Here is a collection of blog posts celebrating our previous award nominations, wins, and highlights!
When Whistler’s RDC Fine Homes was first nominated for a Georgie Award in 2006, company president Bob Deeks was surprised to be recognized among the best and brightest building firms B.C. had to offer.
The custom home builder has won many awards and been nominated at the Georgies every single eligible year since, and that feeling still has yet to wear off for Deeks. (In 2009, Deeks served as head of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of BC, which produces the awards, and was therefore ineligible.)
“We were super excited to become finalists and to win 16 years ago, and 16 years ago, I understood how hard it was to get an entry not only across the finish line and into the finals but to win,” Deeks said. “Today, we’re up against three times the number of entries. For anyone who makes it into the finals, your project has to stand out … so it’s even more satisfying today.”
RDC is up for three awards this year: best custom home valued between $2 million and $3 million and best single-family kitchen up to $200,000, both for a home dubbed the Cypress Place Retreat in Nicklaus North, and best kitchen renovation under $150,000 for a Cheakamus Way home in Cheakamus Crossing.
Of the Cypress Place project, Deeks said the offshore client was “really looking for that sanctuary feeling when they come to Whistler,” and, working with a Vancouver interior design firm, RDC developed an aesthetic that fits the bill.
“That helps enormously when you have really good design and clients with nice taste,” Deeks said. “We’re just the conduit for great design and good clients. Our job is to do a good job of executing and filling in the blanks. Every design has some interpretation, and a good builder will fill in those invisible blanks so that the designer and the client’s vision is truly realized in the final product.”
Deeks noted the flood of renos that have come across their desks recently, fuelled by people spending more time at home during the pandemic and Whistler’s climbing property costs.
“The volume of inquiries we’re getting on renovations is exploding. There’s that older stock from the ’70s and ’80s and some good houses that need to be updated,” Deeks said. “Of course, the cost of construction has gone up to a place where people who ten years ago might have considered tearing a house down are a lot more invested in trying to fix their existing house.”
Deeks said COVID-19 is also leading to home updates in other ways, with more emphasis on proper air ventilation.
“Indoor air quality is a larger concern for people. I think in part COVID is driving that,” he explained.
The effects of climate change are another major influencer, said Deeks, with “thermal comfort” a growing priority for clients both in the winter and summer months.
“Regarding thermal comfort, it’s not just insulation values and the outside building envelope. It’s also a greater awareness that their heating system doesn’t do a good job of heating the whole house properly,” he said. “Of course, there is also more and more interest in air conditioning. Our summers here in Whistler are getting hotter, and those hotter periods are lasting a lot longer, so in the ’90s and 2000s, you might have a week or so when it was uncomfortably hot, and now we’re seeing a month to six weeks.”
For 30 years, the Georgies have celebrated excellence in home building and renovation in B.C.’s residential construction industry. Winners are selected from a panel of out-of-province industry professionals. The in-person awards gala, initially set for March 12 at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, has been rescheduled to June 4.
To view the full list of nominees, visit georgieawards.ca.
This article was taken from the Pique News Magazine – Three Whistler builders up for Georgie Awards
Photography by Joern Rohde
Hey there, Bob Deeks from RDC here. Been a while since I’ve done an update. I was able to get a haircut. What do you think? Everybody here at RDC remains healthy and happy, and we have been able to bring all our stuff back to work and we have been able to do some minor relaxations around some of the protocols. We’ve been able to bring some people back into the office. So some staff are starting to rotate through one or two days a week, which is awesome. Really nice to have some company here. I was getting pretty lonely here by myself, and we’ve opened up the boardroom to both some staff meetings and we’ve had clients in. We had our first clients back to the office last week. Of course, we are following some very strict sanitation requirements, as well as trying to maintain the best physical distancing that we can.
Looking forward, one of the things that we’ve decided to do is we’re going to get some masks logoed with the RDC logo to start passing out to people who are coming into the office, just to be a little more on the safe side as we bring people back in. We had some very, very exciting news on Friday evening. The CHBA BC Georgie Awards Gala was finally presented in a digital format on a Zoom meeting. Just to shout out to CHBA BC for a fantastic job. And we were the proud recipients of three additional Georgie Awards that I think adds to our current total of about 16. So moves us up to 19 awards in total over the last 15 years, which is very exciting. And we were the proud recipient of the Customer Service Award for Renovations and that is the third time in the last four years that we have qualified for that prestigious grand Georgie.
So very exciting for the team to see that recognition on our Customer Service scores. We also got Best Renovation for Kitchens over $125,000 and Best New Kitchen for $150,000. And shout out to our clients who allowed us to participate on those great wins. Some other news, we finished all the wall panels in our new panel shop for our project up in Emerald and the team is just starting on floor and roof panels and looking forward to install in about two and a half weeks there. Foundation gets poured this week. And on another note, really great to see the Whistler real estate market resurging here. Really great activity, I understand over the last four or five weeks and really nice to see confidence in our local economy in that way. So stay tuned, I’ll get back with another update in a month or so.
