Victoria Construction Firm Also Does Renovations And Builds Custom Homes
A Paramount Projects Ltd. home at Lands’ End, designed by Karen Hillel of Hillel Architecture Inc.
VICTORIA – At Paramount Projects Ltd., the frame is the name of the game.
Scott Sjerven’s company has carved out a solid reputation for precise frame work on buildings, which is arguably the most important part of any construction project. Not only that, though, as Paramount has built custom homes with Karen Hillel of Hillel Architecture Inc. as well as renovation work.
“We frame large condominium and apartment buildings, and we are looking to expand into renovations and other new adventures,” says Sjerven. “Our business model is providing accurate framing for our customers.”
Paramount Projects Ltd. owner Scott Sjerven
Paramount has built several large condo buildings in Langford over the years, the largest of which are the six-storey, 121,000 square foot structure at Leigh and Goldstream for Goldstream Investments, and the six-storey 135,000 square foot Cherish retirement home for Heather Brae Builders Ltd.
“I’m doing some work for DB Services in Langford, and I had a meeting with them and one of the owners said ‘We want you to build the trusses on the ground and fly them in, just like the guys who did the Cherish project’. Well, that was us.”
Sjerven explains that because Cherish featured a u-shaped building in the middle, the trusses were built on the ground.
“The more work you can do on the ground, the safer it is,” he says. “Then we flew them up with the tower crane. We did the mathematics, and brought in special rigging so we could set it on an angle because it was a sloped roof and we couldn’t sheath it. We flew in 20 foot sections at a time. It was impressive, and stopped traffic. It was the first time I’ve seen it done around here.”
Sjerven started Paramount Projects in 2010, 10 years after he suffered an accident on a construction site working for another contractor which caused him to lose the lower part of a leg.
“We started out when things were tough after the recession, but I was confident if it didn’t work out for some reason, I could find something else to do,” he recalls. “The thought process was, if I could make it in the tough times, the good times should be easier.”
Paramount started out as a general contractor doing renovation work before morphing into a major framing subcontractor, which they’ve been focusing on for the past seven years. The company is bonded, so they can do university and government projects.
A crane lifts Paramount Projects Ltd. trusses onto the roof of a building
The company has gone through several growth cycles over the years, and they’ve decided to scale down slightly due to the difficulty of finding labourers.
“The keys to our company’s success is the reputation that we have to be creative,” he states. “The work we do is accurate and clean for a fair price. I’ve been in construction for over 40 years and have forged some great relationships and trust, and our company does the work properly. Any issues are rectified to the customers satisfaction, and we have very smart people who work for us and we take pride in what we do.”
Sjerven can be contacted at 250.813.3448
By Business Examiner Staff
