Testimonials - William Blake Homes

Our Testimonials

See more of what our past clients have to say about working with William Blake Homes.

Integrity

Throughout our project, from the initial planning and budgeting through to completion and possession, Dave Tidmarsh was professional, transparent and very responsive. Dave’s guidance was helpful in preparing a solid budget that afforded a high quality home with the fixtures and features we desired, without overspending on options that weren’t important to us. Our final cost to complete was within a few percent of our original budget, the project was completed on time, and we were living in our new home less than a year after our initial budget meeting with Dave. Our site manager Phil was willing to meet with us on site as often as we wished and was also responsive over email and text (which was often our preference). We searched for a builder that would be professional and accountable in the event any issues arose (which are bound to happen with any project of this scale). Throughout the build, we were pleased that we not only encountered very few issues, but more importantly Dave and Phil were always professional and reasonable in resolving these matters in a timely manner, which demonstrated their integrity and commitment to quality. Overall, we were very satisfied with our home building experience and believe William Blake Homes should be strongly considered for anyone looking to build a custom home in Calgary.

We approached Dave with an idea to build a new garage with a secondary suite above it, while at the same time doing some extensive renovations to the house we live in. We were looking for a builder who was not afraid to think outside the box. With many years of experience building homes in the inner city, Dave welcomed unique opportunities where he could add value. Throughout the process his commitment and dedication were unwavering. He was very patient with us when we needed time to think things over and always responsive when we had questions or concerns. Dave treated our money like it was his own. We could not be happier with the final results and look forward to opportunities to work with him and his team in the future.”

Equipped with an outstanding renovation design package developed by Lowell Scott from Vincent Flasch Interior Design, we met with multiple contractors and decided to hire William Blake Homes. Once we had toured one of their projects nearing completion, we were impressed with the quality of the work, attention to details and craftsmanship. The scope of our project was significant; gutted most of the main floor, removing staircases, flooring, walls, and windows. The result of our renovation exceeded our expectations, we are loving our new home and consistently receiving praise on the design and quality of our renovation. Matthew our project manager showed impressive attention to detail, and pro-activity in identifying areas of potential concerns and presenting alternative solutions. David Tidmarsh said that he wouldn’t be happy until we were and he truly meant it. Thank you for your dedication to our project and making us very proud owners of our home.

We initially met with Dave at one of his beautiful houses for sale in Marda Loop. We were not certain if we wanted to move and downsize from our present home or renovate it. After discussing this with Dave, we were quite impressed with his professionalism and transparency. We decided to renovate, changing kitchen & mudroom floors, back splash, and all banisters in a big house is not an easy feat, especially with 3 dogs in the house. Dave, Matt and their team accommodated our schedule. They completed the project in less than 10 weeks. We love the renos and are very happy with having chosen William Blake Homes to complete them.

A previous renovation contractor had left our home in a state of complete disarray. Having grown up in the home and purchased it from my parents, we were devastated. In the aftermath, we were fortunate to find William Blake Homes. You and your team were professional, honest and provided such a different experience to what we had endured before. The communication was exceptional. In addition to our regular weekly meetings, you and your team were available to us at any time, and were able to help us out with any questions that we had. Issues that arose through construction were dealt with quickly, and we were informed of those issues immediately. Our renovation was completed almost a month sooner than the original anticipated completion date, and the cost was less than what you had originally anticipated. Both were welcome news given what had happened previously. Most importantly though, the quality of your work was beyond what we imagined when we first undertook the renovation. Having lived in the home for the majority of my life, you were able to help us transform our outdated family home, into an amazing, modern living space. All the best Dave. Thanks again.

Build Quality

Emily and I are thrilled to be in a William Blake home. Emily said “well, this is the one” as soon as we walked in. After looking at close to 20 other projects like yours, this one really set itself apart. The design and detail was unlike anything we saw available and it really feels like a home to us. Aside from the impressive craftsmanship, we have appreciated the support we’ve received from both Dave and Jaime. Your team has over delivered on our expectations and we couldn’t be happier.

We hired William Blake to build a garage on a quirky inner-city lot. Despite the tight quarters and some strange requests – we were right up against the property lines and an existing deck, then we wanted a finished storage attic plus a dormer window – Dave and Rob and their crews got the job done without any grief, and produced a garage that looks more like guest house. It’s almost too nice to park in. We could not be happier with the final results and look forward to opportunities to work with him and his team in the future.

