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Archive for the ‘Green Home’ Category

HUSH a finalist in prestigious builder awards for Oakville homes

Thursday, August 26th, 2010 by Dan Cooper

Featured in the photo are President and CEO of Hush Homes Naheel Suleman with Dan Cooper.

Congratulations to HUSH on its nominations for Project of the Year and Most Outstanding Production Home (two-storey, 2,500 square feet and over) for two of its developments in South-West Oakville. The Ontario Home Builders’ Association’s Awards of Distinction are major awards in which builders all across Ontario compete. Simply becoming a finalist is a significant feat. I’ve written in the past about HUSH’s two special enclaves of new homes that recently went on sale that offer French and English inspired designs, and some very unique features and homeownership packages.

Being nominated in the OHBA’s Awards of Distinction is just proof that these developments are something special for Oakville and area. HUSH is nominated for Project of the Year for both the Avalon and The Gardens at Coronation locations. In the Most Outstanding Production Built Home category, this exceptional builder has two home designs nominated – the Aubergine Palais and Lily of the Valley. Avalon in South-West Oakville includes 12 French inspired homes that are conveniently located on Lakeshore Road West, close to downtown Oakville and Appleby College. At Avalon, you can experience the city living of shopping and dining without sacrificing a private home environment. This is where you will find the Aubergine Palais.

The Gardens of Coronation feature 14 English-style homes that are steps away from Coronation Park and Lake Ontario. Some lots here have been designed to allow for a third-storey loft where you can enjoy spectacular views of the park and lake. And this is where the award-nominated Lily of the Valley will be built. While these homes are nominated in the Most Outstanding Production Home, HUSH is not your typical production builder. For example, the bungalows in each location can be completely customized to your liking, right down to the floor plan. And like all HUSH projects, these homes are loaded with top quality products and materials – hardwood floors, 10-foot ceilings, Wolf and Sub-Zero gourmet appliances, granite countertops, marble, and high-end fixtures by Kohler just to name a few of the luxury appointments that are standard in all HUSH homes.

HUSH builds their homes to exceed Energy Star standards and provides an extensive “green” package that offers additional solutions such as solar power and geothermal heating and cooling so you can make your home as energy-efficient and eco-friendly as you want. With homes ranging from 1,800 to 4,000 square feet, loaded with high-end products, quality construction and high energy efficiency, HUSH is offering a carefree lifestyle and a superbly maintained residence for as long as you own the property. The quality of these homes and the attention they are receiving from qualified judges for the OHBA’s Awards of Distinction is a testament to the great real estate investment opportunities that exist in the Oakville and Burlington areas.

If you are in the market for a true dream home in a spectacular location, you must check out these new homes by HUSH. To see what makes HUSH an award-winning builder, I encourage you to visit the presentation centre at 417 Lakeshore Road West. Visitation is by appointment during the week and open houses from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, or register at HUSH.CA. Or give my office a call and we will be glad to help you make the ideal selection – to optimize your enjoyment and investment. And good luck HUSH on September 21 when the OHBA announces the winners.

Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.

Posted in Green Home, HUSH Homes, Oakville, Oakville Real Estate, Ontario Home Builders’ Association’s Awards of Distinction | No Comments »

Take a virtual tour of Halton’s first GreenHouse certified home

Monday, May 31st, 2010 by andrews

Cutting the ribbon to officially open Halton’s first GreenHouse certified home are from left to right: Greenbilt Homes president Mike Manning, Dan Cooper, Regional Councillor Alan Johnston and Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn.

It is the first of its kind in Halton – a house that is so unique that close to 200 people crowded into the home and lined up outside the door during the recent Grand Opening. This luxury home, just a few blocks from Bronte Harbour, is among the most energy-efficient homes in the region. The two-storey Georgian home by Greenbilt Homes at 2305 Belyea Street in Bronte Village is the region’s only GreenHouse certified home. Located in a park-like setting, the Greenbilt home has all the craftsman finishes, luxurious features and modern conveniences that are found in today’s custom homes, but has the building integrity and efficiencies that are far ahead of their time.

