Ottawa has made a limited but memorable impact at the 2024 national housing awards. The local housing industry fielded 21 finalists for the Canadian Home Builders’ Association’s (CHBA) National Awards for Housing Excellence, but intense competition from across the country whittled that down to two winners.
RND Construction with Hobin Architecture took home the trophy for best custom or renovated Net Zero Home at the recent awards in Saint John, N.B., while West of Main captured top honours for best single room renovation.
RND is a previous national, provincial and local award winner as is West of Main, which has also won at the international level.
This year’s CHBA awards saw a record-breaking 900 entries in 48 categories, making the prestigious awards event the largest ever for the CHBA.
Best custom or renovated Net Zero home
RND Construction with Hobin Architecture
This contemporary bungalow, dubbed Quarry Park Modern and built on a cliff top, includes a cantilevered terrace over a densely treed ravine and a walkout basement with stunning views.
“It’s always a thrill to win an award, but at the national level – wow, I have the best in the country!” says RND owner Roy Nandram.
The project was also nominated for best detached custom home 3,001-4,000 sq. ft. in the 2024 national awards, was a finalist in the 2023 provincial awards and won a trophy at last fall’s local Housing Design Awards.
He says it’s the project’s “uniqueness” that’s made it so popular on the awards circuit. “I don’t think there’s another house in the city like it. The uniqueness comes from the site conditions: a 150×150-foot lot with the house sitting on top of a cliff overlooking a ravine with a 20-foot drop and a rockface. When you’re in the living room, you can look out and you see treetops.”
MORE: Explore the Quarry Park Modern home
RND was also nominated for another project in this year’s CHBA awards for best custom or renovated Net Zero home.
More: CHBA finalists
Best single room renovation
West of Main
In addition to winning the best single room renovation trophy, this stylish, light-filled and storage-smart dressing room was part of a larger renovation, which was a finalist in the best whole-home renovation category.
Known as the Good Vibes House, the renovation was one of two West of Main projects nominated in this category. The Good Vibes House was previously a winner at the local housing association awards for its ensuite bathroom.
“Winning a national award is really significant for us because it showcases our commitment to excellence in design and highlights the exceptional talent within our firm and across Canada,” says West of Main co-founder Sascha Lafleur.
“We submit our work to award shows like this because it emphasizes our team’s strong work ethic (and) assures clients of the quality and innovation we deliver as interior designers.”
West of Main was a finalist in nine categories at this year’s CHBA awards, including co-nominations with eQ Homes and Art & Stone. The company was also named current designer of the year at last fall’s local design awards.
MORE: Read our profile on West of Main co-founder Sascha Lafleur
View all winners here.
