More than personal validation, Todd views awards as a chance to build team chemistry and camaraderie amongst his crew. He doesn’t mind the competitive element they add to the industry between different builders. While they only build four or five projects a year, they’d “like to think” that all of them are competitive and could be entered for awards. According to Todd, Best Builders achieves that consistency by working only with clients who care about quality, and by taking the time to understand the specific visions of those clients. He says the story of Triadic is an excellent example of this dynamic. The client on that project – a young Vancouver artist – wanted a home that would tell the story of its own history, and he needed a contractor who understood and shared his vision. For instance, the client wanted to salvage and reuse as much wood and material from his existing home as possible. That proved a challenge, but Best Builders’ careful deconstruction efforts allowed them to hit 120 per cent of their salvaging goal, helping both to bring the costs down and follow through on the client’s vision by incorporating pieces of sentimental value. For example, the piece of wood used previously to mark the heights of their kids as they grew was kept and reinstalled in the new build. In addition, from an architectural and engineering standpoint, every space was precisely planned out for energy and cost efficiency. The in-floor heating and tankless hot water system, structural overhangs and window shading designs all ensured the client wouldn’t have to waste money and energy now and in the future to maintain this home. “We didn’t overbuild the engineering system, we didn’t overengineer the mechanical system, and I believe that’s why we did so well,” Todd says. Perhaps the best indicator of this project’s success, however, was the fact that the client immediately commissioned Best Builders again to build his art studio. After salvaging more lumber, they were able to build him a workshop, a design area, and “beautiful skylights” with a hand-framed roof. “The relationship was super strong,” says Todd – to this day, the client even still allows Todd and his team to show clients through whenever he needs. JUNE 2024
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