Lakeland lifestyle

For busy people who like to play, the Columbia Valley may be the best place in the world

1 of 3Meet the team: (front L to R) Bud Dearin, Darcel Luyendyk, Cynthia Brouillette, and (back L to R) Forest Gadsby, Rick Luyendyk and Mick Godlien are all part of Lakeland Contracting Ltd. — Photo courtesy Rick Luyendyk

2 of 3Lakeland Contracting Ltd. built this home overlooking Lake Windermere in B.C.'s Columbia Valley. — Photo courtesy Rick Luyendyk

3 of 3This home in Windermere, B.C., was built by Lakeland Contracting Ltd. — Photo courtesy Rick Luyendyk

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After finishing high school, Columbia Valley’s Rick Luyendyk didn’t waste any time. He went off to Calgary to study civil engineering at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), and on graduating he did an intensive, condensed carpentry apprenticeship program with PCL Construction, a big firm in Calgary, Alberta, doing high-rise construction.

In 1980, after a year with PCL, Luyendyk moved back to B.C.'s Columbia Valley with his wife and two children, finding work as a framer with Les Barreth. When Barreth embarked on a prolonged tour of Europe in 1981, Luyendyk decided to start his own company, Lakeland Contracting Ltd.

“I was a punk,” Luyendyk laughed. “I was 23 years old at the time. Of course I had to start small, but we eventually grew to have 32 employees and lots of subtrades; by 2006 we were doing over $8 million per year.”

Changes in attitude

There was a wave of prosperity that grew during the 1980s, ebbed a bit in the '90s and regained momentum in the early 2000s—but it had a shadow side. Eventually, Luyendyk said, it spawned an attitude of entitlement and high expectations among some workers and tradespeople—expectations of generous benefits and high wages even among those who had minimal skills.

“There was lots of employee turnover, and it was frustrating,” Luyendyk said. “I was lucky with my subtrades, though, because we had developed a long and good working relationship over the years.”

Scaling back

In 2006 Luyendyk told his employees that once Lakeland completed its existing work commitments—about two years' worth of work—he would be scaling down the operation. Coincidentally, the point where Lakeland was wrapping up its commitments was around the time that the economy stalled.

“It didn’t really hurt us because we had become a much smaller company needing less work to stay busy,” Luyendyk said. “I continue to work on a smaller scale and have no intention of getting bigger. This pace allows me to have a personal life.”

Construction and design

Lakeland specializes in high-end projects, mostly recreational properties for Albertans. Like a mother fondly calling her grown child "baby," the buyers call these second homes “cabins.” Fifteen years ago, Lakeland Contracting built its first $1-million-plus house, and it was for a Calgarian.

“It was fun doing this level of construction," said Luyendyk, "and I told the owner I wished there were more of this type to build. He assured me that soon there would be a lot more, and he was right.”

Many of Lakeland’s projects begin with the tear-down of an existing structure on the shore of Lake Windermere. The new house is designed around the terrain, the views from the lot and the lifestyle of the purchaser.

“I send most of my clients to Loren Harms of Living Design Group in Canmore, as his designs are impressive,” Luyendyk said. “We wanted something special for our own last home, and we love what Loren designed for us. I tell people that if they’re going to be spending this kind of money, they should have the house custom designed to suit them.”

One of Lakeland’s current projects is situated in an area called Larch Point, a community of 18 houses. The lots average one-half acre in size and most of them have some beach frontage.

At home in a year-round playground

The families who are having Lakeland Contracting build their holiday homes plan to spend quality time together there. A great variety of recreation is available in the Columbia Valley—on the lake, the ski hills, the golf courses and the multi-use trails. Luyendyk believes that for busy people who like to play, this may be the best place in the world.

Luyendyk said that Lakeland presently has commitments to keep him busy for about 2½ years.

“It’s not as busy as it was in 2006," he said, "but the businesses that have managed to weather the tough times are being recognized as the ones people can count on, who will be here over the long haul.”