About MDRN Built

I grew up on a rural property in Northern BC, where buildings were about functionality and utility. I didn’t learn how to make beautiful things per se, but I spent plenty of time working hard, fixing fences, raising livestock, and going outside before breakfast to do chores. That was, and still is, the foundation of my life. 

I moved to the city in my early 20’s to explore what urban life had to offer and attend university. Architecture and construction weren’t a part of the plan. I started on the tools as a carpentry labourer because I needed a summer job. I had an aptitude for it, and I enjoyed the environment; being outside, using my hands, being a part of a team. A few years into post-secondary I realized that maybe academia wasn’t for me, so I took a break from school and went back to the tools full time.

I was fortunate enough to work for a contractor in Vancouver that was building architectural homes in 2006/7. I’d like to say it was intentional, but it wasn’t, I knew a guy, who knew a guy, who needed help. I got lucky. I became intrigued with the design field while doing architectural construction, and I thought maybe that was what I wanted to do. I got accepted to UBC’s undergrad Architecture program, and was sure I’d found my path. 

After school I spent a year in an architecture office, I thought I should see the profession from the inside before my masters degree. I lasted about 6 months, I’d never been more sore in my life than doing office work. I missed the time being on site, working in the elements, the comradery with the crew, and getting fixated on what my hands were doing until time stood still. My mind has never been more quiet than when building things, that’s how I knew it was my calling. I needed to go back to construction. 

In 2013 I moved to Victoria from Vancouver. Circumstances changed and my life took a phase shift, I had a family now. I stuck with construction, and tinkered with design when I could. In 2015 I built a house I designed with a friend in Esquimalt. I realized there was nothing preventing me from taking all my experiences and fusing it into a design-build company. In 2016 I had an opportunity to start MDRN Built, and I jumped. 

The first few years I was The Design Company and The Construction Company. It worked for a while, but there were a lot of hats to wear. I recognized that I was decent at design, but there was a ceiling to what I could build alone and decided to focus solely on the construction. I still love design, but I admire it from afar, with a profound respect for the craft and traditions of architecture and shelter. I am blessed to work with some of the best architects in BC now, and have had the opportunity to push our construction skills to the limits with several different firms. 

Each project is a unique challenge, which our small team of committed carpenters considers a privilege to build. We continue to refine our craft, learning new tricks and lessons on every home, which we apply to the next one. We like to keep our heads down, stay humble, and take care of the relationships that help difficult tasks seem easy.

MDRN Built is a business, but it’s also a process, and a way of approaching work. We keep evolving, trying new things, building new connections, and pushing past the point where it’s easy to get frightened by the challenges ahead.  

We like building incredible things with great people. It doesn’t need to be more complicated than that. . .

— Adam