Kenorah Design + Build

We recently had our kitchen renovated by Kenorah Design + Build and were impressed by the experience. From the start, they listened to our inputs and gave us transparent feedback about what could be achieved.

Working with designer Leslie was a pleasure - she helped us create a design that fit our needs and style perfectly. Project manager Paul was great to deal with, always available to answer questions and sort out any issues that came up, and keeping us informed throughout the process. We continued to live in our home throughout the construction phase. Paul and team made this as painless as possible by working around our temporary kitchen, and all of the trades coming through were professional and made us feel comfortable.

The quality of work was high, and the project was completed on time. Moreover, Paul and the team have continued to be very responsive after completion as we've had questions and other minor items to address. We would definitely recommend Kenorah.

People told us it's difficult to be on time, on budget and on quality with renovations, but we got all 3 with Kenorah. It was a great experience working with the Kenorah team, from design to construction, and they were thoroughly professional. It's hard to say renos are ever fun, but it was a pleasure working with this team. Most importantly, Kenorah has been very responsive post project, jumping on any questions we may have or fix minor things up. This tells us they care about their reputation, and their clients, and that they are here doing business for the long term. Highly recommend the Kenorah Design and Build team. Great work to the Renovation Avengers -- Robert Walker, Leslie Teague, Jessica Hartman, Alyanna Camaclang, and Michael Payneter!!

We recently completed a commercial renovation of our office space with we couldn't be happier with our decision to award the project to Kenorah. Not only are the results amazing, but from our first meeting with the Kenorah team, we immediately knew that we would be working with a very knowledgeable, genuine and trust-worthy team. Unlike other companies we had met, the Kenorah team was honest about steps that needed to be taken before realistic costs and timelines could be established. Once timeline and budget were established, they committed to this and delivered the project both on-time and on-budget. The entire team at Kenorah - including all trades involved in the project - were amazing to work with. I would highly recommend the Kenorah team for your residential or commercial project!

We recently completed an extensive energy renovation on our 50-year-old Burnaby home. Although any major renovation involves disruption, thanks to the Kenorah team it was far less stressful than expected. They took care of everything and we couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.
This was a big, complicated project requiring a lot of coordination of various trades and suppliers. It was difficult to find a contractor with experience in all aspects of our project. Based on reviews, a personal recommendation and meetings with a handful of companies, we chose Kenorah Design + Build. Although they didn’t have all the experience we were looking for, they were keen to learn. They impressed us the most and, as it turns out, we made a good decision.
Kenorah’s approach is methodical and thorough and their team is knowledgeable, personable and patient. That last quality is important when the client is making difficult decisions on a multitude of options. Leslie and Alyanna worked with us during the design stage and then turned us over for the most part to Mike, our project manager for the build stage.
Mike was amazing! He’s the reason we didn’t get ulcers during construction. He was on site every day dealing with all the little issues that always come up. He dealt with the suppliers, engineers, subtrades, inspectors and city hall. He answered all our questions and assured us everything would be OK whenever we got anxious about something. And everything was OK. More than OK.
Our original objective was to make our home more comfortable during the summer by installing a whole house heat pump. However, since we intend to stay in our home for many years to come, we decided to expand the project. We wanted to improve our home’s efficiency, ensure its structural integrity, remove some frustrations and stop burning fossil fuels.
Structural components of the project included a small extension to add a beverage bar and enlarge our family room off the kitchen; changing our deck, stairs and railings; replacing the roof; and converting our double garage from two doors to one wide one. This last item required the removal of two posts and installation of two massive beams!
The energy-related components of the project were even more extensive. We improved the envelope with new insulation, weather barrier, windows, doors and siding. Although we didn’t find any structural issues, we did find some pinhole leaks in the copper pipes that we exposed so we decided to upgrade the plumbing. We replaced our gas furnace with a cold climate heat pump, our gas water heater with a heat pump water heater, and our gas fireplaces with electric ones. Because our house was sealed so much tighter than before we also had to add heat recovery ventilation. All these new electric appliances, plus two circuits for EV chargers required an upgrade to our electric service from 100 amps to 200 amps. To top it all off (literally) we added 12.3 kilowatts of solar and 13.5 kilowatt hours of battery storage.
We are enjoying our slightly larger living space and I love our new garage. Most importantly, our home is now much more comfortable and energy efficient than it was and we no longer burn gas. Our pre-construction energy assessment measured 8.91 air exchanges per hour in our leaky home and gave it an enerGuide rating of 150 gigajoules per year. The post-construction assessment measured only 5.32 air exchanges per hour and an amazing 17 gigajoules per year! We’re not quite net-zero, but we’re close – in a 50-year-old home.
We are now on BC Hydro’s net metering and time of use plans. We’ve been generating much more power than we use and have been putting the excess into the grid. We’re building up a credit that we will draw upon during the dark days of winter.
You hear horror stories about renovation projects gone wrong. Ours wasn’t one of them, despite being complicated and out of the ordinary. Everything went almost without incident and those minor items were taken care of with extreme diligence. We don’t hesitate to recommend Kenorah.

We are writing to share our positive experience with Kenorah Design/Build as the contractor for our recently completed dream home in Maple Ridge. After conducting a thorough search online, we chose Kenorah based on their intriguing website and awards, including Georgie Awards. Although we had connections to local builders through family and friends, we ultimately decided to work with Kenorah to avoid any potential complications in our relationships.
Initially, we had some reservations about working with a relatively young team, but our concerns were quickly assuaged after our first meeting with the owner, Jake. His insightful proposals and knowledge of the industry impressed us, and we soon decided to move forward with the project by signing a design agreement.
The Kenorah team was led by our project lead, Geoff, and design lead, Vanessa. They were outstanding throughout the entire process, from the initial demolition to the final product. Geoff was responsible for coordinating all trades, managing schedules, budgets, invoices, and communicating with the local municipality. His calmness, integrity, professionalism, and expertise were truly impressive. Vanessa was instrumental in the design aspects of the house, including layout, lighting, cabinets, flooring, appliances, and colors. Geoff and Vanessa kept us informed and involved throughout the entire process.
Covid-19 presented some challenges, but Jake and Wes, the owners of Kenorah, convinced us to proceed with the project, as the costs of materials were favorable and trades were available. Our trust in their expertise was well-placed, as the end result was a stunning home that exceeded our expectations. The whole process was very satisfying, and we have now completed phase one of the project, which includes the house and landscaping.
In conclusion, we have no hesitation in recommending Kenorah Design/Build for any home renovation or construction projects. Their professionalism, expertise, and attention to detail made the experience enjoyable, and the final product exceeded our expectations.
Annette and Glenn Fox.