5 of our favourite new home industry events of 2015

With so many innovative and interesting events hosted by members of the new home industry, it’s really difficult to narrow it down to a few of our favourites.

Throughout 2015, we’ve been to countless openings, groundbreakings, tours, and other industry events, and we want to share five of the most memorable with you. Perhaps you were even in attendance of one or more of these events, or helped put it all together. If so, we thank you for creating memories with us!

Listed in chronological order:

90 Niagara demolition party

1) Demolition party at 90 Niagara

In March, Fieldgate Homes invited registrants and purchasers at 90 Niagara (their new boutique condo in Toronto) to a demolition party at the onsite presentation centre. With enough sales to start construction, it was time to clear the site, and in order to announce the good news, Fieldgate enlisted the help of purchasers and team members.

Everyone in attendance had the opportunity to take hold of a sledgehammer and take a swing at the drywall. This not only provided future neighbours a chance to mingle and take part in the demolition process, but it also seemed to be a decent stress reliever.

RAW CANVAS

2) RAW CANVAS

Every year, local architecture firm RAW Design hosts an industry party, and as you would expect from a creative architecture firm, the parties are always unique. We think out of all the RAW parties we’ve been to, RAW CANVAS has been the best. The party was located at the site of Daniels Waterfront at Jarvis and Lakeshore. It was the first time we’ve seen a construction site transformed into a pop-up art gallery.

RAW commissioned many local artists to create separate works of art, whether it was a painting or installation, on the inside of a warehouse space. Delicious food was served, attendees participated in a few messy paint-related activities, and everyone left feeling inspired!

Minto Westside Market opening

3) The opening of Minto Westside Market

During the summer, Minto hosted a block party at Minto Westside at Front and Bathurst in Toronto. The party was celebrating the launching of an innovative initiative to support local businesses in Toronto’s west end.

The Minto Westside Market features a number of different local vendors, including restaurants, apparel designers, jewelry makers, and even farmer’s market style produce. This is Minto’s way of supporting the community while also giving their prospective purchasers a taste for what the neighbourhood has to offer.

Net Zero home opening

4) The first Net Zero Energy home in Canada    

In September, Reid’s Heritage Homes hosted an event to unveil to first Net Zero Energy home in Canada. This is a big deal because a Net Zero home produces as much energy as it consumes throughout the year, saving you money in the long run.

The whole point of the national Net Zero initiative is to prove that sustainable homes can be built affordably on a community scale. One of the reasons that the event was so amazing was simply because of the commitment that Reid’s Heritage Homes made to build exclusively Net Zero homes starting at the end of 2016. The second reason this event was so amazing and memorable was because of how much of a difference there was in comfort level when touring the home. The air quality was noticeably better, even when we were in the basement.

Friday Harbour marina opening

5) Completing the new marina at Friday Harbour    

One of Innisfil’s largest master-planned communities is Friday Harbour by Geranium Homes and Pemberton Group. Part of the plan included building a 53-acre marina (one of the largest inland marinas in Canada), basically extending Lake Simcoe.

We had the opportunity to tour the marina and walk on the basin before it was flooded, which made seeing the completed marina even more memorable! Over 3,000 guests, including the families of 450+ purchasers were in attendance to celebrate the project’s milestone. Juno award-winning artist, Jim Cuddy, performed, there were many food trucks and carnival games, and there was a ceremonial flag raising to commemorate the occasion.

We’re very thankful to be part of such a creative and innovative industry, especially since we keep getting invited to all the best parties! Here’s hoping that we’re all able to have just as much fun in 2016.