You know you’re doing something right when you walk away with a prestigious award for dominating your field.
That’s the case for two Kelowna companies that received Tommie Awards, which recognize home building excellence.
Concrete company SK Form & Finish Inc. took home the award for excellence in marketing, while Wilden/Blenk Development Corp. earned the FortisBC Award for Building Energy Efficiency.
Angie Kraushar, owner and brand manager at SK Form and Finish, said it was the company’s first time applying for a Tommie Award.
They decided to apply after completely rebranding their company last year.
"We've been in the Valley for 25 years now so this is a significant year for us,” she said. “We just decided, with the whole look of our company and the rebrand, it was time to put our ideas in front of some judges.”
Doing that paid off, considering they came out on top in their category.
"I think we stand out and I guess, winning the award, it was apparent that we've done some pretty cool stuff,” she said.
Wondering just how big of a deal a Tommie is? Kraushar said it’s the biggest ticket in the Valley when it comes to the homebuilding field.
"To have an award like that, it really means something to people who are looking at choosing a builder or choosing a trades person,” she said. “They really do want to invest their money with builders and trades people who are going to put their all into the job and do it with excellence.”
As advice to others, Krausher advises company to pair up with people who have different skills.
"We're really happy to work with Csek Creative in bringing our ideas to the table,” she said.
Director Karin Eger-Belenk said it meant a lot that their Living Lab project showed the most progress on energy efficiency.
"It's definitely one of the most desirable awards if your goal is to build greener and to save the environment and make use of a window of energies,” said Eger-Belenk. “This is an award that really confirms that you've been going in the right direction.”
Their project puts two homes against each other, one built up to industry standards and building codes, and the other built to a really high standard of energy efficiency.
Both will be monitored over the course of three years to put assumptions of energy efficiency to the test., measuring energy use, usage patterns, temperature loss and more.
The high-tech home uses geothermal heating and cooling, a heat pump water heater, solar panels on the roof and energy star rated appliances.
"It was very important to us to make it achievable, affordable and available,” Eger-Belenk said.
You can find updated data on the Living Lab on their website.
The full listing of the 2017 Tommie Gold Winners
Excellence in Kitchen Design (New Home) $65,000 & Under
Christina Hartman with Westwood Fine Cabinetry - Clarance
Hundal Legacy Homes
Excellence in Kitchen Design (New Home) $65,000 - $150,000
Vineyard Developments Ltd. - Ten Ten Woodland Hills
Loney Plumbing
TMCC Wood & Design Inc.
Excellence in Outdoor Living Space - New or Renovation
Edgecombe Enterprises Inc. - Wilden Project
Norelco Cabinetry
Excellence in Landscape Design - New or Renovation
Candel Custom Homes Ltd. - Greenbay Gem
Excellence in Creating an Interior Feature/Innovation in a Home
Vineyard Developments Ltd. - Ten Ten Woodland Hills: Fireplace-Canopy
Loney Plumbing
TMCC Wood & Design Inc.
Excellence in Master Suite Design
Destination Custom Homes - Shepherd Residence
Norelco Cabinets
Excellence in Any Room - New or Renovation
Skill Tech Builders Inc. - Hobson Road
Excellence in Marketing
SK Form & Finish Inc.
Excellence in Show Home $500,000 & Under
Gibson Framing Ltd. - The Lakes Show Home
NovaRae Interiors
Center Stage Interior Decorating
Excellence in Show Home $500,000 & Over
Sierra West Homes - Lux Ultima
Best Environmental Initiative in Construction (Residential or Commercial)
Okanagan College - Okanagan College Trades Complex
PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc.
Excellence in Public or Private Partnership
VanMar Constructors Inc. - Pleasantvale Homes
FortisBC Award for Building Energy Efficiency
Wilden / Blenk Development Corp. - Wilden Living Lab
AuthenTech Homes Inc.
School of Engineering UBC Okanagan
Okanagan College
Excellence in Creating Affordable Housing
VanMar Constructors Inc. - Pleasantvale Homes
Excellence in Innovative Architecture, Design and Construction
MacDonald Lakeshore Properties - Lakestone
Excellence in Residential Renovations Under $100,000
Gord Turner Renovations - Family Kitchen
Pure Granite Rocks
Excellence in Residential Renovations $100,000 - $250,000
NovaRae Interiors - Glencara Way
Norelco Cabinets
Excellence in Residential Renovations $250,000 - $400,000
Big Valley Homes and Renovations - Shannon Lake
Excellence in Residential Renovations Over $400,000
Weninger Construction & Design Ltd. - Bearfoot Chalet
K2 Stone
Robinson Lighting
Excellence in Kitchen Renovations $65,000 & Under
Sunterra Custom Homes - Hillside Crest
Excellence in Kitchen Renovations $65,000 - $100,000
Big Valley Homes and Renovations - Shannon Lake
Christine Caracciolo with Westwood Fine Cabinetry
Excellence in Kitchen Renovations $100,000 & Over
Weninger Construction & Design Ltd. - Bearfoot Chalet
Robinson Lighting
Excellence in Bathroom Renovations $20,000 & Under
Ian Paine Construction Ltd. - Lake Country Eclectic Ensuite
Excellence in Bathroom Renovations $20,000 & Over
Weninger Construction & Design Ltd. - Bearfoot Chalet
K2 Stone
Robinson Lighting
Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $350,000 - $500,000
Keith Dahlen Construction - The Spicer/Roman Residence
Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $500,000 - $750,000
Hauge Construction Ltd. - Kuiper Private Residence
Westeck Windows & Doors
Norelco Cabinets
Pure Granite Rocks
Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $750,000 - $1,000,000
Keith Dahlen Construction - Timberframe Home in the Woods
Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $1,000,000 - $1,500,000
Wesbild Homes powered by Rykon - Zien Residence
Predator Ridge
Norelco Cabinets
Sticks + Stones Design Group Inc.
Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $1,500,000 - $2,000,000
Wilson & Company Ltd. - Cross Residence
Grand Openings
Pure Granite Rocks
Kitchen and Bath Classics
Lights on Banks
Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $2,000,000 - $3,000,000
Wilson & Company Ltd. - Cloutier Residence
Grand Openings
Pure Granite Rocks
Dannburg Interiors
Loney Plumbing
Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $3,000,000 - $5,000,000
Turner Custom Homes - Waterfront Estate
Pure Granite Rocks
Quality Air Care
Loney Plumbing
Grand Openings Windows & Doors
Excellence in Semi-Detached or Town-Home Development
Aldebaran Homes - Emerald Views
Excellence in Creating a Low-Rise Multi-Family Development
Adhi Developments - Imperial Heights
Excellence in Urban Infill – Residential
Thomson Dwellings - The Patterson Project
Kati Knorr with Westwood Fine Cabinetry
Westerkamp Design Inc.
Ramco Flooring
Residential Renovator of the Year
Gord Turner Renovations Ltd.
Multi-Family Builder of the Year
Pentar Homes Ltd.
Single Family Home Builder of the Year Small Volume (10 Homes or Less)
Vineyard Developments Ltd.
Single Family Home Builder of the Year Large Volume (11 Homes or More)
Edgecombe Enterprises Inc.
Home of the Year
Turner Custom Homes - Waterfront Estate
To see all the winners with photos for the 2017 Tommie Gold Winners...click here.
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