Our home was affected by the 2013 Calgary flood and needed extensive repairs. Dave and his team were quick to respond with a strategic plan of action for the restoration and renovation of our home. The scope of work, schedule, and budget were clearly defined prior to project initiation. Regular meetings throughout the project execution ensured transparency in a dynamic contracting and evolving Provincial flood mitigation regulatory environment. Dave and our project manager Rob Marr delivered our home to us in better condition than the original build, on time and on budget. The finished product exceeded our expectations, delivering a home incorporating many additional design features put forward by Dave and his team. We would recommend Dave and the team at William Blake Homes, without reservation, for luxury custom built homes or renovations.

Our experience with William Blake was extremely positive from start to finish. Dave listened intently to our goals with respect to building our custom family home. He understood our budget goals and worked with our architect and designer to help ensure that those budget goals were embedded into our beautiful design and plans. The build proceeded very smoothly from start to completion – even with the unprecedented Covid–19 situation arising prior to completion. The attention to detail and quality of craftmanship are superb. Very few deficiencies were present at completion, and those minor deficiencies were resolved in short order after possession. Our family was able to move into our new home within days of the original projected completion date. Dave and William Blake showed high integrity and honor throughout our build. Communication was excellent. The quality and design of our new custom home met our highest expectations. I would not hesitate to recommend Dave and William Blake Homes to anyone looking for a high–quality and positive custom home build experience.

The William Blake team went above of beyond to deliver an exceptional home with exceptional quality. They accommodated all of our requests to customize and personalize our home so we got exactly what we wanted. Dave Tidmarsh and Phil Dickau were both a pleasure to work with at each stage of the home completion. The fact that they are a Master Builder make’s a big difference compared to other homes in our area. We highly recommend William Blake Homes.

Knowledge & Experience

We hired William Blake Homes to do an extensive rennovation of the house that I grew up in (built in 1977). We opened up the floor plan by removing several walls on the main floor, reconfigured the office, back entry/mud room, laundry and powder room in order to maximize space. Upstairs, we reconfigured the two bathrooms, master bedroom, and hall closets to make the space more functional. We found Dave Tidmarsh to be really knowledgeble, and most importantly very practical. Dave was very helpful in identifying what would maximize added value to the home, and where we could efficiently save costs. Our project was delivered slightly ahead of schedule and on budget. We were really happy with the project, and have recommended Dave and William Blake Homes to several of our friends.

We hired William Blake Homes to complete an extensive renovation of our 1970’s home and we are so happy we chose them for the job! Dave and his team are extremely professional and knowledgeable, making us feel comfortable that everything would be done right throughout the process. Our project was very well managed and communication at every stage was fantastic. Not only were we kept informed, but Dave and his team also provided thoughtful advice and guidance every step of the way. Issues were always addressed quickly and our satisfaction was always top of mind. We love our transformed home and wouldn’t hesitate to hire William Blake Homes for all future work!

William Blake was a recommendation to us from a trusted friend, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the final results. Dave was extremely professional from day one and his knowledge of construction and what was possible with our layout made us feel reassured. Our renovation included a redesign of the kitchen, living and dining areas, including relocation of a stairwell and a new engineered beam. The team requested clarity on design and plans along the way, and Rob managed the execution of these items without a hitch. When issues arose, e.g. engineered beam and limited roof pitch, the team came up with a solution which kept timing on target. Our vision of the renovation was accomplished and we are very pleased with the results.

I have known Dave Tidmarsh for more than 12 years in the residential home construction industry. I would recommend Dave Tidmarsh and William Blake homes for the following reasons: Firstly, Dave has always demonstrated a relentless work ethic, constantly doing whatever it takes to ensure client’s expectation were met. Second, Dave has a masterful understanding of residential home construction, Dave has achieved this through building an array of incredibly diverse custom homes for very specific clients and completing his Master Home Builder certification. Third, Dave has a true passion for building homes and this is clearly evident in his commitment and dedication to excellence. Based on our history and the preceding qualities I elected to build a home with Dave in Hillhurst that was completed in 2015. Our home was completed under budget and with a very limited deficiency list. I would recommend Dave Tidmarsh and William Blake Homes to anyone interested in building a custom home or renovating.

When building our home 4 years ago, Dave sat down with us at every stage of the planning and building process, clarifying exactly what our wishes were and how he could deliver the best product. He provided accurate cost estimates and was able, though his contracts in the building industry, to acquire very competitive rates in all aspects of our build. We knew his ultimate goal was our satisfaction and he worked very hard to successfully build our dream home. If we ever build again, I will be calling Dave for his help and expertise. I have referred several of my close friends to Dave for their home renovations and they all have been exceedingly happy with the outcome.

