Ellenwood Homes - Nelson, British Columbia

Lois Albright

We are US citizens, but have owned our property in British Columbia for over 20 years. We decided to finally build a year-round house we could enjoy. Given the distance we lived from the house, we relied greatly on the honesty, integrity and workmanship of Ellenwood Homes and they did not disappoint. The workmanship was outstanding, as well as the guidance for what we might consider as options.

I met frequently with Lara Ellenwood in the design and early construction phase for all of the details of the house, including layout, cabinetry, hardware, light fixtures, appliances, flooring, etc. Lara took me to the various suppliers to choose options and then she would lay the samples out until we arrived at a good match. There was an extra charge for Lara's services, but she was well worth it. She also recommended the other support people for us to contact (kitchen and window coverings).

My husband and I visited the property about once a month during construction to touch base and make any adjustments. Our last visit was in October 2019 and the house was completed in March 2020. We got clear cost information from Marc Brillon and his team and we were charged exactly what we expected from our contract. We had no problems with any of the bills.

The twist was that our house was completed in early March 2020 and the border with the US closed before we could even see our house. It sat unoccupied from March 2020 to August 2021, when the border re-opened. That was fully 1 year, 8 months since our last visit to the house while under construction. During that time, Marc did a video walk-through and he would periodically send his employees by to make sure it was OK. We had him install a gate, which was wonderfully done. We worked with Marc to give our window coverings person access and to give access to some furniture delivery people. We trusted Marc and his employees, which is huge since we lived 600 miles away. When we arrived in August 2021, the house was in great condition, with everything fully functional.

We cannot recommend Marc Brillon and his wife, Lara Ellenwood, and their team more highly.

Allison Girvan

We've just finished with our 2nd large renovation project with Ellenwood. FAIR WARNING - once you work with them once, there is no going back. Marc and Lara are simply the best. We were also consistently impressed with the folks they have on site who were kind and communicative. The work itself is top notch and we couldn't be happier with the end product.

Garth Patterson

Ellenwood Homes made our dream of an affordable energy efficient home in the mountains come true. We developed a strong sense of trust and respect for the Ellenwood team starting with our first meeting with Lara and Marc right through to the completion of our home.

We were first attracted to Ellenwood Homes because of their expertise in designing and building quality, energy efficient homes and their attention to detail. They delivered on this promise!

The fixed price contract left no question unanswered, and no construction or design detail overlooked prior to the start of the build. This greatly reduced our stress during the build and enabled us to wisely manage finances. Ellenwood honoured the terms of the contract, coming in on time and on budget.

Ellenwood treats their employees and contractors well. This was very evident in the positive environment in the workplace and on-site.
We would highly recommend Ellenwood Homes as a design build contractor.

Justin Pickerell

Ellenwood built our house in winter of 2018 through the spring of 2019. With some great organization (and some luck) we moved in exactly on estimated move in day. We found working with Ellenwood team lead by Marc and Lara to be a great experience. Although stressful at times in making decisions and keeping to a budget, this was kept to a minimum having the team watching our budget and getting both parties sign off on any changes which were made. The build team was accommodating, respectable and receptive. Marc and Lara were accommodating in allowing us to use some of our preferred contractors. My wife and I have and will continue to recommended them to our friends and family for future projects.

Adam H

After trying to plan, budget, and build a house for a few years with little luck, we finally found Ellenwood Homes. I loved the start to finish product which took so much of the guesswork out of everything. The design stage allowed us to work within our budget yet still build our dream home. I never thought we would have a house this awesome and we didn't even sacrifice much at all. Marc and Lara were great to work with along with the whole team; special shout outs to Corey and Ian who were always there to answer our questions. Interior designing with Lara was not only a pleasure, but we ended up with something we may not have gone with ourselves without her guidance. Overall quality is great. These guys want to build good houses. I also love the efficiency and eco friendly outlook this company has. Seriously, I wake up every morning so grateful that we live in such a beautiful house and that we had Ellenwood build it for us. A couple of happy campers right here 😉

Marilyn Lee

Ellenwood homes has been the team who had taken part in the majority of my house renovations, from a major basement reno, two kitchens and window replacements. I always keep going back to them because I know I will always get great service, and great craftsmanship. You can always count on Lara for great design consultation and general support. They have have an amazing team of carpenters, finishers and builders who always are polite and clean up after themselves.

Bev Lake

I have had Ellenwood Homes work on my house on two separate contracts. I chose them because of their fixed price policy and as a woman I did not want to be condescended to. On both jobs, the crews were awesome to work with. Cory, their jobs supervisor is wonderful and took care of any of my concerns that came up.

Rebecca George

Ellenwood provided great service from beginning to end of our project. The crew is fantastic and some of the most well-trained, polite workers in the region. Lara and Mark deliver and we couldn't be happier with the final product - thanks so much for everything! - Dennis and Rebecca George