Central Nova Wins Prestigious Community Service Award

At the Canadian Home Builders’ Association National Conference, held in Lake Louise in March, the Central Nova local of the Nova Scotia Home Builders’ Association was honoured to receive the Community Service Award for the work the Homebuilders Care Program did on the Wendy Horton Renovation Project in 2012.

The members who worked on this project should be very proud of this accomplishment. Thank you to all who participated.

In addition to the Community Service, congratulations to the following companies who were SAM Award Finalists - the projects that were submitted showed just how exceptional our member builders and renovators are in their high quality of work:

New Home Under 1500 square feet - Production Category - Whitestone Developments

New Home Under 2500 square feet - Custom Category - Rooftight Construction

Green Home Category - Denim Homes & Rooftight Construction

Whole House Renovation under $250,000 - Haus of Lula

Congratulations as well to Annapolis Valley Home Builders’ Association member, Crowell Construction on receiving the CHBA R-2000 Builder of the Year Award.

For more information on the Canadian Home Builders’ Association Awards visit www.chba.ca.

Nova Scotia Home Builders & Renovators take home the NSHBA Peter Kohler Peak Awards

On November 30th, the Nova Scotia Home Builders ‘Association (NSHBA) hosted its annual Peter Kohler Peak Awards. This event recognizes all NSHBA members for their accomplishments in the residential construction industry over the past year. Dozens of members were awarded for their efforts in raising the bar in the residential construction industry.
 

Receiving a third party award adds credibility to a company and is also a reflection of the work the company does. The NSHBA’s Peter Kohler Peak Awards are judged by an independent panel of industry professionals and includes a specific set of criteria that must be met in order to be eligible for the prestigious awards.
 

“The NSHBA’s Peter Kohler Peak Awards highlight some of the amazing excellence within the residential construction industry in our province,” says Paul Pettipas, NSHBA chief executive officer. “The work our members and the association do has a significantly positive impact on increasing the level of professionalism within the industry and the winners should be congratulated for their efforts.”
 

Some of the key winners of the evening included:
 

Builder of the Year – Denim Homes;

Renovator of the Year – Econo Renovations; Lifetime Achievement Award – Tom MacFarlane, MacFarlane Homes; New Home Project Awards – Whitestone Developments, Sawlor Built Homes, Denim Homes, Rooftight Construction, FH Construction and Cresco; Renovation Project Awards –Shirebrook Developments, Mercer's Best Built Structures, Haus of Lua, Monk Renovations and Tower Interiors - to name a few.
 

For more information about the NSHBA or to receive an information package to help prepare for your upcoming new home or renovation project, visit the website atwww.nshomebuilders.ca or phone 450-5554.

Local Builders take home National Awards

Halifax, NS - - There are not many opportunities to feel like you are making a difference in your industry and winning a peer judged award is one of those times when you know you have created something important and memorable. This year at the Canadian Home Builders’ Association’s SAM (sales and marketing) Awards and National Association Awards, Nova Scotia made its mark across the country.   

Three prestigious awards, celebrating excellence in new homes, innovative technologies and construction were presented to Nova Scotia this past weekend at the 69th National Conference in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec.

“As an association, we are pleased to have been honoured with a national award for our work on developing the Efficiency Nova Scotia Demonstration Homes project,” says Paul Pettipas, chief executive officer of the Nova Scotia Home Builders’ Association (NSHBA) and winner of the CHBA Susan Chambers Award. “Our association is committed to raising the level of professionalism within the residential construction industry and by developing programs that we were recently awarded for shows us and our members that we are doing it right.”

Two Nova Scotian builders were also awarded for their innovative construction technologies with strong competition from home builders across the country.

The winner of the CHBA Green Home Award was Denim Homes. This home, one of the Efficiency Nova Scotia Demonstrations Homes, located in Middle Sackville, was rated with an EnerGuide rating of 96 and topped the chart on energy efficiency technology and innovation. Owners, Steven Lockhart and
Caleb Howden, were in Mont-Tremblant to receive this award.

