Home Builders, Designers, Master Craftsmen & Green Building Resources
Designers, artists, craftspeople and others who share our belief in the value of good design and our commitment to creating a sustainable society.
Liquid Stone Studios
At Liquid Stone Studios, we produce countertops, vanities or fireplace surrounds that are a combination of art and practicality - a beautiful addition to a room, or the focal point of a living space. We explore the conceptual freedom that comes with innovative design and combine our craftsmanship with the inventive ideas of local designers and architects.
Concrete gives off no harmful emissions. Our products are created using locally available, natural, reclaimed and recycled materials. To protect and beautify the surfaces of our concrete, we use the best food-safe water based penetrating sealer on the market.
We take the time to meet with our clients then handcraft their project with attention their needs, and our own standards of excellence and originality. This approach has lead to recognition in the design community for quality craftsmanship, and unique works. Please visit our website to learn more about our version, "the softer side of concrete".
Website: www.liquidstonestudios.com
Dave Aharonian Photography
Dave Aharonian Photography specializes in Architectural Photography as well
as general commercial work and Fine Art Photography. Dave Aharonian Photography provides a variety of architectural photography for architects,
interior designers, builders and developers. His works include residential, industrial, and commercial locations, with both exterior and interior photographs.
Website: www.daveaharonian.com
NEST Timberhome Design
We offer a range of products including timberframe and post & beam homes and barns as well as heavy timber decks and accents. Using large timbers as the structural support of a home is a centuries old craft. It pays tribute to the strength and beauty of wood by exposing large wood elements to the interior of the building-bringing natural warmth to a home, and supporting a connection between the built environment and the natural world. Salvaged standing dead trees are utilized for timbers wherever possible to capture the value of these trees before they deteriorate, and to contribute to a sustainable local economy. Sustainability at a larger scale is promoted by encouraging smaller homes and energy efficient technologies wherever possible.
Please visit our website to learn more about our company's philosophy, our building process and to browse our gallery of photos.
Website: www.nest-timberhome.ca
Designers and builders of custom tradional style cabinetry featuring furniture style face-framed designs with inset doors and drawer fronts; dovetailed solid wood drawer boxes, and 3/4 inch plywood cases; no particle board! Please visit our website gallery and read "what others say". We think you will like what we can do for you.
Website: www.simplybeautifulkitchens.ca
Jonathan Craggs
Jonathan Craggs has been designing gardens since 1993, following his training in Landscape Design at the Inchbald School of Design in London England, and in Horticulture at the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Wisley in Surrey, England. His projects include many of the most exclusive estate gardens in the Victoria region as well as gardens in Vancouver, the Okanagan, and Northern BC. He has landscaped a private island on the Sunshine Coast and has designed a garden for clients in Zurich, Switzerland.
A bold sense of design, sensitivity to context within the greater landscape setting and a discerning eye for detail are the hallmarks of a garden by Jonathan Craggs. Jonathon has proved himself to be a versatile and inventive designer, often pioneering new materials and design styles in the region.
Website: www.jcraggsgardendesign.com
Island TimberFrame Ltd.
Island Timber Frame has a team of craftsmen with a wealth of experience in design and construction of beautiful timber homes and cabins. Our decades of experience show in the fine product we produce. We offer a variety of services: concept, permit and shop drawings for large and small timber frame projects on 3D CadWork software, high quality timberframe and hybrid timber frame houses, timber component packages for contractors and home owners, solid stairs and railings in Douglas Firor Oak, interior and exterior solid custom wood doors, custom trim packages, timber supply in Douglas Fir and Red Cedar up to 65 feet,Glulam supply in larger quantities, and S4S planing (24” X 12”) with our computer controlled 4 sided planer.
Our competitively priced products are of the highest quality. We test fit our frames in our 12000 square foot shop to make installations fast, efficient and affordable.
Please feel free to call us or visit our operation in Cumberland, BC anytime. We would enjoy talking to you about your project.
Website: www.islandtimberframe.com
Victoria Wood Studio
Victoria Wood Studio specializes in creating custom designed structures for the outdoors. Designer/Builder Dieuwertije von Aesch works with the people and the place to create unique gates, passageways, arbours and pergolas. She uses only clear western red cedar, a product that is native to the west coast, because it works so well in its natural setting. All her work comes with two coats of an environmental finish. From the initial design meeting to the hand rubbed finish, the presence of the maker is evident. She uses mortise and tenon joinery, especially on gate construction, for strength, stability and beauty. Each piece draws the eye with its unique dimensions, the play of light and shadow and the grain of the wood. For more information and photos of her work, please visit the website.