Achieving the GreenHouse Construction certification is a remarkable accomplishment and you can see what makes the home special by taking a virtual tour on DanCooperTV.com. Simply click on the video titled Oakville’s First Green Home. The Greenbilt property is considered by many to be the future of building. Home building in Ontario is gradually becoming greener, and the major push for this change is coming from the industry itself. There are a number of industry-wide initiatives such as the very stringent GreenHouse certification program that encourage home builders to embrace and adopt energy-efficient products, technologies and practices. But individual companies like Greenbilt Homes and builders like Mike Manning and Catherine Ann Marshall are leading the way by building beautiful homes that are luxurious and sustainable.

Oakville MP Terence Young had this to say as he toured the home. “This home in particular is exciting to me because it’s incredibly energy efficient which is a solution to a number of problems we have in Canada. One is the greenhouse gas effect; another is the cost of living for folks. “And also because it is made out of a lot of recycled materials and recycling is brilliant. The ideas that are implemented in this home – it won’t be long before they will be in every new home and it won’t be long before they are in almost every home by way of retrofit.”

Other politicians had equally glowing remarks. Regional Councillor Alan Johnston said he was impressed by the superior level of insulation and the innovative recycling program within the house. Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn added that “there is a huge appetite for this type of house. And Greenbilt is really the leader.” He said a luxury home that is inexpensive to operate “can’t help but to be a good thing.” How inexpensive are we talking? According to Marshall, the owners of this home will save up to 30 percent on their utility bills compared to homes of comparable size that were built in the 1980s. That works out to be roughly $1,500 this year and will increase as utility costs rise, Marshall says.

People are talking about this truly innovative home – but seeing is believing. The grand design, heritage touches and energy-efficient technologies are showcased and discussed in the video on DanCooperTV.com. I’m proud to be the Broker for this exciting new project – to be associated with the latest evolution in building and to be part of a critical new direction to build homes that will reduce our carbon footprint. If you want to see for yourself what everyone is talking about, call my office; the Dan Cooper Team will be glad to help you.

Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.

Posted in Bronte Harbour, Bronte Villiage, Dan Cooper TV, Green Home, GreenHouse certification, Greenbilt Homes, Home Builders, Real Estate, Technology, Video Tours | No Comments »

EXCLUSIVE OPEN HOUSE EVENT FOR NEWLY DESIGNED HUSH BUNGALOWS

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 by Dan Cooper

Dan Cooper and Naheel Suleman, President & CEO, Hush Homes

There are two special enclaves of new homes that have just gone on sale that offer French and English inspired designs, and some very unique features and homeownership packages. HUSH is the builder and they are releasing spectacular new bungalows and two-storey homes at two Oakville locations.

Avalon in South-West Oakville includes 12 French inspired homes that are conveniently located on Lakeshore Road West, close to downtown Oakville and Appleby College. At Avalon, you can experience the city living of shopping and dining without sacrificing a private home environment. The Gardens of Coronation features 14 English-style homes that are steps away from Coronation Park and Lake Ontario. Some lots here have been designed to allow for a third-storey loft where you can enjoy spectacular views of the park and lake.

The bungalows in each location can be completely customized to your liking, right down to the floor plan, says HUSH president Naheel Suleman. “One of our buyers wanted to have a house where their kids could bring friends over, so we designed a recreation space and outdoor living space with a pool, cabana and a kids’ retreat area in the basement. Another buyer, for example has no children, so we designed a house so that the master bedroom would be on the main floor and the secondary bedrooms were upstairs in case she had guests or wanted to resell the home,” Suleman explains.

And like all HUSH projects, these homes are loaded with top quality products and materials – hardwood floors, 10-foot ceilings, Wolf and Sub-Zero gourmet appliances, granite counter tops, marble, and high-end fixtures by Kohler just to name a few of the luxury appointments that are standard in all HUSH homes. This builder has a stellar reputation for customer service and takes every step to keep the buyer completely in the picture as the home is being built. For example, homeowners are allowed scheduled walk-throughs in the construction phase, during which time they are welcome to make subtle changes. Each buyer is also assigned a professional interior designer who will visit their current home to get an idea of their tastes and styles, as well as an inventory of the furniture they plan to move into their new home.