I have had the pleasure of working with Dave for the past 7 years as the Interior Designer on many of his residential renovation projects. Dave's extensive knowledge and experience in the building and renovation industry is apparent right from the start and has been a strong asset in every project we’ve worked on. This, paired with his always professional and courteous demeanor is a combination that is invaluable in a Contractor. I have been consistently impressed with not only his superior quality of workmanship but his adherence to budget and timelines, He possesses great communication skills and ensures a high level of care and attention to his client’s needs. It is for these reasons that I continue to recommend Dave Tidmarsh without hesitation for any new build or renovation project.

Dave and his team come with an extensive knowledge of construction on both the new build and renovation sides of the industry, and they are always eager to share their knowledge when questions arise. Whenever I encounter a construction restraint on site, I can always count on Dave and his team to come the table with multiple solutions to the problem. It’s great when you can rely on a builder to implement your designs with a keen eye for detail while also offering constructive suggestions to push your designs to the next level, and Dave does just that. Working with Dave and his team is a true collaborative effort between the client, designer and trades. Dave keeps all parties in the loop on all aspects of the build, insuring that everyone shares the same vision for the project. The end result is a beautiful home that not only the client can be proud of, but the entire team that was involved in the build as well. With all of the above in mind, I would have no hesitation in recommending Dave as a builder for future clients.

Customer Service

In 2020, through the Covid pandemic, we built a home with William Blake Homes. We were thrilled with the process, timing and ultimately the quality of our house. Dave and Wes (our project manager), were very attentive and communicative during the entire building process. Via weekly meetings and ad hoc meetings as required, we were kept up to date with decision/selection timelines, changes and impacts on budget. William Blake Homes has many years of building experience, as a result we always felt as though any obstacle that may occur would be quickly identified and dealt with. WBH has a good working relationship with high quality trades who are friendly and approachable. With the combined wealth of experience between Dave, Wes and the trades, they provided valuable input on decisions that we needed to make . After move-in, we have had very few issues with the house, anything that has arisen has been quickly and professionally dealt with. We know that Dave and his team have our best interest at heart and we would definitely recommend using William Blake homes for any building project.

Dave Tidmarsh and William Blake Homes have completed numerous large and small renovation and new construction projects for us over the last 5 years. The work has been exceptional and Dave has always been accessible and extremely effective at providing project management that kept us on schedule and on budget. He and his team have always been knowledgeable and have consistently done their very best to solve any and all issues that arose. Dave has solidly stood behind his work and has always had customer satisfaction as his primary concern. We would definitely recommend William Blake Homes.

We absolutely love the home we built with William Blake Homes. It became very apparent early on that Dave held customer satisfaction as a top priority and he worked very closely with us to resolve any issues as they arose. We always felt comfort in knowing that we were in good hands and that things would be taken care even when uncertain. A high level of support has continued even after we gained possession of the home. Everyone we interfaced with along the way were very knowledgeable, respectful and a pleasure to work with. There was a real collaborative effort between our designer and project manager that allowed us be able to take a back seat at times and just enjoy the process as it unfolded in front of us. We would not hesitate to recommend Dave and his team to our friends or use them again if we were to build once more!“

Dave was with us every step of the way building our new custom home. From the architectural design, through the development process, budgeting, construction and most importantly post possession. He still checks in with us periodically to make sure everything is going well. Dave is certainly one of the top custom home builders in Calgary with such a vast range of projects & experiences in his repertoire. There wasn’t an issue that came up that Dave did not have a solution for and approach with pure professionalism and ease. Should we ever build another custom home in Calgary, or choose to renovate any property the only builder we would consider is David Tidmarsh and William Blake Homes. Outstanding individual, outstanding builder!

We couldn’t be happier with how our custom home turned out! Jamie was very easy to work with and responded to questions and concerns quickly and effectively. We had very few problems with our build, and I credit Jamie with a having a lot to do with how smooth things went. On the very few things we had concerns about, Jamie worked with the subcontractors to resolve the problems quickly, and always to our satisfaction. Any information we needed was always gathered for us quickly and Jamie was always easy to contact throughout the process. Our custom build is our ‘forever home’, but if I was ever building again I would definitely want to have Jamie involved. I would recommend him without reservation.