Website: www.victoriawoodstudio.com
Mowing Around Landscape and Maintenance 
MA Landscape Services provides quality construction and organic maintenance of landscapes throughout the capital region. Soil is alive with many species of organisms and understanding how to set up and support this soil food web is crucial to the health of the plants. By taking a little more care and understanding during the construction process we ensure the long term health of your landscape investment. We have the products and practices to ensure the work is done correctly the first time. Please visit our website for full details on the services we provide.
Website: www.mowingaround.com
Ian Laval Classic Handmade Furniture
Ian Laval is an English craftsman designing and making individual
pieces of domestic furniture by traditional hand methods. His workshop
is at Brentwood Bay on the Saanich Peninsula near Victoria BC. He uses
only native timbers, with which he has been intimately associated for
many years, felling, sawing and processing all his own wood during an
initial 29-year career in England. His original designs exploit
time-proven forms and delicate proportions which he uses to display
attractive veneers sawn in the workshop from burrs, crotches and many
other interesting features found in native trees. Living-room and
dining-room furniture are the chief focus of his interest. The aim is
to produce furniture which fulfils the function for which it is
designed while maximizing the technical properties and beauty of
correctly-sawn individual native trees. Ian Laval’s web-site contains
an extensive record of many recent pieces, an archive of examples made
since 1970 and pages depicting workshop practices and timber-production.
Web-site: www.ianlaval.com
Thermal King Glass
Thermal
King Glass and Highview Skylights, using a combination of our own
innovations and current technology have the ability to offer you a
Skylight product that is unparalleled in quality. Our high standard of
craftsmanship and commitment to product engineering make certain all
technical aspects are in place to ensure that our product guarantees
the highest performance and longevity possible. We specialize in custom
design skylights ranging from …… to a fifty foot free spanning
structure. Our inventive design makes a Skylight addition a dramatic
feature to any room. Bringing in the days natural light with Highview
Skylights can heighten a family’s quality of life and raise the value
of a home.
Website: www.tkglass.com
Spearhead Timberworks Inc..
Spearhead Timberworks Inc. is a multi-faceted, value-added
manufacturing company located in Nelson, British Columbia. Our
strength is collaborating with design professionals to evolve artistic
vision using our digital design and manufacturing skills. We
specialize in unusual and challenging projects, and have the unique
ability to supply a wide range of building components from structural
timber and steel to panelized wall and roof assemblies, millwork and
finish materials.
All projects are developed using BIM (Building Information Model)
software, which includes a detailed 3-dimensional digital model. This
information is shared with our project partners to review designs and
coordinate site-built and pre-manufactured components. The digital data
also drives our manufacturing process interfacing directly with our CNC
machinery. Wherever possible, structural and architectural components
are designed, engineered and pre-manufactured in parallel with site
construction, allowing for just-in-time delivery and compressed
construction schedules. Keeping the production process in a controlled
environment at our facility greatly enhances quality, cost control and
manufacturing efficiency. Spearhead has been involved with numerous
green or high-performance building projects, including one of the few
LEED Platinum projects in North America.
Spearhead is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Chain of Custody Certified and has LEED accredited professionals on staff.
Website: www.spearheadtimberworks.com
Clear Form Design
Clear Form Design, a subsidiary of Spearhead Timberworks-is a design-driven manufacturing entity located in Nelson, British Columbia. Our strength is collaborating with design professionals to evolve artistic vision using our digital design and manufacturing skills. We specialize in unusual and challenging projects and have a long history of working with some of North America’s leading architects, designers and builders. We employ a fully digital design and manufacturing process. Our project coordinators create a detailed 3D model for each project. The model helps us resolve design issues and serves as a powerful visual communication tool between the designer, the client and ourselves. The same model also provides all manufacturing data for our own shop and various collaborating suppliers, facilitating the creation of complex assemblies using a variety of materials (wood, steel, glass, upholstery). We combine our understanding of the project’s design intent, our rigorous digital design process and our considerable manufacturing resources to successfully realize your project and create the best value for the client. We are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified and have LEED accredited professionals on staff, making us a natural partner for your LEED or green building project.