Another impressive point about HUSH is the variety of innovative services they offer, such as a free move-in service, annual inspections and certificates (which lead to a better resale value), and interior and exterior maintenance packages, and even holiday decor packages. All of these services are tracked on a virtual concierge/web portal in the home, which also includes pertinent documents, floor plans, colour selections, manuals, on-site progress reporting, services and upcoming appointments.

HUSH builds their homes to exceed Energy Star standards and provides an extensive “green” package that offers additional solutions such as solar power and geothermal heating and cooling so you can make your home as energy-efficient and eco-friendly as you want. With homes ranging from 1,800 to 4,000 square feet, loaded with high-end products, quality construction and high energy efficiency, HUSH is offering a carefree lifestyle and a superbly maintained residence for as long as you own the property.

HUSH’s presentation centre is located at 417 Lakeshore Road West. Call 905.337.1435 to schedule a private appointment during the week or register online at HUSH.CA. Visit our catered open houses this weekend on Saturday and Sunday between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm and sample finger foods and delicacies from Montfort Mediterranean cuisine and cinnamon buns and fresh pastries from Cob’s Bakery. Alternatively, give my office a call and we will be glad to help you make the ideal selection – to optimize your enjoyment and investment.

Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.

Posted in Community, Green Home, House Building, Real Estate | No Comments »

Exciting new custom Green Home open to the public this Saturday May 8th

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 by Dan Cooper

If you want a close look at something truly different in home building, be sure to drop into the Grand Opening of the first GreenHouse certified home in Halton on Saturday, May 8th at 1 p.m. The house, which is now for sale, is located at 2305 Belyea Street in Bronte Village. The two-storey home has been built by a young company with a mission to build energy-efficient, ecofriendly homes. Greenbilt Homes is dedicated to make green homes affordable by building infill projects in the GTA that are comparable in price to regular homes.

Home building in Ontario is gradually becoming greener, and the major push for this change is coming from the industry itself. There are a number of industry-wide initiatives that are encouraging home builders to embrace and adopt energy-efficient products, technologies and practices, but it is individual companies like Greenbilt Homes that are leading the way. As the Broker on this exciting new project, I am proud to be associated with the latest evolution in building and to be part of this critical movement of creating homes that will reduce our carbon footprint. With this house, Greenbilt is proving that you don’t need expensive and state-of-the-art technologies to achieve green. In fact, many of their solutions are common sense such as relying on daylight for lighting, overhangs and porches for cooling, utilizing recut and repolished granite, quartz with recycled glass, cork flooring in the kitchen with 100 per cent recycled content and the list goes on. In fact, there are 85 green features, combining to exceed the GreenHouse Certification requirements.

The owners’ inspiration was actually drawn from the past rather than looking into the future. “This brand new home incorporates a lot of basic concepts of early Ontario houses that used knowledge of nature to make the home more liveable,” says company vice-president Catherine Marshall. “The one green feature I am proudest of is our earth-cooled cellar in the basement because it is a modern sanitary walk-in cold room that is geothermal cooled by a simple and inexpensive system that came out of our research.” Traditional cellars were burrowed into the ground or the side of a hill, but while Greenbilt’s 80-foot walk-in food and wine cellar is in the basement, it is kept at the earth’s temperature, a constant 55 degrees, via the geothermal system. Greenbilt also focused on the lifestyle of Ontario’s agricultural forefathers who minimized waste, used resources carefully and built durable homes to last.

This first Oakville project by Greenbilt was the culmination of two years of research and development, explains company president Mike Manning, who has spent 30 years in construction, has an Architectural Technology diploma and is a licensed carpenter. While Manning learned as much as he could about green building before beginning this project, he says they also relied on their suppliers who were knowledgeable about products and materials and assisted the company by suggesting creative approaches. Some of these interesting features simply need to be seen to be appreciated, he suggests.

Approximately 20 suppliers, from lighting suppliers to cleaning companies, will be on hand following the brief Grand Opening ceremony. “Come expecting to learn about greening a house in an entertaining way,” Manning says. Whether you are in the market for a new home, simply have an interest in what the green movement is all about or just curious to learn more, I encourage you to come out and have a look for yourself. You may be surprised by the new-found knowledge you will come away with. See what the future of building might look like.

Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.

Posted in Energy, Environment, Green Home, House Building, Real Estate, Technology | No Comments »