Graceland Builders wins an award

The Elvis of Fernie’s Graceland Ventures Inc. long ago went to doggie heaven, but the company itself is thriving

1 of 3Craig Mackay, owner of Graceland Builders in Fernie, B.C., received an award from the Canadian Home Builders Association. — Photo by 6:8 Photography

2 of 3Graceland Builders of Fernie, B.C., won an award from the Canadian Home Builders Association for this house: Best house built for under $500,000. — Photo by 6:8 Photography

3 of 3Craig Mackay is the owner/operator of Graceland Builders in Fernie, B.C. — Photo by 6:8 Photography

‹ ›

…

Craig Mackay has been in the building industry for 24 years, first in Whistler/Pemberton on B.C.’s west coast, and for the past 14 years in Fernie, B.C. He said that many of the houses being constructed now are modest in size compared to those built before 2008.

“I think that comes from the economy and the general desire to have a more green approach to building,” Mackay said. “It’s becoming more popular even if people aren’t signing up officially for a green building program or a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program.”

In October 2013, the Canadian Home Builders Association, Rocky Mountain Chapter, awarded Mackay’s company, Graceland Ventures Inc. (operating as Graceland Builders), the Elk Valley Residential Housing Award for best built home under $500,000.

“Our award-winning house measures just 27 feet by 27 feet—it’s quite small, but the finishing comes in at a very high standard,” said Mackay. “The design is called a carriage house design; you have double-wide parking underneath and the living quarters up above. The building itself is very interesting, with lots of timber features and custom work.”

In pursuit of community

Mackay met Melanie, now his wife, while he was still in Whistler. There was a building boom going on in the ’90s, and the couple could feel the sense of community in Whistler beginning to slip away.

“When Melanie and I visited Fernie in about 1999, it took us about a day to decide we wanted to live here,” Mackay said. “It has everything we want in the town, we have friends here and it has world-class skiing, which I love.”

Mackay’s 120-pound Rhodesian ridgeback dog, Elvis, accompanied him to work sites, spending much of the day in Mackay's truck, and the construction crews started calling the truck Graceland. Mackay adopted that as the name for his company.

Keeping it clean

Mackay said that beyond the building inspector and the tradespeople, the people who look the closest at any building during construction are the people who clean it. 

“You poke your broom into every corner of that building at least a dozen times during construction,” he said. “You go room to room, cleaning up behind the crew, seeing the progress and what needs to be done. Participating in the cleaning process keeps me involved with all the projects we have going on, and we can deal with any issues quickly because I’m right there.”

It’s standard practice for Mackay and his crew to recycle everything they can—construction materials and personal-use items included. Mackay said that the industry is encouraging these improved practices, and he’s happy to see the decrease in environmental impact.

“We believe in the ethics of building in ways that are environmentally friendly,” he said. “Our job as builders is to try to bring that ethic within the buyer’s reach by providing as many good options as we can, within the budget.”