The Whistler Pique News Magazine recently released their annual Best of Whistler winners. The awards are voted online by Whistler residents and visitors with a strong Whistler presence. The awards recognize outstanding Whistler residents, social issues and Whistler’s favourite businesses.
We are once again thrilled to announce RDC has won Best Building or Construction Company for the second year in a row! We are honoured to receive this award, as it’s one of the most coveted local honours and the organic nature in which it is voted on.
As a team RDC focuses on the customer experience first, we work hard to ensure our core values are followed throughout our business practices so customers receive the very best we can offer. This award is an extension of our amazing staff who are at the front end of our customer service, not only delivering incredible results but positive lasting effects on our customers. As a company, we are committed to building our customers the best product, including pushing ourselves to be the most certified and progressive building company in Whistler and the Sea to Sky region.
We want to thank everyone who took time out of their day to fill out their surveys and recognize RDC Fine Homes as someone you continue to trust!
Everybody here at RDC Fine Homes is delighted to announce that we have been nominated in 6 categories for the prestigious Grand Georgie Awards®. The Grand Georgie Awards® are organized by the Canadian Home Builders Association and is one of the most important housing awards programs in Canada. With over 600 attendees from the industry and government officials, it’s quite an achievement to be nominated for so many awards.
The Grand Georgie Awards® covers all aspects of the housing industry. Everything from design to construction, to landscaping and interior design, is represented. It is this industry-wide scale that makes these awards so desirable. The awards gala will take place on March 14th, 2020 and RDC Fine Homes has been nominated in the following categories.
It’s a fantastic honour to be nominated for this award. There are many incredible construction companies throughout BC so it’s great to be recognized by our peers as one of the best. Renovation projects have always been an integral part of our business here at RDC Fine Homes. Sometimes our clients need to make changes to their family home due to their family growing or to increase the value of their property. Whatever the reason for the renovation, we’re always delighted to help.
For more great reasons to renovate your home, check out our blog post ‘Why Renovate Your Home’.
Our project West Coast Style has been nominated in three different categories.
The aim of this project was to build a house that responded to the natural surroundings with a modern west coast style. On the interior, the client needed offices to allow the owners to work from home, and a large kitchen area, complete with an indoor pizza oven, for entertaining friends.
To make the house as functional and efficient as possible we used a number of modern building techniques. Passive House rated windows were installed as well as a multi-zoned geothermal system. This allows for the home to be heated using less energy and allows for less heat to escape.
ICF construction methods were used to improve soundproofing, making the home as comfortable as possible. The home was finished in low maintenance siding that gives the homeowners peace of mind for the future.
Our Mountain Retreat renovation project which was completed earlier this year has been nominated in two different categories.
The house was originally built in the 1990s and the exterior, while quite run down, still had some traditional charm. The client wanted to revive this aspect of the building and completely modernize the interior of the home. Our aim was to reduce future maintenance and improve the overall layout of the property.
By converting an unused garage into a mudroom and under-used exercise room into additional bedrooms, we were able to make the home more usable for the current owners.
Again, we turned to modern building techniques and materials to make this property even better for the residents. Modulating condensing gas boilers were added for both the house and the driveway. While the gas fireplaces provide the main source of heating, a supplementary air-source heat pump was added as an alternative option. To keep the heat indoors, we added new triple glazed windows and sealed all windows and doors for improved airtightness.
We are also pleased to be announced as a finalist for the 2020 Georgie Awards® Customer Satisfaction category.
This is an honour because finalists were determined by customer surveys submitted to Avid Ratings Canada. The customers detail their experience and rate their builder or renovator on many key areas throughout the building process.
We’re delighted that we’ve been nominated for these awards and even happier for our clients who have their homes recognized by industry leaders as being extra special. It’s thanks to our amazingly talented and dedicated team that we are nominated for these awards.
If you would like for our brilliant team to build you your dream home, get in touch with us today.
Last week, Whistler’s Pique News Magazine released its annual Best of Whistler winners. This year, they introduced a construction category, and guess what? RDC won!
I’ve always respected the people who won Best of Whistler. It’s one of the most coveted local awards, partly because it’s so organic.
As a Team, we have been focused on the customer experience. I know everyone is working hard to live our core values to ensure that our customers consistently receive the best we can offer. This award is a shout-out to all our staff and the success that this award reflects on their hard work and successful daily outcomes. There is particular satisfaction in this, although I know we are not always perfect and sometimes cannot make the grade. We still manage to outperform consistently. Thanks Team!”
