The Vancouver Sun
Josh Skapin, Published on March 31, 2018
Adera among eight B.C.companies in the spotlight at a recent national competition honouring last year’s top performances in the residential construction and renovation industry.
Winners of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association’s 2018 National Awards for Housing Excellence were announced at a gala event during the association’s 75th national conference in Victoria on March 24.
It included categories for new homes, renovation and marketing.
Adera Development Corp. had the biggest haul of hardware among Vancouver-area businesses, earning three trophies, including two wins for Prodigy, an upscale project overlooking the University of B.C.’s Mundell Park.
Zenterra Developments Ltd. and My House Design/Build Team Ltd., both based in Surrey, were also multiple winners, picking up two honours apiece.
“We take these awards very seriously,” said Eric Andreasen, Adera’s vice-president of sales and marketing. “It’s part of our culture, our DNA, because it’s something that our customers appreciate when they buy a home from us.”
“It’s a big thing for our customers, it’s a big thing for our employees,” he adds. “They toil hard. Their skills and craftsmanship are all a part of what we’re delivering when it comes to the end product for our customers … they get a serious sense of pride being apart of an award like this.”
Andreasen takes his hat off to the competition, as well.
“As a Canadian, I am very proud of what we’re building across the country, and I’m particularly proud of what’s happening on the West Coast, which we’re a part of,” he says. “We’re pushing for design, we’re pushing for sustainability, all sorts of things that actually enhance a person’s life — so to win an award like that is very humbling.”
Prodigy picked up new home awards for both Mid-to-High-Rise Condominium or Apartment under 1,000 square feet, and Mid-to-High-Rise Condominium, Entire Project.
Customer feedback from previous developments helped drive the Prodigy plan, said Andreasen, adding: “We developed and built our product to meet those needs.”
Andreasen pointed to the outdoor elements, including what he calls a “spectacular water feature.”
Adera’s South Ridge Club Greenway development, featuring executive townhomes with West Coast modern architecture, was a winner, as well. It earned the trophy for Attached Home – Low-Rise 1,500 square feet and over.
For Zenterra Developments’ part at the awards, its stylish Soho townhomes soared. It nabbed the new home award for Attached Home – Low-Rise under 1,500 square feet, and the marketing award for Digital Media Campaign.
Derek Fenton, development and project manager for Zenterra, said the competition has shown him the high degree of quality homebuilders are producing across the country.
“Everyone, as a whole, is really stepping up,” he says, adding not only placing as a winner, but even just a finalist in the competition is “a real feather in our cap.”
Fenton called the South Surrey-located Soho a “very contemporary, modern community.”
“One of the big features showcased in these homes is the rooftop patios,” he adds. “So when you’re looking at liveability, every single home has a private, outdoor patio.”
With the tight supply of land in the area, Manpreet Gill, owner of Zenterra, says these patios allow residents to “have your backyard on your rooftop.”
“You can enjoy the sun while having fun, kicking a ball on the rooftop,” he added.
An entry dubbed Urban Farmhouse brought My House Design/Build Team Ltd. two trophies in the renovation class. It topped the Outdoor Living, and Whole House – $500,001 to $1 million categories.
“It’s great,” says Ignacio Lara-Faure, design manager and lead architect with My House. “There’s a lot of good competition out there.”
Of the winning entry, he said, “it was just the whole transformation.
“It went from just your typical spec home … and bringing it into something totally different, opening everything up and having nice, bright spaces. It worked out great.”
Vancouver’s Marino General Contracting Ltd. also won a renovation race, with its “Shaughnessy Sanctuary” entry picking up the honour for Whole House – over $1 million.
Marble Construction of North Vancouver and Forge Properties from White Rock, each captured new homes trophies — on the larger end of the scale.
For Detached Home – Production, Over 3,000 square feet, Marble Construction’s “Tudor” submission was a winner.
Forge Properties (with Form Creative Inc., Christophe Vaissade Designs Inc., and Brad Hill Imaging) won the new home award for Detached Home – Custom, Over 5,000 square feet with “The Beachcomber.”
Roadhouse Homes of Langley was singled out with “Surf’s Up” in the Detached Home – Custom, Under 2,500 square feet category, and Victoria’s Falcon Heights Contracting Ltd. took the Net Zero Home Award for its entry dubbed Synergy.
The top titles of the competition, the Design Excellence and Marketing Excellence award, went to Homes by Avi, and Stepper Homes, respectively. Both builders are from Calgary.