Our Story
Our family business opened in 2009 as a collaboration between Sam and Elizabeth. The idea was to combine Sam’s rich experience in construction with Elizabeth’s talents in place-based planning and design. We wanted to work with people in our community to dream, sketch and build wonderful homes, neighbourhoods and places for people to come together, put down roots and belong.
Our first projects were small. But these humble assignments helped us better understand our clients and community, develop our skills and focus our work. Years later, our experience is extensive and our projects are more impressive, but our original ethos continues; we keep learning, refocusing, and creating work we are proud of.
Our Community
We adore our Salt Spring Island home. We recognize how privileged we are to live on the unceded territories of Hul’qumi’num and SENĆOŦEN speaking peoples, close to nature – with clean air and clean water – and in community with so many good people.
Protecting and improving this special place is both our responsibility and our joy. In our work, this means collaborating with clients and people across the private, public and non-profit sectors, and using our expertise and connections to advocate for ecological building practices, environmental protection, social equity and thoughtful placemaking. This blurs right into our personal lives where we volunteer countless hours for local efforts in biodiversity protection, affordable housing, safe cycling and neighbourhood placemaking projects.
We are passionate about reducing the environmental impact of every single project and supporting responsible development in our community. We always look for opportunities to improve energy efficiency, use local and low impact materials and hire local tradespeople, professionals and suppliers. We are committed to not using Old Growth forestry products and are encouraging others in the development industry to do the same. At the end of the day, we want our team to feel great about what we accomplished and how we did it.
Values & Sustainability
Our Team
We are a hands-on, practical, and creative team, committed to working with integrity. Our goal is to be approachable, knowledgeable, inspiring, and effective. We use our rich experience and talents to create quality homes and places here on Salt Spring Island.
Elizabeth FitzZaland
BFA, MCIP, MCRP
Elizabeth is a community planner and designer with 20 years of expertise in visioning, concept development, public consultation and project management. She is dedicated to working on projects that create more inclusive communities and that take real steps to restore balance with nature. Elizabeth is also the mama of two awesome kids, an enthusiastic cyclist, trail runner and gardener.
Sam FitzZaland
MBA
Sam’s extensive construction and management experience guides our team and ensures great outcomes for our clients. He is a businessperson who understands the importance of budgets and schedules, but also a skilled carpenter who is happiest wearing his toolbelt and making progress with his own hands. When not on the job, Sam may be found playing with his dogs and kids, or enjoying the gorgeous West Coast outdoors on his mountain bike or sailboat.
Affiliations and Associations
