The next in our series about the local people and professionals we work with on home renovations in Victoria is Kyle Engineering (formerly Hoel Engineering.) We caught up with Ed Kyle, P.Eng, MEng (PrEng), and principal at Kyle Engineering, to learn more about what his team can do and why they’re a great fit for the homeowners who trust MAC Renovations to complete their home renovations in Victoria.
What does Kyle Engineering do?
Ed Kyle answered, “We do civil and structural engineering consulting mostly, and we take on projects anywhere from little wall removals on residential projects all the way up to large-scale condo buildings or industrial or commercial projects. We currently are three engineers. I do structural and civil engineering, and we have two structural engineers as well. We enjoy taking on projects that allow us to do both the civil and the structural aspects because that’s where we can offer the most value.”
What’s the difference between civil engineering and structural engineering?
“Civil engineering is usually related to everything under the ground that you don’t see, like sewer connections or stormwater management, as well as water and fire water connections. We also do parking lots, grading, driveways, and that sort of thing. Basically, everything from the ground downwards is civil engineering.
Structural Engineering is pretty much anything building-wise that’s a structure. We make sure that it adheres to the building codes of the various municipalities throughout Greater Victoria. In essence, we’re the ones who try to make the architects’ vision a reality.”
Why does MAC like working with Ed Kyle?
Ed McDonald, founder of MAC Renovations, said, “We’ve worked with the Hoel team and Ed Kyle for over 25 years. He is very approachable about things on the site and sees solutions that are often economical. He collaborates with us and our homeowners. He’s open to suggestions and doesn’t shut any ideas down. He’ll usually say something like, ‘I’ll run the numbers on it and make sure it works.’”
“He’s a great communicator,” continued Blaise McDonald, president of MAC Renovations. “He works collaboratively to find solutions with our construction and design teams. His approach is to understand the whys of the project, and then he’ll augment our strategy with things we might not have thought of, but they help us achieve what we were hoping to do in a better way.”
North Saanich– Safe and Dry
MAC Renovations has been working on a new construction project in the Lands End community in North Saanich. The new home was being built closer to the waterfront, so all of the civil infrastructure had to be installed underground. “Because he can handle the civil and structural requirements of the project, Ed was the right choice for this project,” explained Blaise.
“The North Saanich build is an interesting project,” said Ed Kyle. “It’s three separate structures and quite a big waterfront property. It has a three-level building with a pretty complicated design to showcase really interesting, large spans. The lower floor was done in concrete. It’s basically a walkout basement with concrete foundations, and we added Strong-walls for seismic restraint.
“There was also a stormwater management component on this project. The site had a water feature, and stormwater would potentially come down into the pond, so we had to ensure it would not overflow into the house. To move the water around the home, we developed a diversion system with energy dissipation structures to slow the water down and prevent erosion. We made this out of boulders and large rocks, so in the drier months, you won’t even notice the channel, and when the stormwater is running, you’ll see water flowing through it but won’t know where it’s coming from. It’s a great design that blends into the property very nicely.”
Cadboro Bay — Stormwater Camouflage
Blaise explained, “The homeowners in Cadboro Bay chose MAC to lead their extensive backyard renovation. The challenge we faced was that the only hookup for their stormwater was significantly above grade and would require an electrical pump to move the water to the drain system. Ed Kyle designed and helped us implement a solution that would collect the water from around the house into an engineered rock depth, allowing the stormwater to dissipate over time.”
“We implemented an Infiltrator system to manage the stormwater,” explained Ed. “These homeowners hired MAC to create a beautiful space, so we designed the system to be essentially invisible. It’s under the lawn area, and you would never even know that the stormwater management system is there. That’s one of the things we specialize in: hiding the stormwater management system as best as possible. I want people to enjoy the space and not even know where it is. The Infiltrator system provides biological and gravity filtration to make the water as clean as possible before it gets out to the ocean.”
Home Renovation Professionals in Victoria
“The nice part about working with the team at MAC Renovations is that they have a professional team,” shared Ed. “They’ve been through most of these renovations before, and they know the questions to ask. They trust that I am doing my best to give them exactly what they want: a cost-effective solution. The part I like about working with MAC is they coordinate things very well. They’re good at managing projects, which, in our industry, is essential. Much of this comes down to communications, and MAC does this seamlessly. When the lines of communication are open, and it’s easy to communicate — and understand each other — things run smoothly. With MAC, they tend to be good at coordinating projects and knowing which team members to contact at what time and who to bring together. And that, I think, is a great way to run a project.”
If you’d like to learn more about working with Ed Kyle and the team at Kyle Engineering, give us a call to see how we can help you benefit from the exceptional skills and significant experience of this talented local team.