YP Next Home
The West was clearly this year’s best at the 2018 Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) National Awards for Housing Excellence. The 75th annual celebration of the best new homes, new communities, home renovations and residential marketing across Canada took place in Victoria on March 23, and eight BC companies – seven of them from the Lower Mainland – struck gold in 12 of the 40 categories while eight Alberta builders snagged another 15 awards, including both the Design Excellence Award and Marketing Excellence Award.
Eric Andreasen, Adera’s vice-president of sales and marketing, took the stage three times in the five Attached Homes categories – twice for Prodigy at UBC and once for Greenway at South Ridge Club in South Surrey. “It’s part of our corporate culture and philosophy to push the boundaries on innovative, sustainable design. Recognition like this confirms that all our hard work is paying off – and that’s a big win for our customers and our employees as well as the company,” he says.
Striking gold twice, including best Attached Homes – Lowrise under 1,500 sq. ft., Zenterra was one of two BC companies to garner double national golds. Derek Fenton, development and project manager, says he believes two key factors helped SOHO 1 in South Surrey wow the judges. “Each of these homes has an individual rooftop deck – private outdoor spaces that are perfect for entertaining and enjoying the sunset. Many of these decks are over 700 sq. ft. – that’s the size of some two-bedroom condos in Vancouver.” And with 200 of these homes already sold, there’s no question that the contemporary architecture dominated by contrasting black and white with splashes of colour throughout is a hit with buyers as well as judges.
Forge Properties’ The Beachcomber got the nod in the Detached Homes – Custom over 5,000 sq. ft. category, bringing their total honours for this Crescent Beach residence to 10 at all three levels of competition – local, provincial and national. “The client’s focus was to build a home that works with the existing natural landscape so it feels like it’s always been there,” says Cory Saran, principal. “Inside, every aspect was designed to enhance family activities and individual passions. For example, there’s an ‘attic’ library where the family can read or play board games, a multi-generational kitchen with two islands – one for cooking, one for conversation – an indoor pool that opens directly onto the patio’s fire pit area, and a boardwalk-style lounge with retro bar and state-of-the-art home theatre.”
In the Detached Homes – Custom under 2,500 sq. ft. category, it was Surf’s Up by first-time entrant Roadhouse Homes that took home the gold. Featuring a complex interweaving of modern concrete and steel with natural wood elements, the design inspiration for this West Side Vancouver residence came from the clients’ passion for surfing. “The family spend a lot of time in Tofino and wanted to bring that surfing culture into their home,” says Dale Roadhouse, principal, noting the authentic surfboard suspended in the interior stairwell, which functions as a huge light shaft pulling natural light from upper floor clerestory windows down onto the main floor. “There are also solar panels and rainwater collection barrels that harvest rain for irrigation and gray-water use that meet the clients’ criteria of an energy-efficient home.”
In the renovation categories, Urban Farmhouse by Surrey-based My House Design/Build Team won for Outdoor Living and Whole House $500,001 to $1 million while North Vancouver’s Marino General Contracting took home gold for best Whole House over $1 million.
For a complete list and images of winners in the 2018 CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence, visit chba.ca/housingawards
