A Vancouver Construction, Contracting & Interior Design Blog

Welcome to the Klondike Blog. Our goal is to capture our experiences and knowledge about the current state of design and construction as it stands today. As new ideas are developed and industry standards evolve, we are seeing the introduction of new materials, products and attitudes towards how we should be design, build, renovate and decorate our spaces. We hope you enjoy our blog!

All eyes are on our latest completed project!

Posted on April 15th, 2013

Are you setting your eyes on something and just can’t seem to see straight? Don’t turn a blind eye on this problem. Rather make an appointment with one of our recent commercial projects, an Ophthalmology Clinic, designed by Klondike Contracting.

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Our designer Jacqueline Pasquali combined bold greens and sky blues, set off with foamy whites. This created a tranquil and spa-like beach ambiance only a few steps away from Kitsilano Beach.

diagram of the eye

However, there is more to that project than meets the eye. The structure of the building did not allow any changes to its existing plumbing system, yet the eye clinic each required a washroom and each examination room a sink. Klondike’s team reconfigured the entire space, installed portable sinks with electrical pump to empty hidden basins and a wall-hung toilet with rear flush system.

After two months in construction and despite all the challenges, we met the strict deadline of our client. One challenge accepted, another project done.

What’s Shaken? Milkshake dreams come true!

Posted on April 12th, 2013

We love being part of our client’s success stories and this time, we are happy to say that we literally turned our client’s vision of opening a milkshake shop into reality.

You could say the project came about when the client craved for milkshakes during her pregnancy four years ago! Imagine her disappointment when she wasn’t able to find a shop that specialized in shakes in all of Greater Vancouver. Thus, she came up with the idea and after a lot of research she made her dream come true by opening her first shop.

Jacqueline Pasquali, our designer and project manager had to face the challenge of coming up with a design that would fit the budget of the new business owner and as the store was just an empty space, creating everything from scratch within that budget.

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Concept: 50s style milkshake shop with a modern twist.
Colours: bubble gum pink ceiling, bold green tiling with minor yellow highlights spread all over—such yum colors, aren’t they?
Flooring: chequered pattern that is highly cost-effective and most durable.

design styles

By bold use of colours and accents with yet simple style cabinets Jacqueline Pasquali created an impact-full space on a limited budget.

Only shortly after the grand opening, the shop already got great reviews and our client is on the road to sweet success! Go check it out now or let’s meet up for a shake or two? Or three? Or…even more?

Ask the Experts: How to Prevent a Leaky Roof

Posted on April 7th, 2013

This week, we ask experts on how to prevent a leaky roof. And when it comes to roofing, we turn to our sister company Macbeth Roofing & Waterproofing for all the details and here’s some great tips to keep your roof in tip top condition.

Macbeth Roofing & Waterproofing

Your roof is one of the trickiest components of your home to maintain. In order to ensure that your roof is performing properly, you have to ensure it is inspected and maintained on a regular basis. Neglected roofs are the primary cause of water infiltration and premature building envelope failure. In our climate the last thing you want is water pouring into your home in the middle of our rainy winters!

Here are 3 easy steps to ensure your roof is not leaking:

Visual Inspection – The first thing to do is make sure that when it rains there are:

No visible water stains marks on your ceilings
No water drops on your hardwood floors or carpets
No buildup of moss & mildew on the exterior of your roof
No water flowing over the side of your eaves trough or decks
No odd musty smells lingering on the top floor of your home

Yearly Maintenance – Every fall (Nov & Dec are the best months) it is important to:

Remove all debris off your roof with a broom or air pressure (certain roofs can be pressure washed)
Clean out your deck drains, eaves trough and flush out your downpipes & drain tiles
Inspect all roofing materials for signs of premature aging (i.e. curling shingles or separating seams)
Ensure chimney, venting and skylight are securely fastened & unobstructed
Perform routine maintenance: shingle/shake replacement, metal shimming, hot weld seams, etc.

Proactive Replacement

Your roof typically comes with a 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 or even 50 year warranty. These warrantees cover the roofing materials & installation. However, most roof leaks occur due to the weather (wind and rain storms) or mischievous animals and not due to faulty workmanship or roofing materials.

Even if you have a number of years left on your roofs warranty, it is often wise to be proactive and have your roof replaced. Different regions of Vancouver will age your roof sooner than other regions due to higher amount of rain per year (i.e. Vancouver roofs age quicker than White Rock roofs and North Shore roofs age quicker than Vancouver roofs).

If you are proactive the chance of having a leaky roof is greatly reduced! Make sure that you have done everything you can to protect your largest investment from our windy and rainy winter season.
If any of the tips mentioned above seem overwhelming, contact your roofing professionals to inspect your roof or sign you up for a regular roof maintenance package to give you the peace of mind that the water stays on the outside of your home!

Have a question about your roof? Just call the experts!

If you have any questions about your roof or need another opinion on your roof’s health, give Macbeth Roofing & Waterproofing a call at 778-374-0333 or visit their website at www.macbethroof.com. You’ll be glad you did!

KC transforms childhood home into a family’s dre...

Posted on March 26th, 2013

Everyone who has their own family can relate to this—we want to give the best for our kids and we will do whatever it takes for them to get the most comfortable life we can give them.

For a small family of three, the choice was either to purchase a new home or move back to the husband’s parents’ house for this to be possible. After much consideration, our clients chose to go back to the father’s childhood home in North Vancouver and have it renovated to suit their and his mother’s needs.

