-Words by TESS VAN STRAATEN Photography by DON DENTON

For Daniel Caicedo and his wife, Beatriz Carmona, Victoria is a long way from their native Colombia, and their flourishing Victoria Restorations business is something they never could have envisioned when they immigrated to Canada 16 years ago looking for a better life.

鈥淢y wife was pregnant with our first child when we came to Canada,鈥� Daniel says. 鈥淲e were facing all the odds of being newcomers with no English, no family, no friends and no money鈥攁nd then opening a business in a foreign land.鈥�

Specializing in Venetian plastering, concrete finishing, heritage restoration and the application of tadelakt (limestone) imported from Marrakesh, Daniel and the Victoria Restorations team are now sought after by some of Vancouver Island鈥檚 top builders and designers. It鈥檚 all the more impressive given that Daniel had no construction experience before moving to Canada, and never thought he would work in the construction industry.

鈥淚 was working for 14 years in two of the biggest newspapers in Colombia as a graphic designer,鈥� Daniel explains. 鈥淚 was quite good and thought that鈥檚 what I would do here. But there were no doors open to me. I knocked on the door many times at [a local newspaper] and was expecting to work there, but nothing happened.鈥�

To earn a living, Daniel accepted a job in construction and admits the adjustment was quite hard initially鈥攅specially physically.

鈥淭he funny thing is at the beginning, my hands looked like I was a computer guy,鈥� he says with a laugh. 鈥淪oft and I had no calluses. After starting construction, I had calluses and blisters, and now I can work with anything and they never show up.鈥�

After learning the concrete finishing trade and getting valuable experience, Daniel decided to branch out on his own in 2008 with Beatriz鈥檚 help. An accountant and self-described 鈥渆nterprising woman since her university years,鈥� Beatriz keeps things running smoothly as the company鈥檚 administrative director.

鈥淲e weren鈥檛 able to do a lot of marketing at the beginning, but through friends at the church who used to own companies that did construction, we started working,鈥� explains Beatriz. 鈥淭hey really appreciated the quality of the work and requested more, and word spread.鈥�

Friends told the couple鈥攚ho now have three children鈥攖hat it would be very hard and cautioned them against starting a business. But they did it anyway, guided by their strong sense of faith and a willingness to put in all the hard work and effort to make it a success.

鈥淲e have learned perseverance, discipline, optimism and patience,鈥� Daniel says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e learned how to read the client鈥檚 needs so we can come up with a solution. But the most important thing we have learned is to trust in God.鈥�

In 2017, Daniel and Beatriz took another leap of faith鈥攙enturing into the application of both tadelakt and Venetian plaster imported from Italy.

鈥淰enetian plaster is something very popular in Colombia, but when we asked about it here, it was not well known,鈥� Daniel explains. 鈥淭hey would bring people in from Vancouver or California, so we got curious about offering it as a plus for our clients to give them something unique and a more high-end look and finish.鈥�

Travelling to Italy, England and Morocco for training, and to Colombia to learn about gold/silver leaf applications, Daniel discovered his passion.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hand-applied and very artistic and every one we do is unique,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e like creation and we love it when people see the final product and they鈥檙e like, 鈥榳ow!鈥欌��

Whether it鈥檚 a feature wall, fireplace, shower, steam room or even an entire house, Daniel creates pieces of art and transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary spaces. He鈥檚 travelled to the Lower Mainland to work on luxury projects and to other parts of Vancouver Island, including Nanoose Bay and Ladysmith, and undertook a massive project on one of the Gulf Islands that took three months to complete.

鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to know we are getting to do some of the most luxury projects on the island and to have the opportunity to do unique works for each one, and to see the faces of our customers happy and thankful for the beautiful look of their special space,鈥� he says.

As word of mouth spreads, and the business continues to grow, Daniel and Beatriz hope to expand even further.

鈥淲e are eager to transcend geography,鈥� Daniel says. 鈥淥ur plan is to continue serving the province and go pretty much wherever our customers need us.鈥�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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