Once again, Ottawa’s housing industry is proving to be in fine fighting form, with nine finalists for the 2020 Ontario Home Builders’ Association Awards of Distinction.
The annual awards honour innovation and excellence in homebuilding, renovation, and sales and marketing across the province. Ottawa’s builders and renovators regularly number among the finalists and winners.
OakWood is this year’s heavyweight finalist for Ottawa-based projects. The company — which has twice won renovator of the year at the awards as well as being a finalist and winner in other categories — is up for a total of six awards this year in both renovation and custom home areas.
“It feels great to be a finalist in so many categories and we are extremely proud, now more so than ever with COVID, we can truly see how exceptional the OakWood team is,” says OakWood’s vice-president of operations, Patricia Liptak-Satov. “It takes a whole team, including clients, trade partners and suppliers, to be able to produce these award-winning projects and provide positive experiences for our clients.”
Also in the local awards
OakWood’s finalist entries range from kitchen, bathroom and larger renovations to a 2,586-square-foot rural custom home. The custom home is also a finalist in the Ottawa Housing Design Awards in November.
“OakWood has high expectations for ourselves, and these projects highlight what happens when you have a team that is dedicated and works so hard and well together,” says Liptak-Satov. Being an awards finalist, she adds, is “a wonderful proof point for why OakWood continues to push the limits on the industry status quo.”
Minto Communities is also duking it out in this year’s provincial finalists ring. In addition to multiple projects in Toronto, Minto’s 2019 dream home (a fundraiser for CHEO and designed by Tanya Collins Design) is a finalist in the two- to three-storey production built home, 2,501 square feet and over category. It’s located at Minto’s community of Potter’s Key in Stittsville.
The home was also a winner in the Canadian Home Builders’ Association Awards this summer and is a finalist in four categories at the Ottawa Housing Design Awards.
‘So many people on our team contribute’
“There is so much that goes into designing and building the dream home year after year,” says Minto’s Ottawa president, Brent Strachan. “It’s rewarding for the entire team for it to be recognized as so many people on our team contribute to it in many ways.”
Minto is also competing in the social media campaign category for its Ottawa brand campaign.
RND Construction, another multiple award winner at the national, provincial and local levels, is competing in the home renovation over $500,001 category. Its entry is a style-with-substance project with an Art Deco theme in Rockcliffe Park. Designed by Christopher Simmonds Architect, the project is also a finalist in four categories at the upcoming Ottawa awards.
RND owner Roy Nandram, who is president of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association, says that having nine Ottawa finalists means “we’re doing an amazing job to have this caliber of homes and renovations.”
Here’s a look at the Ottawa finalists:
OakWood
Minto Communities
RND Construction
Winners will be announced Nov. 10.
