About Us
Custom, Without Compromise
At Empire Custom Homes, every project starts by getting to know you, because we believe the most exceptional homes are shaped by the people who live in them. We ask questions that go beyond square footage and style preferences: How do you spend your mornings? Who do you host at your table? What will make your space feel like a sanctuary, a statement, and a legacy—all at once? From that very first conversation, we aren’t just building a house, we’re building a relationship founded on honesty, collaboration, and mutual respect.
What sets Empire apart is not just our luxury craftsmanship or decades of experience, but how seamlessly we bring it all together. With a full in-house team—designers, technologists, project managers, estimators, and healthy home experts—we make the process feel clear and cohesive from start to finish. You’ll have a team that knows your project inside and out, communicates proactively, and keeps your priorities at the centre of every decision. Whether you’re building a new home or reimagining your current space, we’re here to make the process feel less like a project and more like a partnership. Because at Empire, custom isn’t a concept, it’s our philosophy.
The Empire Story
Empire Custom Homes began as a natural extension of Empire Kitchen & Bath, responding directly to the evolving desires of our loyal clientele who seek homes crafted with the same meticulous care and refined artistry. Since opening our doors in 2003, we’ve grown into one of Calgary and Western Canada’s premier luxury custom home builders—each residence a distinctive reflection of the lifestyles it embraces. Our dedicated, in-house team collaborate closely with every client, curating details that elevate daily living into extraordinary experiences. Their unmatched skillset and attention to detail mean we surpass expectations every time.
Awards & Certifications
Attention to detail pays off. We’re proud to be recognized on the local, regional and national stages for exceptional custom home design and renovations.
Healthy Living Starts Here
We believe your home is more than a structure to live in. It should support your family’s wellbeing. Your family deserves the best, starting with carefully selected materials for cleaner air and intelligent design.
Our Team
Kevin Mullen
Founder & President
Tracie Janke
General Manager
Mike Bolen
Senior Project Manager
Lindsay Chemago
Estimator
Michelle Buckles
Senior Architectural Technologist
Vaughan Wallace
Project Manager & Healthy Home Advisor
Kevin Mullen
Founder & President
Kevin founded Empire Custom Homes on a simple belief: exceptional homes begin with an unwavering commitment to quality. With over three decades in the construction industry, he brings a deep knowledge of craftsmanship and design to every project. His eye for detail and passion for architecture, travel, and design history continue to shape the way Empire builds—from the first sketches to the final finishes. Closely involved in every home, Kevin’s leadership sets the tone for the care, precision, and high standards that define the Empire name.
Tracie Janke
General Manager
Tracie keeps Empire running like clockwork. As our General Manager, she’s the one making sure the right people, resources, and timelines all line up—so every project moves forward smoothly. With over 20 years of construction experience and a background in finance, Tracie has a sharp eye for details that others might miss. She’s not just keeping the schedule on track—she’s thinking three steps ahead. Laser-focused on execution, Tracie’s leadership is a big part of what makes our builds feel effortless to our clients.
Mike Bolen
Senior Project Manager
With over 20 years in custom homebuilding, Mike brings hands-on knowledge and technical precision to every project. He began his career in 2002 as a framer, gaining a thorough understanding of how every element of a home fits together—from the inside out. As Senior Project Manager, he leads with a sharp eye and a results-driven approach, ensuring quality at every stage. Trusted by clients and trades alike, Mike is known for delivering complex, high-end homes to exacting standards—bringing leadership, expertise, and care to every job site.
Lindsay Chemago
Estimator
With a sharp eye for detail and a strong understanding of residential construction, Lindsay ensures that every quote is thorough, clear, and carefully aligned with the project requirements. Her work is all about precision—reviewing plans, coordinating with project managers and trades, and capturing the full picture so there are no surprises down the line. Lindsay also communicates directly with clients about quotes and costs, playing a key role in providing transparency and building trust from the outset. Focused, organized, and deeply committed to doing things right, she helps set every project up for success.
Michelle Buckles
Senior Architectural Technologist
Michelle has a deep understanding of what it takes to design a custom home from the ground up. With extensive experience spanning architecture, design, and land surveying, she brings unmatched technical expertise to every stage of the process—from initial concepts to construction-ready plans. She leads the development of architectural drawings with precision and foresight, ensuring every detail is thoughtfully considered and fully coordinated. Whether navigating permitting requirements or refining complex designs, Michelle’s work is essential to turning bold ideas into beautifully buildable homes.
