White Eagle Homes shines at housing awards

Winning the Ralph Scurfield Builder of the Year award for the second consecutive year has left Bozena Odyjewska speechless.

“We were absolutely shocked,” she says. “We never expected to be the winners two times.” White Eagle Homes, of Edmonton, not only took the Ralph Scurfield award for the second year running, but was also recognized with four separate single family awards at the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (Alberta) Awards of Excellence in Housing on Sept. 21 in Jasper.

“This is a big award for us, a big honour,” says Odyjewska, whose husband Mike is the main contractor for White Eagle Homes, which has been in operation for 17 years. The home builders were finalists for the Ralph Scurfield award in 2010.

White Eagle Homes also won for Ruby IV (single family home between $250,000$285,000), Ruby (single family home between $325,000-$375,000), Blue Pearl II (single family home between $375,000-$425,000) and Stefanie II (single family home between $425,000-$575,000).

Odyjewska says the company owes its success to a number of small factors that add up to the bigger picture. It’s about building homes that are comfortable, energy efficient, high quality, and affordable.

“We try our best,” she says. “We try to introduce new things. We have lots of ideas to give to our customers to make their houses their own.”

It all starts with listening to what the homeowner wants, spending time with the client and producing a home that is both practical and showy.

The Ruby IV was a custom-built house, a bungalow designed for a specific lot size and specific budget.

The other three winning models were spec homes, but all were spec homes personalized for their homeowners.

Odyjewska says each house that White Eagle Homes builds is 60 per cent client driven and 40 per cent spec home.

“We do a lot of one-on-one before we start the entire process,” she explains. “We spend a lot of time with the customer and make sure we do the things that are important to them.”

Some customers want what’s hot in today’s market, both inside decor and outside style, while others go with the tried-and-true traditional details. In-floor heating, triple-glazed windows, and high quality insulation – all extras that can’t be seen in a picture – are almost the norm with White Eagle Homes as clientele are always energy conscious.

“We try to introduce new things. We have lots of ideas to give to our customers to make their houses their own.” BOZENA ODYJEWSKA, WHITE EAGLE HOMES

Odyjewska also notes they have a fair number of repeat customers.

While White Eagle Homes builds throughout Edmonton, most of its construction work is taking place inin the southwest and northeast parts of Edmonton, and there is inventory available in St. Albert. Business has picked up over the last couple oof years, says Odyjewska, as the economy starts to boom once again.

Winning the Ralph Scurfield award – two years running! – is a strong testament to the quality of work under-taken by White Eagle Homes.

“Having the award will make our customers feel more confident, more trusting in our work,” says Odyjewska.

She points out that building a home is one of the biggest life investments for customers and for a homeowner to understand that they are putting their dreams in the hands of a company that has shown over and over again that it listens and delivers is a good feeling for anyone. Including Whitee Eagle Homes.

To Odyjewska, White Eagle Homes not only builds homes. They also build con-fidence and trust. And to prospective clients, the Ralph Scurf-Scurfield Award, along with the four single family CHBA awards, demonstrates the high degree of certainty White Eagle Homes in-instills in all their customers, both new and repeat.