Life is too short to live in boring homes....

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Hello and welcome to Craftsman Home Renovations Inc. web page.

You are exactly where you need to be!

Here you will learn what we do, what we don’t do and how we do it!

I believe in doing what is right, using the best products within budget and following through.

We will talk soon!

What I don’t do?

  I am not your run of the mill renovating or construction company.  I don’t tell you “I can do it all.”  I don’t pretend to be bigger than I am. I don’t accept every job that comes to me. I don’t agree with you just so I can make more money off of you. I will not over sell you. I won’t make a promise I can’t keep. If you have some sort of out of this world idea – I will tell you and then help in figuring it out!  I have worked for companies that believe in squeezing every dollar out of the client. That is not how I operate.  

Why?

I believe in old-fashioned values, where I take my word and person’s word very seriously. Promises, when made, are met and I am proud to deliver. I believe in doing what is right for you, your home and this country. This philosophy has served me well and continues to be the foundation of who I am. 

Q&A

Is this a new company?

Yes, I am a new company. This is very exciting!  I’m excited! 

Are you new to the area? 

Yes, we are new to the area coming from Vancouver BC. Been here over a year. Love it!

Do you have any experience?

I have spent 30 plus years in the construction industry. Fifteen of those rebuilding homes in the insurance industry. All 30 years I have spent working for someone else earning my TQ Red Seal in 1997. I also have my third year in joinery (Custom Cabinet Making)

Did I work for a dozen or so different companies? 

No. I have only worked for four different outfits. Three were great and one was terrible.  I learned to stay away from the terrible!

Did I learn a lot? 

Yes, besides building skills, I learned empathy for people going through a renovation and how hard it can be for some. It may be a normal Tuesday for me but a completely different experience for the homeowner. I usually only take one job at a time in order to complete the job as efficiently as possible. I stay fully committed to that job, this avoids the job sitting still and having unnecessary delays. Most companies fall short on empathy, patience and understanding. This is what makes me different. I don’t come into your house blow through it as quickly as possible, make a mess and leave. I site protect and clean at the end of the day. We are very familiar to what it is like living in a renovation. We have lived in 13 different renovations of our own. 

Do I hire out sub-contractors?  

Sometimes. When I do my own renovations, I do everything myself (except plumbing and electrical). If I have to hire out, I hire sub trades based on integrity, honesty and values. If I wouldn’t let them in my house, I certainly won’t let them in yours.  I have seen them all and have become really good at recognising bull #@*^ when I see it... I don’t do everything, but I am really good at bringing people together to make your home beautiful again. 

Do I believe in ripping everything out and starting from scratch?

No. I try to work with what you got. Are your cabinets salvageable? Can I add trim, paint and lighting to give your kitchen new life? Maybe. 

Can we use off the shelf cabinets, add trim, paint and lights to save a ton of money? Possibly!

Can we save the boxes to your cabinets and replace the doors to a more updated look? Maybe!

I am sure going to try!

So, I took a chance, sold everything in Vancouver and moved to the sunny Okanogan to start my own business.  

Was it hard to do? 

Yes. 

Is it scary? 

Yes, terrifying. 

Does it take courage to leave home and everyone? Yes. 

Do I regret it? No!

Life is way too short to live in boring homes!

About Mike

I basically grew up building and installing custom kitchen cabinets with my father. When I was eight years old he decided I was old enough to come to work with him. He worked for someone else building cabinets during the week. Then on evenings/ weekends had a side hustle building cabinets for his own clients. Summer break was spent with him at the shop as his assistant.  I learned a lot. 

After high school I decide to work with my dad. I ended up at the shop in the spray booth. I got to work with a really talented and experienced finisher who showed me the ropes. This shop had six guys that built maybe five to six kitchens a year for a minimum of 100k plus. Very exclusive, very custom and usually extremely picky customers.  After a while the fumes were really getting to me. Back then the spray booths weren’t that great and full-face protection technology was really lacking. So we parted ways. 

I moved on. I got a job with a very large family run commercial painting company. At the time they were the largest company grossing ten plus million per year. This is the early nineties I’m talking about. The founder took me under his wing and treated me like a son. He taught me a lot, he actually taught me so much in the trade that I still think what he would do in certain situations I run into. I am ever so grateful to him. I joined the union and stayed with them for ten plus years. I was fortunate enough to earn my red seal  TQ and never looked back. I did get lucky and got to work on some really prestigious projects in the lower mainland. GM Place – two years. Library square – one year. UBC Chan Centre – 6 months and YVR expansion – one year. 

Then I had a bright idea to open a café/reataurant. Now I never had any experience owning or running a restaurant. I didn’t have any experience working with people who were not in the construction industry. I had never had any experience running a business. What could go wrong? I went into this business with my wife and her family. Wonderful people to partner with and to take a chance on me, I am and will always be grateful. We found a location in Yaletown, built it from scratch and opened.  This gave me an education on business real fast. We struggled the first few years and then business got really good. We were even voted Vancouver’s best café! After almost ten successful years we successfully sold to a much larger group.

I decided to go back to my roots. I got a job in the insurance restoration industry. The company I worked for specialized in re building homes after accidents. I was very fortunate that this company did all aspects of the rebuild. I got to work in different departments with some really talented people. I learned a whole lot in many different aspects of the build. I also learned how to be empathetic towards people. I am very grateful I learned so many skills. Every client didn’t ask for an accident and then basically had to go through the insurance claim process. I met a lot of angry, frustrated and good people. I got promoted to quality control supervisor within a year or two, then promoted again to construction manager. We rebuilt all types of places. I learned they all seem to fail the same way. Poor workmanship or know how, poor materials and too many corners cut. 

So after all this, I decided to go out on my own. I am taking all my skills and sharing them with my clients. I am also including all the empathy and compassion I learned through my years of watching people go through restorations. With all these skills I am proud to come help you improve your home and make it beautiful in the process!

Life is too short to live in boring homes!

Buddy is my Dog, well he is more like my boy!

He  is from Puerto Rico. In 2017 he got caught in that terrible hurricane that devastated the island. He found himself homeless on a beach. After who knows how long,  a rescue group found him, put him through the system and found his way to us! 

He was four pounds underweight,  lost 19 teeth (from malnutrition) and they told us they had never heard him bark.  The first six months he was very shy , timid and super loving. He started to get more and more comfortable with his new family. Then one day he barked!!! This was music to our ears! After one year passed, he was an unrecognisable dog.  Confident, outspoken  and brave. He  became so secure with himself and  with his new Mom and Dad! He still does have the odd nightmare from time to time, but we wake him up and reassure him that everything is ok. He has been with us from 2018 and has been the most amazing dog / boy anyone could ask for. He is so loved and is living his best life. We are so lucky to have him and so grateful to spend our lives with him!

His favourites: 

Beef , belly rubs and kisses!