Blue Water Concepts Ltd.

Having undertaken a number of major renovations over the years and experienced the escalating costs and unpredictability of this process we decided to opt for building a home from scratch. We had seen a Bluewater project going up locally and were impressed with the design and efficiency of the build not to mention the extremely tidy organized site, always a good sign in our experience. Once we met Mike Van Capelle the owner and understood his passion for Passive housing and ultra efficient building processes we undertook to build the first single family occupancy passive house in Squamish with Bluewater concepts.
If you want to work with a great team of people who represent the owners clear philosophy for honesty, integrity, incredible attention to detail and a responsible approach to the environment then Bluewater are a great fit. So many contractors in our experience under-estimate jobs in order to secure a client. What follows is a continuous process of renegotiation throughout the build creating stress and a breakdown of trust. Mikes honesty and integrity don’t allow him to do that so although the initial quote may seem higher than the competition it is in fact absolutely not and importantly helps him maintain very healthy working relationships with clients. The build was complex but Mike came in on budget not even allowing Covid to compromise his promises. We are extremely happy with the quality and design of our Passive house and know we were very lucky to have worked with Bluewater Concepts.

Blue Water Concepts designed our renovation. Erin (designer) was nothing short of exceptional. Listened to what our design concept was and our design goal. Presented her draft and it was exactly what we talked about. Having dealt with many designers in the past this is extremely rare that a designer listens and executes as per the clients design goal. Material list was exactly as we had pictured. I can not recommend Blue Water Concepts enough for all phases of a project.

Having experienced a major renovation previously, the entire process with Blue Water was expertly managed from start to finish; while the Project Manger costs extra, without them and the detailed design-cost process. you can expect to go 30% over budget; with Blue Water, there were no surprises as we experienced in the past, the dedicated Project Manager kept everything on track. Every step of the way, we had complete comfort about everything being expertly done. The Project Manager was super attentive, every communication was responded to professionally, they kept us fully informed of all matters that arose during construction; same for the designers. Designers and the Project Manager were knowledgeable and confident about their craft and provided expert advice on decisions.
The project was strictly scheduled, there were almost no intermittent work periods, workers stayed on the site till it was done. Sub-contractors were clearly experts, some with their own warranties. All Blue Water staff and contractors were personable and were a pleasure to have around for two months.
The long time and effort invested in the design and decisions process paid off in that there was no chaos during construction because most decisions had already been made; there were very few additional decisions to make (and research) once the work started. Supply issues were quickly resolved with suitable replacement products between the project manager and the designer continuing to work with us. Budget overages were solely due to the few change orders we made during construction. Post construction attention to details that needed resolving, they never abandoned us until it was all essentially perfect.
The final outcome exceeded expectations; every aspect of the work simply looks outstanding.

Blue Water did a great job on our back yard office project. Mike's communication was excellent, and he and his team were really nice to work with – friendly and professional. The crew on site were fantastic about explaining different options and accommodating last minute changes when we changed our minds about a few things. We are really happy with the final result and have already started talking with Mike about future projects.

Working with Blue Water was a great experience. Mike and his team were able to capture my vision and translate that into a beautiful deck that allows my family outdoor living year round. They matched the new deck to the house seamlessly, and every inch of their work says quality. I would not hesitate to recommend Blue Water.