Our team was again very proud to win the Georgie Award in Customer Service for renovations. We won this award based on our clients’ evaluations of us and our work through Avid Ratings. They provide third-party ratings and feedback services in the home building industry. This helps us ensure that the feedback we receive is accurate and unbiased.
We won this award in 2017. Check out a list of our many awards from previous years here. We have a fantastic record of client satisfaction. We pride ourselves on the positive relationships we build with our clients as we work together to make their dream homes in the Sea to Sky.
Whistler, Canada, January 18, 2018 – RDC Fine Homes of Whistler has won “Best Of Design” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home remodelling and design. The sustainable, green home construction company was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users of the Houzz community from more than one million active home building, remodelling and design industry professionals.
The Best Of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography.
Design award winners’ work was the most popular among Houzz’s more than 40 million monthly users. Customer Service honours are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2017. Architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular are recognized with the Photography Award. A “Best Of Houzz 2018” badge will appear on winners’ profiles as a sign of their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.
RDC President Bob Deeks praises his team. “RDC is honoured and very excited to receive this prestigious recognition from Houzz. As one of the leading resources for inspiration in homebuilding and renovation, being selected as one of the best in Vancouver is great news for our team. Special thanks to Keith Baker Design for designing an award-winning home!”.
“The Houzz community selected a phenomenal group of Best of Houzz 2018 award winners, so this year’s recipients should be very proud,” said Liza Hausman, Vice President of Industry Marketing at Houzz. “Best of Houzz winners represent some of the most talented and customer-focused professionals in our industry, and we are extremely pleased to give them both this recognition and a platform to showcase their expertise.”
Follow RDC Fine Homes on Houzz.
RDC Fine Homes was honoured to win two national housing awards at the Canadian Home Builders Association Awards for Housing Excellence in May.
Bob was at the conference in St John’s, NF, to accept these awards on behalf of our team. We won the best website—thanks to Custom Fit Online for working with us on this over the past year; our hard work has paid off! We also won Best Custom Detached Home under 2500 sq ft for Crumpit Woods Oasis, a Holmes-approved home we completed in 2015. It qualified as Built Green Platinum with an EnerGuide rating 85 and is nestled among the trees in Squamish, BC.
This exciting win follows our other successes at the 2017 Georgie Awards, where we had three winners, and Crumpit Woods Oasis was also a finalist.
This has been a sensational awards season, and we are humbled by the praise we have received for our exciting projects. We’re looking forward to another year of teamwork and sticking to our core values of “Positive, Reliable Performance.” We already can’t wait for next year’s awards!
We were thrilled to win this award. Last year, we started working with Custom Fit Online to build a new website, and we have been very impressed by the results. The Umbraco-based website is easy to use and allows us to update our own content, images, and updates. The new website better helps us connect with our clients, potential clients, and the community.
A massive element of our website is rooted in education through our “See How We Do It” Blogs. This is where Bob shares his building knowledge and the latest industry updates.
Strong customer service is a key priority for RDC. We are very focused on providing the best possible level of customer service, and this is a great reward for the Reno Team.
The Avid award has been a key goal for the team for the last few years.
Here are a few stats on this super energy-efficient EnerGuide 85 production home in Crumpit Woods in Squamish
Name: Sky Pilot Silver (Production)
Completed: 2015
Architectural Design: Meehouse Design
Interior Design: Laura Henderson Interior Design
We proudly announce that we have been selected as Finalists for the 2018 Georgie Awards!
Our Whistler Apartment, “Fresh Family Flat,” was a finalist in the Best Condo Renovation under the $250,000 category, while “Blueberry Hill” scored in Custom Home valued between $1,900,000 and $3,000,000.
This is a very exciting achievement that was only possible due to the hard work and long hours that our team puts into every project we do. Thank you to the trades, partners, and our dedicated staff for contributing to these projects.
Congratulations to our fellow Finalists. We are looking forward to seeing our peers at Georgie’s Gala in the spring.
Check out our award-winning homes.
The CHBA put on a fantastic show in Kelowna last week for the annual general meeting, the Net Zero boot camp, and the National Awards for Housing Excellence.
There was fierce competition at the National Awards, with over 700 entries vying for just 20 awards! Compare this to the Georgie Awards, where there were 300 entries for 34 Awards.
We were excited to WIN Best Production under 3000 sq ft for our Crumpit Woods Project.
RDC was also a finalist and is listed as one of the top six Custom Home Builders in the Country!
Here is a recap of our winning project entry:
We are very proud to present our entry in Best Production Home. This home was built to sell in the new Crumpit Woods subdivision in Squamish, British Columbia. We were thrilled when it sold ten days after the first open house.
What makes this home particularly special for us at RDC is that it was one of our first homes to be certified as Holmes-approved.