Vaughan Wallace
Project Manager & Healthy Home Advisor
With a strong background in both renovations and new construction, Vaughan brings precision and foresight to every project. He manages timelines, coordinates trades, and upholds exceptional site quality with a focus on lasting performance. As our Healthy Home Advisor, he leads the RESIDE Healthy Standard—from program development to implementation and ongoing research—helping clients choose materials that support both long-term health and investment value. His expertise and thoughtful approach ensure each home is built to exacting standards, with care and intention at every stage.
Testimonials
Empire Custom Homes completed a total home renovation of our home. From initial design to completion, Empire was extremely helpful with suggestions, providing direction while having a very open mind listening to our scattered wishes and desires. Empire provided numerous options that met our budget and were extremely pleasant to work with. They provided continual updates on costs, were always available for consults and graciously applied our constant changes and modifications. The end result was everything we could have asked for and we would certainly utilize their services with another project. Empire, in our opinion, ranks at the top of Calgary’s Custom Home builders.
We just recently built our house with Empire Custom Homes and from start to finish, their entire team was phenomenal to work with. They were very knowledgeable and the quality of work was impeccable – we could not have asked for anything more!
I have dealt with Empire Kitchen and Bath and Empire Custom Homes for over 20 years and they have done renovations at our previous residences in designing and producing beautiful kitchens and bathrooms with the finest products and workmanship. More recently Empire Custom Homes built our entire home and again they exceeded our expectations in quality and workmanship. In addition our lovely home was inundated by the June 2013 flood in Calgary and Empire came to our assistance immediately which we are forever thankful. We are back into our home after they handled all flood related issues and recreated it with a complete renovation of our custom built home. My wife and I have no hesitation in giving the highest recommendation for Kevin Mullen and his entire staff at Empire Custom Homes.
Alberta Marble & Tile has worked with Empire Kitchen & Bath & Empire Custom Homes for over 25 years. Empire Custom Homes build some of the finest custom homes in Calgary and surrounding areas. Their team is very professional and they offer top notch quality & service. It is a pleasure dealing with them. We would highly recommend Empire Custom Homes for high end custom quality work.
River City Woodworks has recently completed two projects with the Empire Custom Homes team for exterior doors in Calgary. The project lead and the rest of his team were great to work with, always on task and brought us some beautiful plans to execute. We would work with this company any day and hope to partner again with them in the near future!
My wife and I worked with Empire Custom Homes to create and build a home that we will happily live in for many years to come and that I look forward to coming back to every day. The entire team at Empire demonstrated exceptional professionalism and attention to detail throughout the entire project. Our new home has exceeded many building standards and has been certified as a Built Green Platinum home due to best in class energy efficiency and sustainability. Empire Custom Homes employs the most meticulous trades that are managed extremely well with great communication and attention to detail. Our home has been built to the highest standards and there were no delays in the construction process. I would not hesitate to recommend Empire Custom Homes to anyone looking to build a home with the best materials, technology and workmanship available.
We retained Empire Custom homes to do a renovation of our kitchen, pantry, powder room, bathroom and shower areas. We were particularly impressed with Empire’s overall design support, material selection, customer focus and project management. Additionally with all the contractors they choose and managed directly. The full project cycle was extremely well managed right from start to finish. The home was protected extremely well to avoid dust migration, then all the demo work was done without damage and dust was very well controlled and minimal. The appliances were also removed and reinstated without any damage. We were extremely pleased with the tiling contractor and also the painter work and final cleaning prior to occupancy . Overall the work was done very efficiently and extremely well managed. The whole job was hassle free as a result of excellent project management. The work was accomplished on time and we were delighted with the outcome which fully met our expectations. Well done Empire from a very satisfied customer.
We hired Empire Kitchen and Bath to reno our kitchen over a 4 month period while we were out of the country which involved removing all existing cabinetry and installing all new appliances. They also upgraded our family area fireplace and cabinets and also installed new cabinets in the MB. We were kept appraised by email, with weekly updates and accompanying pictures. The work proceeded smoothly, with minimal issues and the few that arose were handled promptly and very much to our satisfaction. Empire kitchen staff were responsive, engaged, knowledgeable and most importantly, very available both on the phone and via email and being away from the property the forgoing provided us considerable comfort that things were managed to our satisfaction. They also armed and disarmed the residential alarm system daily, collected our stacked our mail . They even too the time to re-instate the furniture and our kitchen items (cutlery, crockery and dishware and spices) so that when we returned home late on a Friday night, we were pleasantly surprised that we were returning to a home that was ready for us to step into with no additional work. What was also apparent from the weekly pictures was that housekeeping was excellent and they cleaned as they went which is always the sign of a disciplined and well organized crew. Ultimately the work was completed on schedule and on budget – we have out dream kitchen, and the fact that we were away from home and not directly monitoring the work made no difference! We would highly recommend Empire Kitchen and Bath and are fans.