business. We’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of repeat clients, a lot of great referrals. What’s developed, or changed, for us is that we are doing larger and larger projects. We’ve been doing more whole home renovations, more additions. We’re still doing the bathrooms, kitchens, and basements but we’re seeing more and more referrals for bigger jobs from people we’ve done those smaller jobs for.” “We work really hard every month of the year to provide estimates and build relationships with our clients so we can schedule work every month of the year.” “The job we’re doing now in the South End, for instance,” Dan continued, “is a kitchen renovation but it happens to encompass the entire bottom floor of the house. We’re doing all the plumbing and electrical, opening-up the walls, redoing all the floors – obviously the kitchen – and opening-up the mudroom. We’re also putting in an en-suite bathroom and replacing all the windows and doors. They wanted the entire main floor to have a new open look and they’ll get everything they hoped for – these kinds of jobs are quite exciting.” And those kinds of jobs are happening more and more for Dan and his team. We briefly chatted about the so-called “housing boom” in Canadian cities like Vancouver, Toronto – and Halifax. “If there’s been any kind of uptick in the world of real estate it’s been in renovations, not new home construction,” Dan said. “There are some areas in the new build market that are doing well, but that’s not at all the whole picture. Res- idential construction has been better to renovators than anyone else in the industry over the last few years.”
West,” Dan came back to Nova Scotia and took a position in environmental remediation with Dexter Construction – a position he enjoyed for eight years. “I just decided I needed a change; I was ready. I used to work 12-hour days. Now, a 12-hour day is a short day. And I’d never want anyone to think I’m complaining. It’s all really a labour of love; it’s a labour of passion. I love building my company and I love building business relationships – and I love seeing where it’s going. Coming into an older home, a tired, neglected home – or just a place where it’s time for a refresh – and leaving it when it’s all done is always a memo- rable experience and a ‘wow’ moment where you say, ‘Look what we’ve done. We’ve converted something that was old into something that’s new again – and the client loves it.’ That’s one of the best feelings you can have – and it keeps you going.” “Being a professional engineer and a Red Seal carpen- ter is a rare combination in the renovation business,” Dan explained. “For some people, seeing those credentials means a lot – and when they see that I’m also genuinely interested in building a professional relationship with them, it often seals the deal.” Dan was humbly hesitant when I asked him whether he believes that Monk Renovation’s 2016 Renovator of the Year award has had an impact on business in 2017. “It’s been a very busy year – and that’s just part of how we operate the
That being said, it’s not Dan’s style to sit back and let the chips fall where they may.
“We work really hard every month of the year to provide estimates and build relationships with our clients so we can schedule work every month of the year,” he explained. “That
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JULY 2017
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