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Making an Eco-Friendly Mark in a Man’s World

February 2009

In the male-dominated world of new-home construction, Emily Kolaczek is carving out her own niche by creating modern, sustainable homes – with a unique design aesthetic – in Calgary’s inner city.

Emily and her husband Andy are co-owners of Ranger Homes, a small, Calgary-based company focused on redeveloping inner city lots. Both are professional engineers. Andy’s experience is primarily in construction, while
Emily’s focus is more on design. Married since 2002, they dreamed of one day starting their own company.

Emily explains how it all began: “In the spring of 2005, we were toying with the idea of building infill houses, when a small house on a double lot across the street from our home went up for sale by owner. We worked out our
finances and jumped at the property.

“We had always had a strong desire to take control of our careers and start our own business that would utilize our skills, training and experience. Andy’s goal was to have a business, and I like to flip houses and focus on design.”

She admits taking the leap from the security of their regular jobs – and the steady paycheques that came with them – to becoming entrepreneurs was “definitely nerve-wracking”. But their desire to have a family, find a better work/life
balance and offer a new option to the inner-city home buyer gave them the courage they needed to plough ahead.

With Calgary’s population exceeding a million people, the Kolaczeks also recognized the opportunity, and need, for increased population density and inner city revitalization. There was a niche for new, luxury, eco-friendly homes
in established neighbourhoods close to downtown. Shorter commute times, easy access to schools and recreational facilities, as well as the close proximity to downtown’s innumerable entertainment, retail and service offerings made
the neighbourhood of Kilarney particularly appealing.

What sets Ranger Homes apart from the myriad of home builders in Calgary’s crowded new home builder market is their “non cookie-cutter” approach.

Emily explains, “An infill project is one where an existing inner city home is either demolished or removed and replaced with a new home that better suits today’s buyers. Typically, the existing lot is subdivided and two homes are built.”

Although the new homes are on smaller lots, they are usually larger than the original house, which was often a bungalow. The new homes typically have two or three stories.

“There are lots of other companies doing this kind of work, but we wanted to set ourselves apart,” says Emily. “Our first decision was to build two very different houses on the site, rather than the typical identical pair. We wanted one to be unique and modern, and the other to look as though it had been there for 90 years.”

Emily and Andy worked side-by-side to build both homes, literally doing everything from laying the foundation, pouring concrete, pounding nails and painting by themselves. At the time, the Calgary new home market was exploding and even finding skilled, reliable trades was a challenge. They decided it was easier to roll up their sleeves, draw on their wealth of experience and do most of the work on their own.

The homes are true originals. “The modern exterior is an original design to us. We developed the concept, as well as chose the stucco colour and cedar trim. We can speak to the high quality of construction because we did the work.”

The modern home showcases what is quickly becoming Ranger Homes’ signature style with clean lines, a gallery feel with lots of places to display arts, and a simple – but hardly plain – aesthetic in the kitchen, bathrooms and other rooms.

With a strong commitment to sustainability, the Kolaczeks also wanted to ensure they incorporated many eco-friendly features such as high-efficiency windows and heating, as well as concrete construction.

The market response was positive, and to their surprise, the modern home sold first.

“When we were building the two homes, I was a bit nervous about the modern design because this style of living does
not appeal to everyone. You need to like modern furniture and décor elements that suit the style. However, this home sold first and then we ended up selling our original property and moving into the traditional style home,” says Emily.

Following the successful completion of their first two homes, Emily and Andy bought another property in Kilarney and began the building process of two new infill homes again. The couple were – and still are – committed to improving their own neighbourhood and creating something special within the community. Plus, it’s hard
to beat the two-block walk commute time!

While they again did much of the work themselves, they hired trades for specific tasks and had lots of help from family
members as well. They also introduced new features that support greater sustainability.

“One thing that we did in the new houses was create freestanding wardrobes with built-in organizers, instead of closets. By doing this, there are no limitations to how a room can be set up. If you choose to use a bedroom as an office you can move the wardrobe out or even add another one if you need the extra space.”

This creative approach is another example of the Kolaczek’s commitment to big picture sustainability. It is more than simply using eco-friendly materials, but also about extending and adapting the long-term use of a home.

She adds, “It’s wise to keep a home as flexible as possible and then it can change and grow as required. This approach is much more cost-effective than building a new house or moving when a home no longer meets your needs.”

Another difference was that this time around, Emily was pregnant with their first child, daughter Georgia.

She says, “Early on in my pregnancy, it was difficult to do labour-intensive jobs like interior framing because I was tired a lot of the time. But that’s the good thing about owning your own company—I could go home and take a nap if I needed to. Later on, I found it really rewarding to be seven months pregnant and still doing physical labour. I was in great shape throughout the pregnancy!”

As a woman in a male-dominated work world, it would be reasonable to assume Emily may occasionally run into difficult, challenging situations. She says to the contrary. “Because I try to make sure that I know what I am talking about, in a lot of ways it works just the opposite and the guys are more respectful and watch how they behave on the site.”

She adds that having the ability to choose the people they work with also makes a difference. Everyone has to be a team player and produce high quality work. While the past few years have had many successes, Emily admits that the life of an entrepreneur is not without its challenges.

“There is a lot of financial stress and it’s important to keep our costs under control, both for the business and us personally. The physical labour is also very difficult. We began by doing as much of the actual construction ourselves as possible, but as we grow and find contractors that we can rely on, we have been able to reduce our physical work and focus more on the design and management of the company.”

And while many husbands and wives are not able to work well together, she and Andy have found the right balance by recognizing each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

“Emily’s designs are definitely what set our homes apart from the others on the market. It’s what draws people in and makes them fall in love with the house. We make sure to follow this up with high quality construction techniques and materials, but we wouldn’t get the opportunity to explain all of the unseen features if the clients didn’t appreciate what they saw when they first toured the homes,” says Andy.

Adds Emily, “We are good for each other. It’s natural to doubt yourself, but when one of us is getting low, the other one can find a ray of hope. It’s not too often we both get down at the same time. Our biggest success is that we see the direct benefits of all the hard work we put into the company.”

Having a child has dramatically changed the work-home balance in a positive way.

“Being in control of our own schedule and the work we take on, we’ve been able to find a good balance with having our first child. We can switch off looking after Georgia and are very lucky that we can spend so much time with her. We found that our previous jobs had left us wondering how we would be able to juggle all the demands,” says Emily.

The long-term growth strategy for Ranger Homes is to keep the company small and adaptable, while diversifying into other projects such as home renovations and rental developments. Sustainability will continue to be a top priority and they will focus on alternative sources of heat and energy, reduced waste and alternate building
materials.

“At the end of the day, we have to be confident that we are producing something good and doing something positive for the city and our community.” By creating warm, welcoming, eco-friendly family homes, Emily and Andy are well on their way to setting a new standard for new homes in Calgary.

Emily’s Entrepreneurial Tips

1. Build from your own experience and skills.
2. Set yourself apart from others who are doing the same thing.
3. Put together a detailed, solid business plan before anything else.
4. Get your financing in place.
5. Establish an accounting system, preferably software-based, and accurately track your costs and revenues on an ongoing basis.
6. Hire people you can trust, even if it costs a few more dollars. They’ll easily pay for themselves.
7. Invest in ongoing training – keep yourself up-to-date and relevant.
8. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty – doing the work yourself will help keep costs down, and you’ll learn a lot.
9. Be prepared for hard work and long hours. It’s not always easy to live and breathe work, but it’s definitely rewarding

By Bonnie Elgie

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