We chose to work with William Blake Homes to build a new house in Killarney on the recommendation of a friend and after looking at a handful of other home builders. We used both a design firm and interior designer that William Blake recommended and the whole experience from start to finish was virtually flawless. Dave and his team set a budget that was realistic and gave us every opportunity to come under it throughout the project. If we decided to do something that added scope the change was clearly planned and dealt with appropriately. When those little inevitable problems did arise they took full ownership of setting things right irrespective of the cause. We began working with William Blake a few months before the pandemic yet, despite working almost entirely through periods of Covid restriction, our schedule and budget were met. Now that we are in our home and normal settling in occurs or minor issues present themselves the team at William Blake is right there to make sure everything remains to the high standard of quality that they promise without question and without hassle. Were we to build another home we would immediately contract with William Blake to do it!

Communication

We wish to extend our sincere thanks for the excellent renovation completed at our home. We developed a very close working relationship with the project manager who was assigned to our job and he was extremely helpful in the preparations for vacating the work area and coordinating the trades for absolutely minimum down-time. The trades were experts in their fields (carpentry, flooring, tiling, painting, electricians, etc.). They always left the work site clean and tidy for the day. We were most impressed that the overall job scope and schedule included the initial arrangements for furniture storage (and retrieval later), complete cleaning of fixtures, mirrors and windows, walls, kitchen cabinets and drawers, and the new carpeting. The final item included a commercial cleaning of the furnace duct work. We wish to express our thanks for a job well done, on time and on budget.

After various interviews, we were extremely impressed by William Blake Homes and chose Dave Tidmarsh and his staff to aid us in our renovation. What stood out to us about Dave was his ability to personalize our project, cater to our style and to simply listen to us in deciphering what we wanted to accomplish with our project. Dave’s personal communication skills, integrity, and honesty were prevalent throughout the introductory stages of our planning. His transparent and caring attitude towards life, his clients, and his staff permeate throughout his business and they never wavered throughout our project. I never at anytime questioned Dave’s intentions and from a business and communication perspective, this built immediate trust. He gave us practical advice that made our decisions easier and in some instances cheaper. My wife and I had extremely high expectations for this project and we were both blown away that these expectations were met both on time and on budget. We are close to three months being in our home and we cannot say enough good things about our seamless, stress free experience.

We recently worked with Dave Tidmarsh and William Blake Homes to complete an extensive renovation of our second floor Master Suite. Our goal was to improve the overall use of space while incorporating functional design, art features, light, sound, and natural wood to create a space that reflected our personalities. The entire renovation process was truly collaborative: WBH incorporated structural, architectural design, and construction elements into our initial concepts to create an innovative result that addressed how we wanted to use the space and what we wanted to see. Our WBH Project Manager (Frank) was a dedicated resource. Workable solutions were sorted out when construction issues arose (as they do in most renovations). We lived in our home during the renovation and we greatly appreciated the respectful and friendly approach demonstrated throughout this time. By working with WBH, we had access to quality suppliers and exceptional tradespeople and companies. The end result is incredibly functional and beautiful. We enjoyed working with Dave, Lisa and the rest of the WBH team!!! Thank you!

Without reservation we would highly recommend Dave and William Blake Homes to anyone looking to build or remodel their home. While the construction of our home was substantially complete by the time we made our purchase, throughout the remaining construction process, Dave and his site manager Phil Dickau were consummate professionals. They were always available for questions and listened to any concerns we had about the process to complete the project. Discussions regarding upgrades or changes to the initial plan were always up front and with transparency in pricing. The house was immaculate upon taking possession (which was right on time!) and the team remained attentive and addressed any concerns or touch-ups quickly and efficiently.

Dave and his team at William Blake Homes were a pleasure to deal with. He was prompt, professional, and extremely dependable. I had a moderate size job on my new house to renovate/complete, and the finished product was exactly as quoted; and on time! I was provided frequent updates by Dave and the crew were just as courteous as they were skilled. I am very happy with the quality of the finished product. I would call Dave again in a heartbeat and plan to use him again for any future projects. I highly recommend him for any work that you may need done.Our custom build is our ‘forever home’, but if I was ever building again I would definitely want to have Jamie involved. I would recommend him without reservation.

We wanted to thank you & all of your team at William Blake Homes for a fantastic renovation experience. Your team turned our dream home into a reality, and we could not be happier with the end result. Phil was a fantastic project manager. He was attentive, understanding, communicative and we had a great time having him around the house! We appreciate the experience and love the end product, you really did give us our dream home! Thank you again for everything and we wish you and WBH all the best.