’Winners’ circle: Ovation Awards honour the best in the building business
The builder of an attractive six-bedroom Tudor-style home built right across from VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver scored top honours recently at the 2017 Ovation Awards, an undertaking from the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association.
Vancouver-based Tavan Developments was named Custom Home Builder of the Year. The award was one of four handed to Tavan at a gala event earlier this month attended by some 350 builders, designers and renovators.
“We have won multiple awards in the past, but this is the first time we were up for four and won all four of them,” said Tavan principal Troy Van Vliet. “I think we had some well-executed and well-thought-out projects that were not only high-quality homes, but were very energy efficient, eco-friendly and very comfortable, and of great design.”
Tavan’s Tudor home, named “Hudson on the Park” was chosen Best Custom Home in the $1.5-million to $3-million category. The development company also won in two other categories: Best Bathroom Renovation Under $35,000 and Best Kitchen Renovation Under $75,000 for its Vancouver home called “Hamilton on the Hill”, en route to earning the Grand Ovation Award.
Other multiple award winners included My House Design/Build Team of Surrey, which won three. My House took a Grand Ovation Award as Residential Renovator of the Year, and also won Best Kitchen Renovation over $125,000 and Best Bathroom Renovation $35,000 and Over (for its “Classic Elegance” home in Surrey).
“We’ve won over 100 industry awards,” said company owner Graeme Huguet. “They have been for small projects from bathrooms to kitchens, even basement conversions, to whole house renovations. This underlines our consistency no matter what size project or no matter the client’s budget. We put the same quality of design and planning and construction.”
“We are seeing some really fancy high-end product being put out there now ... We are a global city now. ” — BOB DE WIT GREATER VANCOUVER HOME BUILDERS’ ASSOCIATION CEO
Adera Development Corp. also took three awards, including the Grand Ovation for Multi-Family Home Builder of the Year. Adera also won the award for Best Multi-Family Lowrise Development (for Prodigy in Vancouver) and the nod for Excellence in Innovation and Sustainability in New Residential Construction (for its Sail project in Vancouver).
The other Grand Ovation winners were Miracon Development of Surrey, which was named Single-Family Home Builder of the Year, and Hayer Builders Group Inc. of Surrey, which won the Shaw Viewers’ Choice Award.
The Hudson on the Park’s 7,500-square-foot open floor plan, meantime, includes custom-crafted ninefoot-high coffer ceilings, wall panelling and intricate millwork detailing, lead-glass windows, marble floortile and teak engineered hardwood floors.
“It’s always a feather in your cap,” Van Vliet said about the awards, noting that’s especially noteworthy when clients come to the company’s office and see the awards on display.
“It gives people an instant feeling of confidence to know that know what we are doing. You know you are doing a good job to win one of these awards.”
Winning an Ovation Award can be difficult, given the competition, said Van Vliet, who started in the business at a young age, working for a construction company owned by his father and his nine brothers.
GVHBA CEO Bob de Wit says the competition has indeed grown stiffer in the eight years the association has honoured the best in the business.
“I think one of things that struck me this year was the level of parity — we have a lot more entries,” he said.
“Four or five years ago, you would see one or two members dominate the awards, but this year it is spread out over more members, which is a good sign of competition.”
He has also noticed energy efficiency and ecologically friendly design are more noticeable trends these days. As well, competition in the expensive-home category has also grown.
“We are seeing some really fancy high-end product being put out there now. That was a little less common five or six years ago. We are a global city now.”
De Wit says with both the Ovation Awards and the Georgie Awards, which were handed out earlier this year, builders embrace a level of public accountability.
“It wouldn’t be very good for your business not to live up to that high standard. It creates a brand promise,” he said.
A complete list of Ovation Award winners can be viewed at: www.ovationawards.ca/gvhba-ovation-awards-winners/
This story was produced for The Province’s editorial department as a result of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association’s interest in this topic. The Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association was not given the opportunity to put restrictions on the content or review it before publication.