10 to Watch Winner 2022 – Blend Projects – Douglas Magazine
Sector: Building, Design, Technology
Year Launched: 2020
Founders: (left to right) Simon Fyall and Richard Egli
Unique Selling Proposition: Creating a stress-free build experience for customers.
Strategy: Comprehensive, off-the-shelf, sustainable design and construction packages that eliminate the costly variables characteristic of many build projects.
website: blendprojects.co
Simon Fyall has always been a fan of adventure. In fact, it was one such adventure, to Haida Gwaii with his friend and future business partner Richard Egli, where the idea for Blend Projects was born.
“There was nothing available for rent that was beautiful, durable,” noted Fyall. “We needed to create something that we would want to rent, or want to own, that’s replicable in these remote locations.”
Years of working in construction, on remote sites and in different countries, saw projects come up against a consistent roadblock: “Cost and timeline are constantly inflated, and there’s never any true justification,” says Fyall.
The industry standard is that build projects go over budget by an estimated 30 per cent, on average.
Determined to eliminate the costly variables that inevitably torment clients, Fyall crafted prefabricated, off-the-shelf build packages — cabins, garden suites and backyard offices — that include design, permitting, site work, foundations, construction, assembly, management and inspections. Manufacturing takes place in a controlled environment, reducing construction time, lowering costs and minimizing waste before being assembled on site.
“We are taking big risks and it is paying off,” says Fyall.
Having so much control over what they are delivering, from initial idea and supply chain through to finishing touches, helps to build and maintain trust with customers.
“We’re creating a different experience for people when they’re purchasing a home, and I think that is really working,” says Fyall.
Projects to date have been on Salt Spring Island, Mount Washington, Pender Island, Shawnigan Lake and in Victoria, with plans for multi-unit projects underway.
“We spent the first year really creating models and new designs,” says Fyall. “In the next few years, I really want to get focused on production, and getting the system down, so that we can start providing more [high quality] affordable housing projects.”
