The Neighbourhood Builders

As one of the leading home builders in Alberta, Kingsmith Homes brings a hands-on approach to its custom construction projects. Under the purview of partners Kern Kingsmith and Craig Wiens, the company has garnered a reputation for quality workmanship and seemingly unparalleled customer service. Based in Cochrane, a small suburb of Calgary, the owners keep up with their customers via phone and e-mail—and also run into them around town more often than not. “Both Craig and I live in the districts we build in, so our customers are actually our neighbours,” Kingsmith says. “I think that’s rare these days.”

Wiens adds, “It’s nice to be at the supermarket and be able to talk to people and hear how their life is, and how their home is doing.”

The company was formed in 1985, when Kingsmith branched off on his own after years of working for his father’s construction business. “I was raised in the construction industry,” he says. “I am a fourth-generation carpenter.”

Kingsmith spent years building the company—even withstanding one of the worst recessions that Alberta has ever seen. “There were significant roadblocks at that time, but we persevered and made it through,” he says.

Wiens joined the company four years ago, quickly working his way up from general labour and quality control to one of the company’s partners. “I started doing back work and a lot of the labour jobs, inspecting trade workmanship and doing quality checks,” Wiens says. “Kern and I just really hit it off. We both want to be proud of the houses we build and both want customers to have a good experience—we want them to be happy with the homes they purchase from us.” Together, the two have worked to build the business, employing the best people in the industry and maintaining a stronghold on all of the markets in the Cochrane area, from entry level to estate homes.

The pair has recently introduced the Regal Collection, a new line of homes that feature smaller models. Geared towards the first-time-homeowner market, the line was created as a way to offer smaller models that are extremely efficient while maintaining Kingsmith Homes’ superior quality. “Anyone getting into the housing market can get into these houses and rest easy knowing that it’s a Kingsmith product,” Wiens says. “Because if it’s a Kingsmith home, people know it will be high quality, and that gives a person a lot of reassurance.”

The Regal Collection features a duplex model that starts at $269,900, in addition to the two-storey, 1,350-square-foot Princess model that starts at $299,999. And though the Regal Collection will certainly bring an influx of business to the company, Kingsmith and Wiens are determined not to let the additional work affect the company’s customer service. “Craig and I both share a vision of integrity and attention to detail,” Kingsmith says. “We strive to maintain consistent, high-level quality on all of our products.”

The pair works directly with their customers—from the initial meeting through move-in day, and continues to look after them to ensure that they receive any services needed during the warranty period. “It’s a really personal approach,” Kingsmith says. “We realize they have names, [and] we try to keep it pretty lighthearted.”