Victoria Building Company Focuses On Custom Builds And Renovations
Dorian Jeck, owner of Orian Construction Inc.
VICTORIA – To Dorian Jeck, owner of Orian Construction Inc., it’s all about the details.
That includes not only the attention that his company puts into the renovations and new custom homes it builds, but how Orian’s team members and subtrades work together.
“I pay great attention to detail,” notes Jeck. “We have a good team of trades and staff and they know each other well. It has taken many years of training to get them all fine-tuned like that.”
While Jeck started Orian Construction in 2015, he spent 13 years as Project Manager for his brother’s company, Maximillian Huxley Construction before launching out on his own. The brothers, identical twins, grew up on Gabriola Island.
“It was time for me to go on my own, and it was a mutual decision,” Jeck recalls. “He was doing well, and I knew I could do it on my own without him. Most of the trades who work with us have been with me for upwards of 17 years and followed me when I left my brother to start Orion.”
The exterior of an Orian Construction Inc. built home
A Red Seal carpenter himself, Jeck has eight other staff members.
“I still get on the tools as I like to stay involved,” he says. “I’m pretty hands-on, and it keeps me in shape, too.”
One of Jeck’s favorite projects was on DeCourcy Island about 15 years ago.
“Everything had to be brought in by barge,” he notes. “It was a difficult, challenging job, but it is a beautiful custom cabin.”
A couple of years ago, Orian Construction did a major renovation of a famous 120-year-old home on Rockland that was created by renowned architect Francis Rattenbury, the same who designed the provincial legislature buildings. Rattenbury built the house for his lawyer.
“It was fun stuff, and it was really a blast,” he recalls, noting the heritage building project required three different permits, and it included putting a 52 x 16 foot pool in the backyard.
“All of the bottom is granite, so we took apart the inside of the building and put it back together.”
Another signature project was a waterfront home in North Saanich that involved lifting the house.
“We built a staircase down to the beach and added a freestanding garage,” he says, adding the project also required three permits.
Work isn’t really like work for Jeck.
“I get into my office at 4:30 in the morning, and I get home at 6 at night,” he adds. “I don’t feel tired, and I just love what I do.”
A look at a living room in a home built by Orian Construction Inc.
A source of great satisfaction for him is the fact that most of the jobs his company gets are via word of mouth referrals.
“Because of the attention to detail and quality in our projects, our clients come to us by word of mouth,” he notes. “People refer me to other people when they see my work, and ask me about it. We have built quite a reputation over the years in town, including working with my brother.
“A lot of the work we do is for the trades people who work for us, as we work on their homes,” he states. “They put a lot of trust in us. Even the main construction lawyer in Victoria, I’m working on his house. There’s no project too small or too big.”
