Skilled Carpenters Specializing in Heritage & Green Building

JOSH MONTGOMERY

LUEN HARRIS

BRODIE MARSHALL

Josh has always had a passion for woodworking. Starting at a young age and ever-growing over the years, his passion and love for transforming raw materials into quality, functional, and beautiful pieces has led him to a career in carpentry.

After spending some formative years in Finland, he fell in love with the country’s sauna culture. There, he developed an appreciation for natural materials, simple design, and creating spaces that foster relaxation and connection. (He also learned that a good sauna is the perfect place to relax after a long day of woodworking!)

Before carpentry, Josh was a professional chef, where he learned the importance of precision, creativity, and attention to detail—skills that are now ingrained in every project he works on.

Outside the shop, Josh has a deep love of nature. He’s an avid surfer and cyclist, finding inspiration in the outdoors. Whether he’s catching waves, cruising down a trail, or spending time with his wife and dog, he’s always recharging in nature.

Josh’s creativity and drive are a force to be reckoned with—whether it’s woodworking as a hobby or creating custom builds, his goal is to create lasting, inspiring spaces and pieces that reflect the beauty and simplicity of the world around him.

Luen grew up in a small coastal town in southwestern Australia, spending most of his childhood around the ocean and playing Aussie rules football. Carpentry has been in his family for over 30 years, so it seemed inevitable that after studying marine science at university and managing hospitality venues for a handful of years, he couldn’t help but return back to carpentry where his real passion began to grow. He hasn’t looked back since.

He completed his carpentry apprenticeship and, in a relatively short amount of time, has worked on a diverse range of projects—from a hempcrete house and a hardwood A-frame cabin to commercial concreting and prefabricated structures.

Luen is passionate about working on projects to build structures that last, are cost-effective while aesthetically beautiful, and incorporate building science and Passive House principles to be as considerate as possible to the planet.

At the beginning of 2023, he moved to Vancouver Island. This fulfilled a long-term dream to live and work abroad and explore new places while learning new skills and methods of building. Beyond the job site, you’ll find Luen chasing waves on the West Coast, trail running, and engaging in other outdoor pursuits in the mountains and backcountry. Now the allure of Vancouver Island, a fulfilling workplace, and Canadian hospitality may have gotten under his skin—and he’s staying put for a while.

Originally from Kitimat, BC, Brodie moved to the Island in 2009, first landing in the Cowichan Valley and now fortunate to call Victoria home. Brodie is a Red Seal Carpenter and an active member of the Timber Framers Guild. He comes to Frontera with more than 10 years of experience working primarily on timber structures.

Brodie has had the opportunity to work on and lead carpentry teams on a range of projects—from the conservation of a UNESCO World Heritage Site to traditional timber-framed homes.

He was drawn to Frontera through their portfolio of heritage projects and emphasis on Green Building. He enjoys the close camaraderie of his crew and appreciates the feeling of community that is created when working with builders that care.

On a day off, you might find Brodie cruising a farmers market, playing a round of disc golf, grabbing a beer at a local brewery, or renovating his Fernwood home, which he shares with his partner Louise.

CHRISTIAN DENNIS

CAMERON TRUSTHAM

TAYLOR McCARTHY

Cam was raised in Shawnigan Lake, BC and has called Victoria home since 2021. His family of teachers nurtured his passion for design and engineering from a young age. After competing in the Skills Canada provincial robotics competition in his senior year of high school, he discovered his desire to work in a hands-on trade.

After graduating, he began working in Mass Timber carpentry, which greatly inspired his passion for design-focused building. He has contributed to a diverse portfolio of projects such as traditional Coast Salish sweat lodges, yellow cedar playgrounds, and multi-storey mass timber structures. Cam is an apprentice working to complete his Red Seal.

Upon his introduction to Frontera Homes, Cam felt aligned with the team’s commitment to quality in every step of the building process. He values the importance of thorough design, eco-conscious building, and the dedication to preserving the history of heritage projects. Additionally, he appreciates the friendships and mentor-mentee relationships that he is able to foster with a diverse and well-educated team.

Outside of work, you might find Cam browsing a record store, exploring the trails in and around Strathcona Park, practicing piano and guitar, working on his motorcycle, or buried in a good book.

Christian joined Frontera Homes in March of 2024 and has recently completed his Carpentry Red Seal apprenticeship training. After high school, Christian left his hometown of Kamloops, BC to study Business and Marketing at the University of Calgary. He spent most of his 20s travelling and working in a variety of industries before moving to Victoria in 2019 and discovering his passion for building and working with wood.

He spent the first few years of his apprenticeship working for West Coast Container Homes, where he learned about sustainable and eco-friendly building practices. It was a natural transition to Frontera, who share many of the same core values. Christian has been enjoying increasing his knowledge and skills in more traditional residential building and heritage home restoration, with a focus on Green Building.

Beyond the job site, Christian enjoys spending time in nature, whether on the hiking trails in the backcountry or on the ski hill, creating art, reading, and spending time with his community camping and at music festivals.

Taylor finds challenge and fulfillment operating Frontera Homes while continuing to explore the world at every given opportunity. It is no wonder that the path that led him to start Frontera Homes stems from a combination of his love for the outdoors and traveling, as well as his passion for building. The name “Frontera” brings both of these worlds together for Taylor, representing a street he lived on in Latin America and the motivation to be at the forefront of building with a focus on the environment.

