John Eberle has been a contractor for some 47 years. His market, North Battleford, Saskatchewan, is about a 90-minute drive from Saskatoon which lies to the south-east. Nowadays, John works with his son, Bruin, 31, who has been at his side on both renovations and complete home builds for almost 14 years.
At the time of our interview, the Eberles were very busy working on a custom home build. In spite of the frequent interest rate increases over the past two years, they have stayed very busy building homes.
They also do renovation and commercial work. For example, two-and-a-half years ago they built living quarters inside large hangars at the North Battleford Airport.
As long as they are building, they’re happy. “We like to be there from the hole in the ground until the finishing touches,” John says. Most of his clients come to him with plans and ask him if they should make changes—and if so, why. “Your greatest priority is your customer,” John says. “You don’t tell them what they want, you offer suggestions.”