Website: www.clearformdesign.com
Thierry Brionne Fine Woodworking
Thierry
Brionne believes that a piece of furniture, a door that announces a
room, or the subtle statement of trim around a window enhances the
space and, in a sublime way, the experience of the person entering it.
Provision of beautiful details making your home or work space alive and
inspired is the service Thierry offers. Trained in France as a master
furniture maker and with twenty years experience in Europe and Canada,
Thierry now works from his studio in beautiful Nelson, BC. Please visit
the website to view his portfolio.
Website: www.thierrybrionne.com
TruGlaze Ltd
At Truglaze Ltd, our mission statement stems from a passion for concrete within. We are in business to succeed in creating our clients wildest dreams come true using this ancient live medium. We are well versed in all materials compatible with concrete such as precious minerals, wood, glass, fiber optic light, water and e-waste such as computer chips and wafers.
Most of our applications are preceded with numerous detailed consultations which bring the client into our world of creative design and this approach provides a personalized journey for the end user. We have become experts in the decorative concrete industry through years of trial and error and experimentation. We believe if its not challenging, then why bother doing it? We are members of the Ardex Levelmaster team, offering the highest level of Ardex installations to our clients. We're equipped to handle the largest warehouse or airport hanger or the most technical seeded designer floor in a residence.
We specify mix designs,place and seed concrete,grind and polish,saw and score,tint-stain-dye, inlay emboss or engrave, and prefabricate any architectural concrete application. We offer sub-floor preparation for commercial clients and fast track construction. In addition we install engineered toppings for the most discerning architects and designers.
Whether its vertical, horizontal, or glowing under water. If you can dream it, we can build it.
Website: www.truglaze.com
Kettle River Timberworks is your all-in-one timber specialist. We design, fabricate and install timber structures for residential and commercial projects. Our portfolio includes traditional timber frame design (wooden connections), post and beam (metal connections), and contemporary designs utilizing modern engineered lumber (e.g. glulams) . From architectural timber accents to complete timber structures, we offer many unique applications of traditional and contemporary timber joinery. We have completed projects throughout British Columbia (BC), Washington State and the Pacific Northwest.”
Website: www.kettlerivertimber.com
Blue Water Timber Framing
Timber frame structures catch the intuitive eye, their graceful spaces created by lusty timber inspire one's imagination. Blue Water Timber Framing creates custom homes, starting with the sensibilities of European configurations and then adding a contemporary twist by incorporating stone and iron elements. Blue Water's custom homes are designed cooperatively between the client, a designer and Jay McKimm, the owner of the company.
Website: www.mckimmandsons.com
Jake James Artist Blacksmith Inc.
Jake James is a formally trained blacksmith from England, with over 10 years experience as a hot metalworking specialist.
Jake
James Artist Blacksmith Inc. brings the highest quality forgework to
western Canada, combining a strong sense of design with award winning
craftsmanship.
All the work undertaken by Jake James Artist
Blacksmith Inc. is custom designed in house and utilizes Jake’s
extensive understanding of his material to bring out the best in every
project: From household hardware to large architectural installations
and sculptural work.
Website: www.jakejames.ca
Christina Hilborne
Christina Hilborne's Urban Chic collection is sophisticated yet whimsical; contemporary while harking quietly back to the style of her childhood. Above all, the collection was created with the planet in mind. The primary material is Kirei board, a panel product made from the by-products of sorghum crops in Japan. Formerly these by-products were either burned or thrown into landfills. The legs are salvaged from furniture that has reached the end of its useful life, then re-shaped and re-finished. The finish is water-based and completely VOC free.
In addition to the Urban Chic collection, Christina Hilborne Studio creates one of a kind commission pieces, incorporating concrete, timber and steel.
Our goal is to create unique, provocative and functional furniture that doesn't cost the earth.
Website: www.ChristinaHilborne.com
Green Building Resources
City Green
City Green has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and has been awarded the Victoria Chamber of Commerce 2010 Business of the Year Award (26 to 75 employees), the Victoria Chamber of Commerce 2010 Innovation Award, and Business Award - 2010 District of Saanich Environmental Awards.
Website: www.citygreen.ca
The Rainwater Connection
Bob Burgess and Rainwater Connection® specialize in
designing and installing rainwater harvesting systems specifically
suited to our west coast environment. Over the past eight years, Bob has
demonstrated that rainwater is a sustainable high quality water source
for drinking water for your home, for commercial use, or water for your
garden.
