the sub trades Kerr brought to our house were competent and professional. We’ve done a few renovations over the years and this was the smoothest by far. We feel that a big reason for the success of our project was the significant amount of time devoted to the planning process, resulting in detailed design drawings, project plans and a materials list. We knew exactly what and when things would be done. There were no surprises! Our project manager, Nick, did an excellent job answering all our questions and keeping the project running smoothly. We’re really happy with our renovation and would highly recommend Kerr to our friends.

This is a second project Kerr Construction and Design has completed in my home with excellent results. It was discussions with Mark Austin, the project manager, who shared his thoughts on replacing my basement ceiling tiles to visually improve the old ceiling which had many missing tiles or gaps from workers gaining access to wires or pipes during renovation work. His vision of what could be done , cost, and length of time reflects Mark's expertise and knowledge in all aspects of construction. He had a wonderful team of carpenters and electrician who carried out the project. Eric Teng, a young skilled carpenter, communicated his progress made each day. He often drew out the plans so that I could visualize what to expect. Another carpenter, Nelson , joined Eric for a few days. Nelson worked well with Eric as a team. The electrician had wired the ceiling for pot lights and rewarded me a bright basement. All in all , the new T Bar ceiling with new ceiling tiles and wood to cover unsightly pipes is perfect. Thanks to Mark and his team with Kerr Construction, I have a new ceiling which is pleasing to look at.

We worked with Dave and his team at Kerr Design and Construction to remodel the main floor of our split level bungalow. What we liked about Kerr is that they were very responsive to our questions (Dave checked in with us regularity with schedule updates), proactive when dealing with the recent global supply chain challenges (both our flooring and cabinet tops were back ordered but Leo sourced excellent replacements to keep our schedule), and attentive to detail (our on-site supervisor Cory was excellent ensuring the finishing was top quality even having his crew re-do items). We have done 4 renovations over the years and this was the best experience to date. Highly recommend Kerr.