Testimonials

I have lived in West Kelowna since 2007 and have tried to hire contractors to do work on my house since then. I hired Derek and Big Valley in 2013 and have never been happier. He works hard and shows up early. There are not many contractors that I have run into since moving here that take their job seriously and employ a system of quality control. If you are looking at hiring a contractor, Derek is your guy. He built what I wanted and came in under the budget…and delivered a higher quality result than I expected. What more do you want. My house is located on Shannon Lake Road…there is a sign outside the house that is from Big Valley. I will keep it there for quite some time. –Ryan Glendinning

We hired Derek and Big Valley initially to renovate our downstairs bathroom and were very happy with the outcome.  We then used Derek and Big Valley to renovate the main floor of our house. From the very beginning of the process we knew we were in good hands. Derek is highly skilled and knowledgeable. Not only did he do an outstanding job organizing the trades and taking us through the process step by step, he is also a skilled carpenter. All his sub-trades under him were punctual and very good at what they did. Without Derek (and Donna his designer), we would not have been able to achieve the results we did transforming the house from small rooms into a beautiful open concept design. Derek’s easy going manner and sense of humour made the whole process enjoyable. We will continue to use Big Valley for any future projects and highly recommend them to anyone. 

Michelle and Bill Low, 
West Kelowna

Big Valley helped us with a renovation on our kitchen as well as some other smaller items through the house on our summer home. It was difficult to find a contractor who wouldn’t take advantage of us as we live in Alberta and we would not be on site for any of our alterations. We were incredibly happy with the service we received from Derek. He was very professional, accommodating and kept to the timelines and budget, everything you would hope for in a contractor. The experience we had was excellent and we would highly recommend Big Valley as trustworthy and dependable. –Leah and Brett

We selected Big Valley Homes and Derek to renovate our 30 year old rancher in West Kelowna. The reno amounted to a complete gut and rebuild of the main floor, basement and exterior including a large covered deck. Basically the house was taken down to the sticks and redone.

Derek prepared a quote based on our criteria and worked with us to refine the quote into a contract that spelled out all details of the work to be performed, costs involved, warranty and milestones. We felt very comfortable working with Derek throughout this whole process and were not disappointed throughout the renovation.

Derek is a professional and provided quality workmanship and steady trades who have worked with him for years. Throughout the project all trades attended when they were scheduled and completed their work on time and with top notch quality. Derek’s experience enabled him to deal with unforeseen issues quickly and for the most part without incurring extra cost. Derek was easy to work with, provided regular communication with us, included regular inspections of the site at various stages of construction and answered all our questions. We would drop by most nights after work was complete and found the site was very clean. The reno process was as stress free as it could possibly be. We have a beautiful new home thanks to Derek and I would recommend him to anyone looking for a quality contractor. –Gerry & Debbie Fish

We would highly recommend Derek and Big Valley to anyone who is looking for an honest, hard working, reliable contractor. –Wendy & Terry Boutwell

As this New Year begins, our company has projected an increase in our marketing strategies for the sales of our new homes. We are anticipating a progressive year ahead. We are pleased to inform you, your company has been selected as our sub-contractor for all new homes, as our project develops. We are looking forward to doing business with you.” -Gary Swite, Owner, GF Swite Contracting

After years of torturing ourselves with design magazines my wife and I decided to take the plunge and engage in a major renovation. We read every article on ‘hiring contractors’ and the many pitfalls etc. To be honest it scared us but we felt we had it in control. We didn’t but Derek and his crew did! From plan drawings to finishing their professional and practical approach made this project a true pleasure. Work ethic above reproach and attention to detail that extends beyond their own work to that of the sub-trades. On time and on budget with helpful insight throughout the renovation made our dream a reality. Derek leads with a calm confidence that is infectious and put us at ease during what was supposed to be a stressful time which turned out to be a great experience thanks to Big Valley.” –The Jennings Family, West Kelowna

We had the pleasure of hiring Big Valley Homes and Renovations to totally remodel the exterior of our existing home. We found Derek and his crew to be hard-working, reliable, trustworthy, and extremely skilled at their job. They were able to take our ideas and build on them to create a finished product that is beyond what we could have imagined. We would definitely recommend this company to anyone that needs to hire someone for any type of building project. We really love our new home. –Dan and Bobbi Massey

I was nervous to put the addition on my house as my house was built in 1933 so there was no telling what type of issues we would run into during the process…and I was on a budget! Derek with Big Valley Homes was great!! He involved me in all of the decisions to ensure that I knew of any extras as they occurred and that there were no surprises. The companies he subcontracted to for some of the work were also all very good.

There were a number of issues that came up as he pulled 3 layers of siding off, found a roof that wasn’t square, a floor that wasn’t level, etc. Derek gave me a number of options in each case to help keep the cost down and did an amazing job working with my old house and my budget! He went above and beyond the call of duty many times.

I would recommend Derek and Big Valley Homes to anyone that is thinking of doing any type of renovation… it really was a “pleasurable building experience”. –Tracy Wright

We recently contracted the services of Big Valley Homes & Renovations to create a mudroom in our basement entrance. We were extremely pleased with all aspects of the project, the outcome was exactly what I had envisioned and was completed timely and within our budget.

Our project involved building a wall, replacing flooring with tile work and building a mudroom cabinet system. The finishing was critical as we have extensive millwork in our home that needed to be matched. Having had past experiences with contractors who perform sub-standard workmanship it was a total relief to find someone with such attention to detail and professionalism. We will be using Big Valley for all our future projects. Thanks Derek! –The Phoenix’s, White Rock, BC

After deciding to go ahead with renovating and updating the exterior of our home, we had to decide who to hire. We contacted Big Valley Homes and Renovations as they came highly recommended by a friend. We were amazed that we were contacted the same day and Derek came to our home the following day to discuss our project. Derek had great ideas and was able to trim costs with his suggestions and expertise. We are extremely pleased with Derek and his teams’ work ethic and the quality craftsmanship provided to the overall project. We are grateful for Big Valley for transforming our old home into a new one and would recommend Derek and his team to anyone thinking of renovating”. –David and Stacey Hurl, Winfield, B.C.

Big Valley’s motto, “A pleasurable building experience” is exactly what was received from Derek when he took on our renovation project. From start to finish, Derek impressed us with his honesty, construction skills and knowledge, his high professional standards, his ability to maintain and surpass construction schedules and the ease of communication?during our remodel. He also demonstrated a great deal of flexibility during the construction process and was eager to offer ideas and solutions on site which added to such a positive working relationship. –Glen & Christina Dufresne, West Kelowna

Derek Schwab/Big Valley constructed our Naramata vineyard home and then in subsequent years have built our second garage and beautiful outdoor kitchen. Lots of design ideas, high quality workmanship every step of the way, a great work ethic, extremely organized…Derek is great!!! And he makes the stressful event of building and renovating a pleasure. We consider ourselves lucky to have been associated with Big Valley. I would be happy to talk to anyone considering renovating or constructing a new home with Derek Schwab”. –Sue and Barry Irvine, Naramata, B.C.