Growing up in Ottawa, Taylor could be found playing hockey and skiing in the winter, or paddling the rivers of Ontario and Quebec in the summer. Prior to university, he pursued two of his other passions: skiing and surfing. He first lived in a quaint ski town in the Canadian Rockies and then later moved to Byron Bay, Australia to surf.

Since that time, he has lived or traveled in dozens of countries in Southeast Asia, Europe, North Africa, and Latin America. He comfortably speaks four languages, including English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.

While studying Business (Bachelor of Commerce) and Political Science (International Development) at McGill University, Taylor spent his summers tree planting in British Columbia and renovating homes back in Ontario. After graduating in 2005, he drove across Central America in a VW Bug and surfed, worked, volunteered, and studied his way through most of South America for 15 months.

In 2008, he returned to Ottawa to work as a LEED-accredited consultant (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), before returning to São Paulo, Brazil in 2009 to intern for a non-profit (Endeavor) and to teach English. While volunteering for an organization (TETO) that builds shelter for impoverished families living in favelas (slums), Taylor renewed his passion for sustainable building and carpentry.

This led him to return to school and complete an additional two-year degree—this time in Heritage Carpentry and Joinery at Algonquin College in Perth, Ontario. Most recently, he has taken Part One and Two of the Canadian Passive House building certification.

In addition to operating Frontera Homes, Taylor volunteers with at-risk youth at Power to Be (Victoria, BC) and leads Latin American-based experiential education programs with Where There Be Dragons, primarily leading treks through Peru.

Bachelor of Commerce (Concentration in Entrepreneurship)/Minor in Political Science (International Development) from McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Diploma in Heritage Carpentry & Joinery from Algonquin College, Perth, Canada

GRAHAM SHEETS

GAVYN SMITH

MITCHEL KAJIURA

Originally from the UK, Gavyn has been living in Canada since January 2014. In late 2012, he travelled to Australia with a working holiday visa, where he met his wife on a farm picking tomatoes. She happened to be from Victoria, and that is now where they are based.

Expanding on his keen interest in being hands-on and gardening, Gavyn acquired a job with a local landscaping company. Very quickly, the transition to carpentry began. After a successful home renovation, an opportunity was presented to work on a Passive House Plus project in Vic West—an area of construction determined to create energy-efficient living.

Gavyn feels that responsible building practices and exceptional energy efficiency are essential for the future of sustainability and for keeping our environmental impact as low as possible.

In his off time, Gavyn enjoys attempting to surf with the Frontera crew, creating and expanding the annual vegetable garden, attempting to successfully bake a loaf of bread, and creating sweet delights. Gavyn and his wife also enjoy visiting the many beaches and trails the West Coast of Vancouver Island has to offer with their dog Louie.

Graham is from a small town in Ontario. He grew up playing hockey all winter and soccer all summer. He found his passion for building at a young age and always had in his mind that he would build homes on the West Coast. With that dream in mind, he decided to complete a Heritage Carpentry and Joinery course at Algonquin College.

That course landed him a job with Frontera Homes, where he has since fallen in love with Victoria and building even more. The West Coast—the giant trees, the cold ocean, and the mountains—continuously inspires him.

In his free time, Graham can be found in the ocean surfing or fooling around in numerous other sports. He loves spending time with his family, exploring the island, and learning new activities.

Mitchel grew up in Ottawa and has spent time living in Toronto, Hamilton, and Wellington, New Zealand. His path to residential construction wasn’t a traditional one. Before joining Frontera, he was a hostel manager, deeply immersed in the world of communal travel, and earlier worked in film and television as a production manager. (Fun fact: he met his partner, Kelly, over a decade ago while they were both working on Dragon’s Den.)

Mitchel became connected to Frontera as a client, when the team completed a major renovation on his century-old heritage home in Victoria. Inspired by the craftsmanship and thoughtfulness of the work, he joined the team shortly after, bringing his skills in communication, coordination, and problem-solving to the operations side of the business. His role spans HR, admin, scheduling, tech support, and business development. He’s an all-rounder with a knack for turning chaos into order.

While not a builder by trade, Mitchel is passionate about heritage homes and sustainable living. He’s thoughtfully adapted his own heritage home to balance traditional character with modern functionality. He’s especially interested in how old homes can be adapted to serve contemporary families without compromising their history or soul. While Mitchel is deeply interested in materials, mechanical systems, and airtight envelopes, he believes sustainability is just as much about biking to work, reusing what you can, and restoring what’s worth keeping.

Outside of work, Mitchel is a live music enthusiast with eclectic taste and a diehard sumo wrestling fan (he even runs a fantasy sumo league). He’s active in his neighbourhood, organizing scavenger hunts, gaming tournaments, and sumo watch parties for local kids. His house has a revolving door of friends, visitors, and neighbourhood kids who know Mitchel’s door is always open. He also has a sweet, oversized Presa Canario named Frankie, who’s a neighbourhood fixture.

MATTHEW SHEETS

After graduating high school, Matthew took a year off and worked for a masonry contractor. He ended up deciding to go back to college to take a general carpentry program. Shortly after graduation, he made the move to Victoria to start work for Frontera and to enjoy the West Coast.

Outside of work and carpentry, Matthew enjoys playing and watching most sports, with the most recent sport being surfing. He also loves music and going to live concerts. Family and friends are a big part of who he is, and he loves spending time with them—generally at a sporting event or at a concert.