Pore space. Substrate. Wood mulch.
These agricultural terms aren’t likely to mean much to the average Canadian, but for Jeff Strandebo, they
represent not only his passion but his livelihood.
As the owner of Construx Landscaping
Ltd., a landscape
design and construction company based out of Vancouver, Strandebo has been running the show since he first
started things up in 2004. And the work has definitely kept him busy as he has already designed and
constructed almost 100 outdoor residential spaces in both Vancouver and the North Shore.
From constructing driveways,
patios and retaining walls, to creating new lawns, Construx is right there with the property owner every step
of the way. And Strandebo, who majored in agriculture at the University of British Columbia, is pleased to
report that clients tend to be pretty darn satisfied.
“People are always extremely
happy with the work,” he said. “They’re often surprised at how much they got for the money. A lot of times,
they didn’t think it would turn out as well as it did.
The 38-year-old Vancouverite
came to the realization almost a decade ago while working in California that he could put the agricultural
knowledge he gained at UBC to good and profitable use.
“Once I finished working for
this geotechnical company, I thought, ‘Geez, I know a lot about soil compaction, a lot about footings and all
kinds of earth work construction,’” he said. “And I thought, ‘I bet I know more than most landscapers in
Vancouver do now.’ So I thought I’d start a landscape construction company.”
Starting your own business might
sound simple to some, but Strandebo admitted that he experienced his fair share of difficulties when first
starting out, from finding reliable staff to making the shift from classroom learning and office work to
actual design and construction. While making the leap into owning and running his own company led to some
rough patches at the beginning, Strandebo persevered.
“I didn’t have a whole lot of
experience doing stuff,” he recalled. “I just had more engineering-type experience. So it took a little while
to get the hang of it.”
It appears he has since figured
it out. Now armed with a small crew of reliable workers and a solid reputation in the area, Strandebo has
definitely found his footing as the company has been consistently satisfying homeowners across the city. From
the initial vision for each landscaping project to the laying of the final stone, Strandebo has always
listened intently to the wishes of his clients.
“They’ll tell me what they’re
hoping to have in their garden, all the things they would love to have and if they could have anything, what
they would have in their garden,” he said of the process. “And then we go through all the features, the uses
of the different areas and I’ll come up with a design.”
According to Strandebo, who does
all the designing himself, the hardscape design is the first step. This means a detailed plan for the
structured areas such as patios, retaining walls and stairs is the first priority. The planting design,
whether it’s trees, shrubs or grass, comes after. And more often than not, clients are looking for a complete
revamping of their outdoor space, sometimes taking everything down and starting entirely from
scratch.
“Sometimes people do call and
say, ‘We just want a driveway’ or ‘We just want this wall put in,’” said Strandebo. “But mostly, they hire us
for complete design and landscaping of the front and backyard.”
Construx is proud to use interlocking paving stones to
create their backyard patios, walkways and driveways. The material (made from gravel, sand and cement) is
seen by many as preferable to more traditional materials such as concrete, clay or brick, and is thought to
have a longer lifespan and a lesser chance of cracking.
The company also has significant
experience when it comes to building retaining walls. Clients see them as a great way to visually gain some
space for their backyards as most will attest that their yard feels bigger after installation. Whether you
want to create a sunken section of your yard bordered by retaining walls or elevate a space, the use of the
walls adds a touch of class to your garden.
With a design that would make
any true Canadian proud, Construx has even created a retaining wall that elevates a
portion of the backyard to house a private road hockey area, complete with hockey nets on either
side.
In spite of all these great
things, Construx’s biggest strength might be the vast technical knowledge that Strandebo possesses when it
comes to everything soil. While attractive design and construction are usually what elicits the “oohs” and
“aahs,” it turns out that what’s underground and away from view is often the key to a long-lasting
product.
“I think it’s our level of
detail,” Strandebo said when asked what sets his company apart. “We spend a lot of extra time on the details,
especially the earthwork preparation. The success of so many projects is dependent upon the proper soil and
the depth of soil. We’ll spend more time and give more effort into making sure that things will last the
longest.”
Speaking of setting oneself
apart, this particular region of the country does just that with its beautiful natural surroundings, from the
Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Surrounded by such natural wonders, it’s only fitting that homeowners
take pride in their own personal outdoor spaces.
After a day of skiing, golfing,
hiking or any other outdoor activity you may have planned, nothing beats coming home to a great backyard that
welcomes you with open arms. And Strandebo is pleased to report that being the brains behind many of the
outdoor spaces in the area is a very fulfilling role.
“I absolutely love what I do,”
he said. “I can’t think of anything that I’d rather be doing. I could never work inside or do a whole lot of
office work. I love how varied landscaping is. There are so many different facets to it. Everything from
installing electrical to building walls to planting. There are hundreds of things that we do that make it all
so interesting.”
Nothing beats having your day
job overlap with your passion. And when you can channel that passion to help you run a successful business,
it’s just icing on the cake. •
