Dreaming about remodelling your house? Powell River’s skilled trades talent pool has gotten a little deeper this summer with the Hayward family’s move to Westview.
Like so many other young families moving to Powell River for its coastal lifestyle, Jeremy, Kimberly and their seven-month-old son Brady relocated to Powell River from Vancouver at the start of July. Jeremy owns Westward Coastal Homes & Renovations, a residential construction company that primarily focuses on working with homeowners to help them design and construct their dream houses.
Jeremy says he intends to phase out the Vancouver projects the company is currently working on and put his full attention into projects in Powell River.
“We love Vancouver, but it’s too busy for us,” says Jeremy. “While the business was doing well there, our priorities have changed.”
Jeremy says he was sold on Powell River when he saw children playing street hockey.
“We wanted to come to a nice community where we could feel safe and our son can grow up,” he adds. “We’re really excited to be here.”
The Hayward’s move is also a homecoming. Kimberly’s ties to Powell River run deep, having grown up in in the community, explains Jeremy. She still has lots of family living here, he adds.
“I’m happy to be back in Powell River,” says Kimberly. “Being closer to family is super important to us.”
Moving Westward Coastal Homes to Powell River will mean a change for the company and Jeremy says he is looking forward to hiring full-time local carpenters and working with Powell River’s other trades. He is also available to help other local contractors with their projects if needed, he adds.
Jeremy is a certified Red Seal carpenter with more than 20 years of experience working in new residential, commercial and industrial construction, as well as finishing carpentry and heritage home restoration, house lifting, bathroom and kitchen remodelling and deck and fence building. He is not limited to any one particular type of construction, he adds.
As a contractor with more than 100 projects under his tool belt, Jeremy says he has a pretty wide range of work experience.
“I’m pretty diverse,” he adds. “I’ll go wherever the path takes me.”
Although he has over 10 years of experience building new construction, he has discovered that his preference is to work on renovations.
“I like working with homeowners,” he says. “It’s rewarding to help people create their vision for their house.”
Jeremy says he not only enjoys helping people with their renovations but also the challenges that go along with working on already-built homes.
“Renovations can be really tricky because you don’t always know what you’re getting into,” he says.“I really enjoy using everything I’ve learned over the years and putting it into the job.”
In addition to his carpentry skills, working as a project supervisor on commercial projects and large-scale house renovations, and overseeing large budgets and crews has taught Jeremy how to be an effective general contractor.
“I’m a carpenter by trade,” he explains. “I have a really good idea of what happens throughout a project and who is supposed to come when. The benefit of this is that I can strategically schedule everybody in for a project and communicate between the homeowner and the trades so the process runs seamlessly.”
Projects can be delayed when homeowners are trying to manage them on their own, says Jeremy.
“There’s always something the contractor will have to do for the other trade so they are able to get on with their part of the project,” he says.
Jeremy says he has received a warm welcome since coming to Powell River with his family and is in the process of making connections with tradespeople and suppliers.
To take the first step in realizing a housing dream, contact Westward Coastal Homes to set up a free estimate, says Jeremy.
The company can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 1.604.838.8172. For more information, go to westwardcoastalhomes.com.
