Testimonials Archive - Ellenwood Homes
We are very happy with our renovation and addition. Lara’s design ideas shine through the finished project, as does the quality of the carpenters involved. A considerate, kind and professional team. Our guests this summer have been left speechless with the transformation to our living space. We highly recommend Lara, Marc and the Ellenwood team.
Lorraine K., Nelson
Our newly-purchased home was built in ’93 and when the realtor arranged a first showing in late 2016, my wife said, “This place has potential value but it needs a serious updating”. At the same time, I kept thinking, “I think this house has good bones”. So we bought it, moved into it and embarked on updating it with the help of Lara and Marc from Ellenwood Homes. All excellent decisions.
Lara is educated and experienced in building and furniture design; Marc in construction and budgeting. Add to that the varied skills of their main onsite contractors, Corey and Scott. What a team! We’ve never known better and if we were to tackle another job like this we’d choose these folks again…in a flash!
After a winter of renovating and selecting of new furniture – all guided by our team, we are totally thrilled with the outcome. On top of that, we’ve gained very good friends in the process…
Mike and Nancy
Nancy and Mike B., Harrop
at Allendell in Harrop
We hired Lara to help us design the kitchen of our dreams in our existing space. Lara had all the right tools to help us visualize a finished project before we got started so there were minimal hiccups in the building stage. Lara was patient with us and after many revisions we finally committed to the one design that fit our budget best and gave us more than we thought was possible. Mark and Lara’s team then stepped in and created the final product which is now the cornerstone showpiece of the home and is a cook’s dream, which we both happen to love doing. Thanks to Lara, Mark, Corey, Dustin and the team for creating a functional and beautiful kitchen!
Larissa, O., Nelson
“I asked Ellenwood Homes to change my kitchen / living area and turn it into an open concept situation. It looked like a fairly easy job but the walls that needed to come down were stuffed with plumbing, ducting and wiring for the whole house and no detailed drawings were available. Instead of starting a project without knowing if it would go way over my head, Marc conducted a very thorough investigation, suggested opening up part of the walls and he had the trades people who originally built the house come out to talk about what was there. I felt safe when we decided to go ahead with this. Lara is a wonderful designer, aware of tiny details and she came up with materials that I really liked. She seemed to understand exactly what I was looking for. These two people are a wonderful team, very professional and complementary to each other. And such pleasant personalities to work with. Budget and planning worked out fine, I love my new kitchen/living room and I would recommend Lara and Marc to anyone considering a renovation.”
Birgit T., Nelson
Marc and Lara provided a top notch product and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone considering a minor or extensive renovation. Initially I was provided with a very detailed cost analysis and later, if costs differed, there was always a consultation. What also impressed me was when the tradespeople commented that Marc and Lara are some of the best and most professional people they’ve ever worked for. Any issues which came up after completion were promptly addressed by Marc and Lara. A great team, providing a great product!
Ruth B., Nelson
The uniqueness of my situation made my choice of builder critical. I was away 90% of the time during the planning and building stages of my house construction and my old house was falling down around me. I needed a reliable and motivated design/build firm to execute the project within a certain time line. I found a house I liked online and sent Marc the link. From the pictures and rudimentary floor plan he and Lara drew up the plans and designed the house to accommodate my demands for green SIP construction. Finalizing the design of a house can be a little daunting with all the details. Lara made sure to have only 2 or 3 suitable choices of each layout, fixture or sample so I was able to make decisions without being overwhelmed. Marc and Lara proved to be very accommodating with my ideas and their communication was open and easy. In all, the project ran for almost one year start to finish and I now live in a beautiful and comfortable new home.
Sylvain B., Slocan
It was a pleasure working with Marc and Lara from Ellenwood Homes. Lara had excellent ideas about how to maximize the existing spaces in my home. Her design made both the kitchen and bathroom much more functional and attractive. She has excellent taste and always provided several design options to choose from. Both Marc and Lara were respectful of my wishes and were willing to provide guidance and suggestions. Marc’s renovations were done on-time and within budget. He reviewed all the work with me and was prompt about addressing any concerns.
Susan M., Vancouver
Ellenwood Homes did renovations of approximately $120,000 for us, which included completely redoing the 3-bedroom main floor (including the kitchen and bathroom), structural changes in the basement (including the addition of a legal suite), and some exterior and garage work. We were extremely happy with the quality of the work, the process, and the pricing. When we were initially getting quotes, some contractors would tell us what we wanted was very complicated, but Marc Brillon told us it was do-able. We were very impressed by how he was able to handle any problems with ease. Ellenwood’s pricing was very competitive. Throughout the project Marc was very conscious of costs and would provide options for more cost-effective solutions. Marc was also an excellent project manager – he handled the acquisition of materials and the management of subcontractors extremely well! In addition to doing excellent quality work cost-effectively, Marc was very helpful in accommodating our family’s needs as we lived through the renovations. It was a real pleasure to have Ellenwood Homes do our renovations! Not only are we extremely happy, we are constantly getting compliments.
Shahir P., Vancouver
I have completed three high-end, successful and significant residential renovations with Lara Ellenwood during the past 11 years. Lara is a uniquely talented Interior Designer. She is a pleasure to work with – quiet, thoughtful, pleasant and sensitive. She is very well trained, professional and highly organized. I met her initially as a client of Ledingham Design, where she handled their interior design. She excels in design and in liaising with suppliers and trades whom she knows well and who hold her in very high regard. I understand why! She is more than willing to listen to her clients and their personal needs, and bend her choices in their direction. Additionally, she enriches their choices, adds new ideas, presents fine concept sketches, then detailed plans, and absolutely aces the colour palette after the required contemplation work. She then supervises the actualization process from beginning to end, has the best resources at her disposal, and brings together all the disparate elements together, successfully. Whoever you are, you are fortunate to be able to consider working with her.
Joyce C., Vancouver
I had a complete kitchen renovation done by Ellenwood Homes. Lara oversaw the design and Marc the construction. I had an idea of what I wanted, along with some pictures. Lara was able to bring together these threads and help me put together a fabulous modern kitchen. Not only did she do a lot of leg work [materials sourcing] and construction drawings, she also did construction supervision along with Marc. Lara is a very experienced designer. She was easy to work with and came up with great options and sensible solutions. My job was small, but both Marc and Lara gave it top-notch attention. I love my new kitchen! The work was very good quality and we stayed within budget. I would happily hire them again for my next project.
Colleen B., White Rock
We recently moved into our new home which was completed with help from Marc and Lara of Ellenwood Homes. There are so many variables and questions that arise when building and it was invaluable to have their help, especially when it came to what products were available and what would fit with our plan. Their design considerations and finishing details helped us achieve a “mountain modern” home that perfectly suits our lifestyle. I would not hesitate to recommend that you contact Ellenwood Homes for help with any/all stages of the construction process. You will find Marc and Lara easy to get along with and they can help you achieve your vision.
Mike N. and Michelle M., Slocan
Over 8 years ago, a friend of ours recommended Lara Ellenwood to help with the re-design of our newly purchased home. Since then we have relied on Lara for her amazing design sense and style. After talking to Lara we always know exactly what to do — everything becomes so clear. We have complete confidence in Lara’s ability to provide us with design solutions that suit our style and budget. She has really helped us make our house a home that we love.
Michelle and Dave W., Vancouver