The home is constructed to achieve high effective insulation values for the walls, windows, foundation and roof. An effective insulation value measures the thermal performance of the assembly as built rather than the R-value advertised on the insulation package. For example, a bag of fibreglass insulation might advertise itself as having an R20 rating; when the insulation is placed in a wall, and the reduced insulation value of the wood framing is considered, the overall insulation value will drop to R16.
Effective insulation construction assemblies are as follows:
Our goal when designing the home was to create both an efficient use of space and an efficient design that was easy and low-cost to build. Designing an efficient layout allowed us to make a smaller home that felt much bigger. The savings from the simplified design allowed us to improve the effective insulation values, install the state-of-the-art Mitsubishi cold climate heat pump and finish the home with quality fixtures, finishes and cabinets. Some of the features we are most proud of include:
We were thrilled to have won 2 Georgie Awards on Friday Night!
RDC Fine Homes won in the following categories:
Wish us luck tonight at the Georgie Awards in Vancouver!
Here are our finalist entries:
Here is the final installment of our Georgie Award entries.
The award “Best Innovative Feature” is characterized by introducing an inventive feature, space, method, element or product that enhances the residential project or building process and results in a unique effect or feature.
We featured our Turnbuckle staircase design found at our Timber Ridge residence.
I am very excited to announce that we have been nominated in 6 categories as finalists in this year’s Georgie Awards. The Georgie Awards is British Columbia’s housing excellence awards program for residential construction projects built, renovated, developed, created, and marketed throughout the province.
While we have been a finalist many times, we have never had six nominations in one year!
Thank you to the RDC Team for their hard work building so many beautiful homes this year. The nominations for Best Innovative Feature, Best Certified Production Home, and Best Certified Custom Home speak to why we are in the home building and renovation business; we want to help our clients move into cutting-edge, affordable, comfortable, energy-efficient homes.
The six categories we have been nominated in are as follows:
Stay tuned for upcoming posts showcasing all these winning homes.
I thought I would showcase one of our older Georgie award winners. It is a great example of how you can transform an old, worn-out home into a beautiful new one while dramatically improving its comfort, indoor air quality, and energy efficiency. As you can see from the two photos, the transformation was quite amazing!
This was our first Built Green Canada certification, and we achieved an incredible Energuide rating of 85. This was quite an achievement at a time when a code-built home was probably coming in the high 60s to low 70s.
Our initial inspection of the home revealed that it was built on a wood foundation and had a crawlspace entirely of water most of the year. While the treated wood foundation had not failed, the moisture wick to the framing above had caused the floor joists to rot, so much so that one corner of the home had a spongy floor. As you can imagine, the house smelled quite strongly of mould and mildew. It became evident that the foundation would need to be replaced and repairs made to the rotten elements in the floor system on the lower floor: this became an opportunity to fix a structural and severe indoor air quality problem and redesign the home.
We could lift the entire home to get in and remove the wood foundation. Since we were digging, we decided to dig down a bit further and put in a full basement—hey, why not? As you can see, the site was very wet! This was, I believe, our first foundation that was completely waterproofed, using a plastic “bag” under the footing to prevent further moisture from wicking up through the concrete and causing the framing to rot again.
You can see the black plastic placed at the footing form’s bottom. This is sealed to the 6-mill plastic vapour barrier inside and the exterior foundation wall with peel and stick. The Delta MS foundation wrap is then overlapped over the footing and sealed to the top of the foundation wall to prevent moisture ingress through hydrostatic pressure. You can see the top of the Delta MS in the photo to the left after completing the backfill.
The new foundation can now sit in a puddle, and we can be confident that the home will remain dry and odor-free and never be at risk of further rot issues.
While the front of the house was dramatically changed, we were able to save the balance of the architecture, including the original T&G ceilings and exposed timber roof.
This was our first attempt at an airtight home, and while I am not exactly sure what the final number was, we were told it was very tight. Given that we achieved an EnerGuide rating of 85, it was certainly below 2.5 air changes, which is pretty good considering we were unable to re-detail the air barrier in the roof.
Indoor air quality was addressed with an Eneready Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) to provide whole-home ventilation and fresh air. The owners’ first comment was how amazed they were with the clean, fresh smell of the home.
In-floor radiant heating was installed with a ground-source (geothermal) heat pump. This, combined with the airtight construction and Energy Star windows, resulted in a very comfortable and quiet home with very low energy costs. The clients commented that they had the best sleep of their lives once they moved in!
Sometimes, people forget we do renovations. As you can see, yes, we do!
If you are interested in learning more about what we might be able to do for you and your tired old house, please give us a call. We are the experts when it comes to the best options for indoor air quality, comfort, and energy efficiency in a renovation.
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We specialize in building custom homes and renovations in the picturesque Sea-to-Sky Corridor, including Whistler, Squamish, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, and Pemberton.
