Looking for something specific? Enter keywords to discover content, stories and experiences.
Close
August 20, 2025
Photo
Maxime Brouillet and Étienne Brière
August 20, 2025
Photo
Maxime Brouillet and Étienne Brière
Founded in 2008 by Vivian Tessier and Olivier Alarie, OVI Construction was born from the tradition of timber frame homes. In the early days, the pair criss-crossed Québec putting up these classic, sturdy wooden houses.
Over the years, the company has grown and diversified, without ever sacrificing attention to detail and love of a job well done. Tessier’s fascination with constructing shelter dates back to his childhood summers spent building forts from fir branches and scrap wood. “OVI is the story of a boy who never stopped building treehouses: now he just builds them for other people,” Tessier explains. “I was born a carpenter—a heritage I’m passing on to my children.”
A turning point came in 2010, when the company worked with La Shed Architecture on a particularly complex project. Their collaboration proved revelatory for Tessier, who was energized by all the possibilities that are unlocked when architects and builders think in tandem.
“I glommed onto them,” he confesses. Fascinated by their way of thinking about space, their conceptual rigour, and the intelligence behind their craft, Tessier realized that he didn’t just want to build: he wanted to be part of the creative process, to translate the austere lines of blueprints into tangible reality.
The complementarity of the two firms’ know-how would propel both forward. The architects establish the framework; the OVI team, through their mastery of their trade, give that vision form and substance with tailor-made solutions. From that point onward, OVI would no longer be content with putting up one wood structure after another.
“Vivian is the captain of our office,” affirms Gabriel Jetté, Director of Marketing and Communications. Over the past 15 years, people with a variety of backgrounds have joined the OVI team, both broadening its vision and structuring its growth. Transitioning from a family-style business to a larger company has meant creating departments—accounting, marketing, human resources—and forging new partnerships. A new division in the Eastern Townships (with Menuiserie Simon Fortin) testifies to OVI’s success in expanding beyond Montréal. Yet for all their ambitions, OVI remains committed to never losing sight of what matters most: people.
The company now works with more than 30 architecture firms. Their approach is highly collaborative—architect, client, and contractor converse on a daily basis—resulting in projects where every detail has been carefully considered and expertly executed, and in a company that can always stand behind their work. Perhaps surprisingly, OVI sees itself first and foremost as a project partner, then as a contractor: it’s by putting dialogue and architectural vision at the core of their process that they achieve quality design and quality craftsmanship.
“We’re ultimately an extension of the architects, a bridge between their vision and built reality. We’re always seeking out the practices and solutions that will best do justice to their work.” —Vivian Tessier
By involving all stakeholders from the earliest design stages, OVI lays the foundations for a smoother, more cohesive, and more human construction process, while reducing unforeseen events, optimizing cost efficiency, and ensuring the project benefits from everyone’s unique expertise. Above all, their approach embodies their mission: to raise the standards of residential construction by rethinking how their methods can best serve architecture.
OVI does not rely on standardized solutions, meaning the team’s full range of expertise is brought to bear on every project. This dedication is precisely what sets the company apart. That, and OVI’s ability to meet architects’ most demanding requirements and turn a client’s wistful yearning—a shower under a skylight, a kitchen bathed in soft rays at sunrise—into their daily joy.
“The homes we build are the product of deep, genuine thinking and a keen awareness of their impact on quality of life.” —Gabriel Jetté
Every detail breeds a new commitment, and every stage of construction a series of technical challenges, which OVI will deftly address. Rather than dread complex requests, they greet them as opportunities to experiment, hone their expertise, and work out custom solutions for specific needs and uses. “We don’t know how to build a cookie-cutter house anyways,” jokes Jetté. “If you asked anyone on our team to rattle off standard door dimensions, they’d be at a loss.”
OVI’s clients aren’t looking to build just any house. They come to OVI because they already believe that a well-designed space can transform everyday life. OVI enriches their initial vision, as drafted and refined by architects. From the earliest design meetings, their construction expertise comes into play in evaluating the technical feasibility of a feature, calculating the budgetary impact of a change or proposing alternatives that will best mesh with the project.
“Their ability to anticipate potential challenges and come up with apt solutions ensures our projects are smoothly executed.” —Magda Telenga, Architect and Project Director at MU Architecture
Yet the close relationships OVI develops with their clients are perhaps even more critical than their technical virtuosity. For the average person, building a home is the most significant construction project they’ll undertake in their lives. For it to turn out right, the people you’re working with have to understand your situation, be dedicated to making your vision a reality, and be willing to guide you through every decision, from major material choices to the most subtle finishings. Residential construction projects can take a year, if not two, to complete and there is something requiring discussion every day. The contractor becomes not just a full-time builder but also a frame of reference, a guide, even a part-time therapist. Case in point: OVI has even added a “mood chart” to their pitch deck to help people anticipate the ups and downs of a project of this scale.
Client relationships are at the heart of everything OVI does. From start to finish, they build trust through listening, transparency, and a shared desire to do things right, together. “We’re not just building a house for someone—we’re building a home that will shape their daily lives,” says Jetté.
Over the years, OVI has grown from a small company into an agile, adaptable ecosystem made up of four complementary entities: Atelier Paradis, OVI Ébénisterie, Nouveau Volume, and, of course, the original OVI Construction. All are driven by the same high-quality standards and deliver cohesive, tailored, and meticulously executed results.
Every project—whether small or large, construction or renovation—benefits in some way from the synergy of their skill sets. Atelier Paradis offers interior design services, while OVI Ébénisterie specializes in custom cabinetmaking, both contributing to major OVI constructions and carrying out their own contracts. Nouveau Volume is dedicated to renovation, applying OVI’s comprehensive approach to homes that aren’t being built from the ground up.
Together, these four interconnected yet independent companies form a unified whole, drawing on each other’s strengths. Through their alchemy, OVI offers responsive, project-specific strategies without ever compromising on the quality of their work.
Work islands dot the OVI offices, where deep design conversations are interspersed with updates from construction workers popping in, greetings from current clients meeting with architects, and even hellos from former ones who just happened to be passing by Rachel Street.
To this day, Vivian Tessier still gets invited to dinners at homes he built years ago. He sees his hosts less as former clients than as friends, because the ties forged over countless conversations about the finest points are ties that endure, and ties that bind. These relationships are the company’s true mortar, and a constant reminder that no matter how much OVI grows, their scale remains fundamentally human.
Tessier recalls a day spent on site in torrential rain, his shoes caked in mud and clay, attempting to talk to the engineers through the din of the downpour: “I’ve often wondered why I do what I do, but the answer is simple: I do it because I love people.”
OVI is what it is today thanks to the encounters and discussions that pushed them to grow and redefine high-end residential construction in the province. One project at a time, OVI continues to nurture a community of creators and builders driven by a passion for functional beauty and a deep respect for architectural thinking—and, above all, by an abiding desire to create living environments as unforgettable as the woodland forts of childhood.
OVI has been building high-end residential homes since 2008. Backed by a dedicated and talented team, the company works hand-in-hand with local architects to deliver custom projects, guided at every step by quality workmanship, technical mastery, and attention to detail. Their inclusive, collaborative approach sets a high bar for residential construction in Québec.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.png)