Collecting clean, clear water is the trademark of the Rainwater
Connection®. The company has developed products for ease of
operation and maintenance and also supplies and installs large
polypropylene-lined steel tanks providing high quality potable water
storage. (NSF 61)
We work from the outset with the owner and architect to create a system
that blends with the home and its natural setting. Living entirely on
rainwater is a deeply satisfying experience.
Website: www.rainwaterconnection.com
Building Energy Engineering
Niels Anthonsen, President of Building Energy Engineering, is a
Professional Engineer with over 30 years of engineering experience.
After a long career in Manufacturing, Product Design and Project
Engineering, Niels began energy-modeling buildings in early 2007. Along
with his LEED A.P., Niels holds certifications allowing him to
energy-model Houses, MURBs and Commercial buildings for both the new and
existing buildings sectors and has completed over 500 building-energy
simulations using the HOT2000, RETScreen and EE4 software platforms.
Niels is also a Natural Resources Canada certified trainer, teaching
building science to builders and training energy advisors for their
certification as CEAs as well as an auditor for CEA Quality Assurance.
Niels is currently involved in developing super energy efficient
residential and combined residential/commercial buildings. Working with
other professionals, non-profits, financial institutions, governments
and agencies, Building Energy Engineering is focused on designing buildings toward Net Zero.
Email: niels@BEengineering.ca
Wetlands Pacific Corp. 
WetlandsPacific
Corp. provides ecologically intelligent, environmentally sensitive,
economically considerate wastewater treatment and reclamation solutions
which typically exceed all regulatory standards. Our speciality is
constructed wetlands. We custom design, construct, manage and service
what we design and sell. We also service all other types of onsite
equipment. We have been involved in the wastewater management field
since 1994. We distribute National Sanitation Foundation approved
onsite wastewater treatment plants and have invented a new class of
constructed wetlands, that of capillary, the Vegetative Tertiary Filter (VTF). Our VTF has been granted one Canadian and two U.S. patents.
By using advanced secondary treatment plus the award winning Vegetative Tertiary Filter
, we strive to consistently provide the highest standards of
contaminant removal from wastewater. Constructed wetlands can reduce
contaminant loading of even persistent organic pollutants such as DDT to
non-detectable levels. We design and build wetlands from
community-sized to those intended for gray water reclamation of a single
family dwelling.
Website: www.wetlandspacific.com
E3 EcoGroup
E3
Eco Group is a sustainable building consultant firm specializing in 4
storeys and less wood frame construction. Whether it is a LEED NC, LEED
for Homes, Built Green, Powersmart or EnerGuide for New Homes project,
we can lead you, your team, or your developer through the necessary
steps to implement a sustainable building development. With over 20
plus years of sustainable building consulting experience, E3 works
directly with you and your project team from inception to final move in.
In
addition to our new construction and homes consultation services, E3
Eco Group also conducts TECA Combustion Safety, Room Integrity and Large
Building Air Leakage and Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control (ETS)
testing. As one of the largest consulting firms in the province, we are
available to provide you with the testing and service you need.
Website: www.e3ecogroup.com
Energy Design 
Website: www.energydesign.ca
TRAX Developments Ltd
At
TRAX Developments we specialize in low impact, sustainable onsite
wastewater systems, including subsurface drip irrigation systems. We
also design grey water and grey water irrigation systems and can assist
with planning for nutrient recovery. For example, using grey water to
irrigate fruit trees makes use of nutrients such as phosporous which
would otherwise be put to waste. We design to minimize energy costs and
our subsurface drip irrigation systems can be configured to meet LEED
and Living Building Challenge standards. We are experienced in finding
solutions that are sustainable, environmentally responsible and that
meet client objectives while also meeting regulatory standards.
You can e-mail Ian Ralston at ipr@traxdev.com or call at 250-597-3155
Website: www.traxdev.com
Watertiger
Watertiger
offers water filtration products and services for almost any
application. We specialize in the design, supply, and installation of
residential, commercial, industrial and custom designed water treatment
packages. We also design systems for humanitarian and remote
deployments. Our aim is to provide the best water treatment package for
your individual needs and site considerations in an affordable and
sustainable way. We treat rainwater, well water, surface water, and
seawater. In business since 1988, we have equipment operating on every
continent and have sent equipment on zero-gravity research test flights
with the NASA space program.
Website: www.watertiger.net