The winner of the Custom New Home under 2,500 square feet was Whitestone Developments. This home was also an Efficiency Nova Scotia Demonstration Home, located in Dartmouth and received an EnerGuide rating of 94 and host to numerous energy efficient feature and technologies. Owners, Andrew Watson and Tamara Barker Watson, were also in Mont-Tremblant to receive this award.

Pettipas adds that he is pleased to see this exceptional project and two dedicated Nova Scotian builders recognized for the advances they are making in creating change within the home building industry. The Nova Scotia Home Builders’ Association is the representative voice of the residential construction industry in Nova Scotia. The mission of the Association is to provide professionalism in all aspects of our industry and provide quality, affordable housing choices for Nova Scotians.

An Aging Population: A Double Edged Sword

Halifax, NS - - The residential construction industry in Canada faces many challenges in the years ahead, one being an aging population. The industry loses workers to retirement, but it gains a huge potential market for its services, the Boomers and Beyond.

Starting in January 2010, one thousand Canadians per day turn 65. Boomers are motivated to act with the resources to back up their actions however, this is not a slam-dunk market. Boomers have expectations and we must be ready to meet them.

The Nova Scotia Home Builders' Association (NSHBA) is now the licensed provider of Certified Aging in Place (CAPS) training in Nova Scotia. The NSHBA is licensed through the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) located in Washington, DC. NSHBA members will be trained to work with clients and allow them to remain in their homes, safely, independently and comfortably. They will also attain the Certified Aging in Place Specialist designation.

“This is an exciting opportunity for both the industry and Nova Scotians,” says Paul Pettipas, NSHBA chief executive officer. “This specialized training is an asset for everyone and will allow for those trained in CAPS to gain a greater understanding of how to meet the needs and expectations of homeowners with mobility issues and help keep them safe in their homes.”

Participants taking the three day course are required to successfully complete three CAPS courses: Marketing and Communication Strategies for Aging and Accessibility (CAPS I); Design/Build Solutions for Aging and Accessibility (CAPS II); and successfully complete Business Management for Building Professionals.
The first course with 24 participants took place in Halifax on September 19 - 21, 2011.

All N.S. homes should be accessible: study

by CBC News

The Atlantic Seniors Housing Research Alliance has released a study recommending all homes in the province be accessible for an aging population.

Donald Shiner lead the six-year study recommending all homes in the province be accessible.

Shiner, a business professor at Mount Saint Vincent University, said the current building codes should be changed to accommodate seniors or those with disabilities.

Shiner said people should think ahead about what they can do to prepare for their own senior years.

"Our housing stock has been built as if we were Peter Pan, you know, it's been built as if we'll never grow old or never get sick," said Shiner.

"If you build ... wider doorways, one wheelchair-accessible bathroom on the ground floor, one room on the ground floor that can be used as a bedroom if you do those things as you build the home, you're way ahead of the game."

According to the study, the senior population in the Maritimes is the highest in the country, and is projected to increase 86.3 per cent between 2007 and 2033.

"It was a six-year study which included detailed surveys of seniors and their needs, their expectations, how they lived — it gave us a lot of insight into seniors in Atlantic Canada and their homes and the problems they face," said Shiner.

Ten years ago, Shiner's elderly in-laws moved into his home.

"We were fortunate enough to be able to sit down with them and talk to them about putting an extension on our home."

Paul Pettipas, chief executive officer of the Nova Scotia Home Builders' Association, agrees homeowners have to think about their future.

"People have got to realize that even if they're a little younger, things could change for them, and it's not only aging, it could be an accident, or it could be an older member of your family coming to live with you."

Shiner said he spoke to federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for seniors last month about the study.

He also said he'd like to see a government rebate — much like environmental upgrades to homes — but to make homes accessible.

Shiner hopes his group's recommendations will get people thinking about housing for seniors.