The Vancouver Sun
The 13th annual Georgie Awards -- British Columbia's housing industry equivalent of Hollywood's Oscars -- happened Friday with the coveted best large volume home builder award going to Adera Development Corp. and the best small volume home builder award going to Homescape Building and Design Inc.
The top award of best residential renovator went to BDR Artisan Construction, which only five years ago considered itself a "young struggling company in the industry." The Vancouver-based company was one of the top winners of the evening, taking home four Georgies in total.
BDR Artisan Construction also won for best residential renovation between $200,000 and $400,000 for its English Bluff project; best residential renovation over $400,000 for its Cornwall project and best single family landscape design also for Cornwall.
The Grand Prize for best residential development went to Concert Real Estate Corp. for StoneCliff -- a luxury condominium built on the slopes of West Vancouver.
The other Grand Georgie Prize winner was MAC Real Estate Solutions Inc. for best marketing campaign for Onni's Qube project, an advertising campaign, aimed at the young, urban professional, that highlighted the building project's architecture.
The awards, named after Capt. George Vancouver and organized by the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Home Builders' Association, recognizes the best in this province's housing industry.
"They're like B.C.'s housing Oscars," said Peter Simpson, the chief executive officer of the Greater Vancouver Homebuilders' Association.
"The Georgies recognize B.C.'s best in many categories from single-family homes to condos to kitchens to best customer service. The hotly contested categories are best builder, best renovator and best condo project."
The best townhouse development went to BFW Developments Ltd. for Claytonbrook.
In total, there are 37 categories.
The chair of the judging committee, Vicki Gerrits, said the awards attract hundreds of participants each year although the numbers are obviously smaller in certain categories like homes over $1 million and R2000 homes because fewer of these kinds of homes are being built. Judges had three days to go through 400 entries and 2,500 photos representing the work of hundreds of CHBA B.C. members. There are no more than five finalists in each category, she explained, with only one gold being awarded.
"The others [not chosen] are like a silver. They've been judged to be the five best in B.C.," said Gerrits, adding that in a few awards there were fewer finalists selected.
In the best single family home, valued over $1 million, the winner was the Jamal residence designed by Derek Crawford Architect Inc. The judges created a new category this year and awarded Whistler's Vision Pacific company's the Grove project best single family home valued at $5 million and over.
The winner in the best R2000 category was WISA Healthy Homes for the Edgar Avenue home. Patrick Caporale, president of the CHBA's B.C. chapter, said another favourite category each year is the best technical innovation. This year the winner in that category was All Weather Windows for HyDistinction.
"Anybody can slap a wall together but it takes someone special to do something innovative," said Caporale.
He added that the environmental category is also becoming much more popular as those in the housing industry recognize this is an area consumers care about.
"The type of construction has been your typical construction in the past, but the educated consumer is now looking at R2000, not just from a health view but it's economic as well. Most people today are putting in higher end finishes like hardwood floors and low E [efficiency] windows. The jump to a R2000 is only $5 to $10,000 more but on a $300 to $400,000 home it's nothing."
The following is a list of the other Gold Georgie Awards for 2004:
- Best single family detached home, under 2,000 sq. ft., to Legacy Interiors Inc. for Aquila Estates.
- Best single family detached home 2,000 to 2,999 sq. ft. to G.W. Blanes Construction Ltd. for the Anderson residence.
- Best single family detached home 3,000 to 3,999 sq. ft. to Homescape Building and Design for the Cashion residence.
- Best single family detached home 4,000 sq. ft. and over to Genex Development Corp. for the Wilkes residence.
- Best single multi-family development to Aspac Developments Ltd. for Cascina and Denia
- Best resort development to Intrawest Placemaking for Whistler's Four Seasons Resort
- Best residential renovation under $75,000 to Kenorah Construction and Design for the Rogers residence.
- Best residential renovation between $75,000 and $199,999 to Shell Busey's HouseSmart Renovations for the Morrison project.
- Best new kitchen under $30,000 to G.W. Blanes Construction for the Andersen residence.
- Best new kitchen over $30,000 to Pars Construction for the Quilchena project.
- Best kitchen renovation to Vic Martens Millwork and Design for the McCrady residence.
- Best master suite (new or renovation) to British Pacific Properties for lot 83.
- Best interior design display suite to Adera Development Corp. for i-plan E.
- Best interior design custom residence to Vision Pacific for the Grove.
- Best multi-family landscape design to Cressey for Springbrook Estates.
- Best logo and best signage to the Onni Group for the Village and Suter Brook, respectively.
- Best brochure to Concert Real Estate Corp. for StoneCliff.
- Best print advertising was a tie for Concert Real Estate for Urba and MAC Real Estate Solutions for Qube.
- Best website to Portrait Homes for Silver Ridge.
- Best sales centre to Predator Ridge for Predator Ridge.
- Best salesperson or team in new home construction to MAC Real Estate Solutions for Tandem.
- Best service customers by a CHBA B.C. member to Adera Development Corp.
- Best public/private partnership to Cottage Grove Contracting Lt.d. for Fairway Woods.