CELEBRATING HOUSING EXCELLENCE
Formerly the Bridge Awards, renamed honours better reflect achievements of builders
Member builders, renovators and service providers of the Saskatoon & Region Home Builders’ Association (SRHBA) gathered last weekend at TCU Place to celebrate achievements of the past year.
For the past 27 years, the gala event was known as the Bridges Awards. In 2019, the awards program evolved into the Housing Excellence Awards.
Jennifer Lamontagne, SRHBA director of business development, says the event’s new name says it all. “Changing the name ... to the Housing Excellence Awards provides the best opportunity to showcase our builders and their projects. We’re very proud of what our members have achieved.”
The Housing Excellence Awards celebrate quality workmanship and professionalism in a variety of categories in new home construction, renovation and design, marketing, customer choice, service and innovation to the industry.
The SRHBA received a record number of submissions for this year’s awards, says Lamontagne. “We had 144 submissions, the highest we’ve ever had.”
An independent panel of industry experts recruited from across Canada reviewed the submissions. The judges have decades of industry experience and many have participated in other province’s housing awards programs.
“Judged by their national peers, the Housing Excellence Awards are the highest honour bestowed on our members. Winning one of these awards and being able to promote that achievement is of great value to companies in our community,” says Lamontagne.
Presiding over this year’s Housing Excellence Awards were masters of ceremonies Ron and Honya Olson. Introduced as the “power couple of the Saskatoon home building industry,” the Olsons are at the helm of Boychuk Construction. Founded by Honya’s father, Mike Boychuk, in 1945, Boychuk Construction has been in operation longer than any other residential construction and land development firm in the province. The Olsons entertained with anecdotes from their years as home builders, including Ron’s term as the only Saskatchewan builder to serve as president of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association.
The Best New Home Design Award was presented to Haven Builders and jubilantly accepted by the entire staff. The award honours the builder’s “Elmwood” project, a spectacular 5,000-plus square foot contemporary timber frame acreage home.
Customer Choice Awards were presented to small, medium and large volume builders of single-family homes: Maison Design + Build, Westridge Homes and Warman Homes. North Ridge Development Corporation took home the Customer Choice Award in the Multi-Family Builder category.
Lexis Homes, Evermore Homes Inc., Maison Design + Build, Haven Builders, Ehrenburg Homes, Shift Development and North Prairie Developments took home statues for a variety of New Home and Multi-Family Construction Awards.
For the second consecutive year, Delonix Homes was named Renovator of the Year. The award recognized the builder’s passion for transforming existing living spaces through renovation.
The Ambassador Award honours an SRHBA member for outstanding service to the industry and the community at large. This year’s recipient was Don Armstrong. During
The houses we build represent the contributions of hundreds of people, thousands of hours and unlimited heart.
his lengthy career with Dundee Development and Dream Development, Armstrong helped create many of Saskatoon’s subdivisions, from River Heights in the 1970s to the newest neighbourhoods of Stonebridge and Brighton.
“This award recognizes an individual who has left a legacy within the residential construction industry. That legacy is measurable change within the community, our association and our industry. Don Armstrong, with all that he’s achieved during his career, is the ideal recipient,” says Lamontagne.
The most anticipated presentation was the Builder of the Year Award. To win this award, a builder must excel in multiple categories.
“The award is designed to capture the full essence of what it means to be the Home Builder of the Year, including their contributions to the community, their environmental stewardship, the promotion of safety leadership within their company’s culture as well as the quality and design of their new homes,” says Lamontagne.
This year, the Builder of the Year Award was presented to Maison Design + Build. Andrew and Jilaire Wagner began their journey as boutique home builders in 2000 with the construction of their own home. Since then, the couple has established a reputation for building unique design-driven production and custom homes.
Andrew Wagner says, “This is one of the greatest honours. We had the opportunity to be graced with this award in 2015 and we were so surprised when it happened that time. It’s something we’ve strived for again over the past couple of years, really trying to increase our quality and service to our clients through the design, construction and delivery of our houses. To win it this year almost brings tears to my eyes. It’s a big deal!”
Jilaire Wagner was equally elated. “It was a year of really intense builds for us. We did a number of very, very special projects for very special clients. With a really small team, we were able to deliver on our clients’ expectations,” she says. “We are so fortunate to work with people — our team at Maison, our trades, our suppliers — who share a collective dedication to building beautiful homes. We are so proud of the work we’ve done. The houses we build represent the contributions of hundreds of people, thousands of hours and unlimited heart.”
The SRHBA has already begun planning next year’s Housing Excellence Awards, announcing the creation of a new category: Best Home in the Parade of Homes. A poll held during the 2018 Parade of Homes asked the public to vote for their favourite out of 30 participating show homes. The people’s choice — Lexis Homes — was revealed at the Housing Excellence Awards. At the 2020 awards, the winning builder in this category will receive a coveted crystal statue celebrating Housing Excellence.