The challenge for our designer Jacqueline Brynjolfson was to turn their home into a more fitting house for the small family and create a legal basement suite for the grandmother.

exterior before after

The house underwent a full renovation: refinished flooring, painting throughout, new millwork. We also built a new deck at the back, added gas fireplaces on each level of the house, and a new garage. An additional bedroom and bathroom was constructed on the main level to give the family room to grow. The basement was replaced with a spacious and bright legal suite with bedroom, a full, open-concept kitchen and living room, a bathroom and a laundry.

It’s the perfect solution for all four of them: The parents can leave for work, their mind at peace while the grandmother spends quality time with her grandson and vice versa and the investment they had to make was a great one into their future. Our client is very happy to be back at his childhood home where he has so many fond memories. Now they have the time to create many more.

KC Office up to LEED Standards!

Posted on February 25th, 2013

The interior design & construction of Klondike’s open concept office/showroom had to be considered carefully, as from the outset we were targeting a LEED Gold Certification. Green building has always been a core value for the company and its ownership, so naturally, the goal was to set the precedent at our own offices & lead by example.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a third party verification system that is internationally recognized. The goal is to ensure that a building, home or community was designed, built and is being operated in a manner that promotes high performance human and environmental health, specifically in the following areas:

sustainable site development
water efficiency
energy efficiency
materials selection
indoor environmental quality

Some of the green features in our office include:

SUPPLIER	DESCRIPTION	FEATURES
Ames Tile & Stone	Ecotile Trust Series (colour: “Titanium”) for floor tiles	40% pre-consumer recycled content No volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions Non-toxic, durable, over 50 year lifecycle “Eco-label” certified manufacturer
	Ecotile: Glam Series (colour: “Color”) for floor tiles	No VOC emissions Non-toxic, durable, over 50 year lifecycle “Eco-label” certified manufacturer
	Eco-label’s C-Project & Carioca Series for wall & accent tiles	No VOC emissions Non-toxic, durable, over 50 year lifecycle *“Eco-label” certified manufacturer
Herman Miller	Setu chairs designed by Studio 7.5	Manufactured from 44% recycled material 93% recyclable at the end of useful life *Manufacturing plant uses 100% green power
Dyson	Airblade Hand Dryer	Digit motor uses 80% less energy than a warm air hand dryer Keeps unnecessary waste from landfills due paper towel usage (cost of 1 paper towel = same as drying 23 pairs of hands) *HEPA filter removes 99.9% of bacteria in air
Interstyle Ceramic & Glass	Icestix (colour: “Evening”, “Crevice” & “Solcitice”) for glass mosaic tile	Locally manufactured (Burnaby) 60-100% local recycled scrap glass All packaging contains high recycled content Recyclable at end of useful life
Stonecraft	Concrete micro-topping in grid pattern to resemble large tiles for main room flooring	60% extracted & processed regionally 100% manufactured in Langley Low VOC emissions Environmentally-friendly resins & additives
Colonial Countertops (Manufactured by Cambria)	Natural Stone Quartz Kitchen Countertop & Bar Top (colour: “Minai”)	Zero formaldehyde or VOC’s Radon free / no radiation emission Only quartz countertop produced in North America GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified *100% of water used for production is recycled to water grounds of manufacturing plant
Benjamin Moore	Interior Waterborne Latex Paint (colour: Aura -“White”; colour: Natura -“Wind’s Breath)	Benjamin Moore’s “Green Promise” exceeds the most stringent industry standards GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified *Low to zero VOC emissions
IP Lighting	Recessed LED lighting fixtures for ambient & task lighting	Non-toxic (no Mercury content) 50,000 hour lifespan of bulb *dimmable for improved energy consumption
Smart Home Shop	Control 4 Integrated Automation System	Energy consumption monitoring Minimizes inefficient lighting Programmed heating & air conditioning to minimize inefficient use Motion sensors to turn lights off in unoccupied rooms *Daylight sensors to turn lighting off when sunlight is adequate
Midland Appliance	General Electric – 12 cu ft stainless steel counter depth bottom freezer	EnerGuide Energy Star rated appliance Canadian Standard Association tested & approved *Minimum 10% more efficient than Canada’s Energy Efficiency Regulations
Trail Appliances	Whirlpool Dishwasher	EnerGuide Energy Star rated appliance Canadian Standard Association tested & approved *Minimum 25% more efficient than Canada’s Energy Efficiency Regulations

These are just some of the elements implemented into our Vancouver showroom/office which allow us to focus on sustainability while maintaining functionality in the office. To see more, check out our showroom at 300-1375 W 6 Ave in Vancouver, BC.

Win 2 tickets to the BC Home + Garden Show!

Posted on February 14th, 2013

Who wants to watch the show that features the most reliable and complete resource for every home improvement needs? Who wants to see HGTV stars like Bryan Baeumler of Leave it to Bryan, Paul Lafrance of Decked Out and Philip DuMoulin and Sarah Daniels of Urban Suburban, 425 exhibitors and retailers, and other features, all under one roof?

Lucky for you, you can win a pair of tickets to the BC Home + Garden Show (valued at $15 each) through Klondike Contracting. All you have to do is like us on Facebook and follow the instructions on the page for the rules to enter the contest. It’s that simple!

Seven pairs of tickets are up for grabs. One pair of ticket will be given away each draw date. Draw dates are as follows: February 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22.

What are you waiting for? Join now and we hope to see you on BC Home + Garden Show 2013.

Click here to enter!