By Joe Vaccaro

Virtually Amazing

How ironic that in a year we can’t be there in person, more industry members than ever deserve applause

Sometimes you just need to catch a breath and take inventory of the situation.

This, after all, has been a challenging year—one that has required OHBA members and the industry to respond quickly to the ever-changing impact of COVID.

Keeping projects open by making improvements to sanitation and instituting jobsite safety protocols to keep workers and suppliers safe on site became the priority for most members.

Under modified provincial restrictions, members worked to ensure that decor, presentation and sales centres complied with the rules so that homeowners continued to feel safe during their home-buying visits.

When members found themselves working from home, new protocols, new technology and improved communication with the homeowner became the key to fulfilling warranty service calls and renovation work.

Efforts like this build trust and loyalty—both with homeowners and future clients, as well as your own staff. They show the levels to which OHBA members will go to care for this industry’s present and its future.

And those efforts are bearing fruit. Based on the early data, it looks like 2020 will end with strong new-homes sales, matched by equally strong housing starts.

It may also be a record-breaking year in the renovations sector, as the pandemic cancelled traditional travel plans, leaving homeowners to focus on improving their principle residences to capture some of that ‘getaway’ magic. Adding to that sentiment is the concern that restrictions will continue into next year, encouraging many to make that big reno decision now, since they will be home more than ever.

In spite of the pandemic, members continued to deliver for #homebelievers across Ontario. Keys to new homes are being delivered to families, and new rooms and spaces are being fashioned to create new memories.

Celebrating the best of the best from the past year’s work—its ingenuity and expertise, and the passion behind it—is always the focus of the OHBA Awards of Distinction. And while we love the energy that comes with enjoying this annual celebration in person, the temporary move to a virtual format has not dulled the enthusiasm of honouring our own. It’s merely a prudent response to the challenge of the times—one that brings us all safely together, while still promising all the suspense of a live event.

This Awards edition of Ontario Home Builder magazine once again showcases the finest in residential construction from the previous year—from architecture and renovation to design and marketing.

I continue to marvel at the creativity and outside-the-box thinking of our members. It’s one thing to design and build beautiful places to live, but quite another to do while making these homes fit the ever-changing needs and desires of homeowners, all while overcoming countless hurdles.

Let’s catch our breath before we dive into the next year, and come together to celebrate excellence—even if it is in a virtual world.

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