Third Generation Family Firm Carries On Legacy Started By Grandfather
A look at a Tidman Construction home from the front yard
By Mark MacDonald
VICTORIA – As Tidman Construction prepares to celebrate its 75th year in business, Andrew Tidman has many things to be thankful for as the third generation owner of Victoria’s oldest family construction business, started by his grandfather Roy Tidman.
“We are carrying on the legacy that our grandfather started,” notes Andrew, a recent recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Victoria Residential Builders Association – an honour his father, John Tidman earned in 2010. They are the only father-and-son duo to receive the titles.
“The industry is changing, but our commitment to building outstanding buildings and quality service has not,” Andrew adds. “We are a family business and I think our clients like working with us because we are family. They certainly like the fact they’re dealing one-on-one with us, in a closely-knit family business.”
From left: John Tidman, Denise Tidman, Ron Tidman and Andrew Tidman
Today, the Tidman Group offers a number of services to clients, including general contracting, property management and real estate development. Under that umbrella, Tidman Construction continues to specialize in creating higher end custom homes. They have built 675 homes at Arbutus Ridge in Cobble Hill, the last of which was in 2009, as well as numerous multi-family residences in Greater Victoria, along with other commercial and large-scale buildings.
“In 1998 we built one of two independent living retirement residences in Sidney. In 2004 we built a second one next door on Henry Avenue,” Andrew says.
When Roy Tidman began building homes in 1948, deals were made with handshakes. He took those handshakes seriously, as he was committed to doing a good job and listening to what people wanted. His dedication to quality and care earned him a reputation as one of Victoria’s most respected residential builders and many life-long friends.
Roy guided his sons Ron and John while they completed their carpentry apprenticeships, and handed them the reigns of Tidman Construction in the 1980’s. In the 1990s, John’s son Andrew, who was training to be an architect at the time, came on board.
Tidman Construction homes are known for their outstanding curb appeal
With Andrew at the helm of Tidman Construction today, the legacy lives on. Like his grandfather and father, Andrew values honesty, quality and integrity, thus Tidman Construction is an industry leader in award-winning custom homes and renovations.
Roy’s three daughters work closely with the firm: respected real estate agent Shelley Mann, award-winning interior designer Kimberly Williams and Denise Tidman, who is the executive director of the Tidman Construction built retirement residences in Sidney, called The Norgarden and The Peninsula.
“People always comment on the fact that we come from a large family, and the core group of us have worked closely for many years,” Andrew states. “Everyone respects each other’s talents, and what they bring to the company.
“It’s fairly rare to see families work together this well. We’re all close.”
Andrew notes that the company is intentionally small, with six key employees.
Tidman Construction homes are known for their design features and layouts
“We are a small company deliberately,” he notes. “I like staying small and having an individual relationship with our clients. I don’t like the idea that if you get too big, clients just become job numbers, and as a result, we’ve formed some wonderful relationships with clients that we’ve built homes for.
“We’ve had repeat clients that we’ve built for generationally, as we’ve built a home and they’ve moved somewhere else, and we have built for them again. Some have even moved to the Tidman built retirement homes in Sidney, and that speaks volumes, as it shows they want to continue to live in a Tidman home.”
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