Find and Compare Smaller New Home Builders in Ottawa - Gatineau

We all know the names of the Region's major home builders, since their display advertisements dominate the New Homes pages of Ottawa-Gatineau's local newspapers, and the communities they build and their advertising signs seem to be everywhere you drive.

So you not only know their names - like Minto, Richcraft, Brigil or Phoenix - but you probably also recognise their brand logos, their company colours and their sales centres too.

While the major builders whose homes we feature with HomesExplorer™ have a higher profile and represent about 98% of the quantity of homes built and sold, there are in fact a surprisingly high number of smaller firms that provide at least as much quality and value.

But how do they compete against the big guys?

Just like smaller businesses in other industries they have to be smarter, more street-wise, more flexible, and quicker to respond to consumer needs.

Often, their success depends on finding a specialized niche in which they can excel. Many of Ottawa-Gatineau's Smaller Builders have found that they can prosper by doing what it is they do best.

Smaller Firms who identify a gap in the market place and move into it have every opportunity to be successful. But they need to recognize and choose a niche which has been overlooked or purposely avoided by the major firms, against whom it is usually too expensive to compete head-on.

Major firms don't engage in certain areas of a marketplace for a variety of reasons - perhaps because they have found their own niche - an ability to build large numbers of homes that appeal to just enough people to make it worthwhile - or because they may already be too big and cumbersome to respond quickly enough to changing or more discriminating consumer needs. That, for example, is where Custom Builders excel!

President Steve Barkhouse of Amsted was a natural shoe-in for the Ottawa housing industry from the start. His father, Fred Barkhouse, was responsible for the construction of many Ottawa communities built in the 1970's and 1980's, when he earned a reputation for insisting on perfection. Amsted builds beautiful custom homes in Stittsville and throughout the Region, and has already won several awards.

This builder is very small in terms of the size of the entire Ottawa-Gatineau housing market. But you wouldn't know it when you are greeted as you enter their Aylmer sales center (across the way from Chabitat). You may be reminded of that famous advertising slogan used by a rental car company: "When You're #2 You Have to Try Harder!" Bena do try harder, even though they may be number twenty-two. They engage each visitor as if they are the only ones who matter, and describe their designs and their community thoroughly and graciously. Size isn't everything.

This residential building enterprise in Aylmer owns a large parcel of land at the northernmost end of Boulevard Wilfrid Lavigne. Boulet's President and founder is Pierre Boulet. He focuses on building affordable homes, and clearly believes in management systems and disciplines to avoid the typical confusion that can easily turn into chaos in the construction industry. By keeping everything under tight control he ensures that home buyers can know precisely what to expect from the builder - uncompromising thoroughness. They recently won a Quebec award for their home designs.

This Aylmer builder has been gradually working its way north up Boulevard Wilfrid Lavigne for about 20 years, building excellent single family detached and semi-detached homes along the way. What was practical and comfortable in their designs have remained relatively unchanged because of their continued acceptability. That is because they are "flexible." Chartro perfected a technique of creative modules that they simply add on to a basic design according to what each individual customer wants. Their affordable flexi-designs are customized to be stretched or squeezed like an accordion.

Pierre Garand is part of the next and younger generation of home builders. He continues a housing enterprise founded by his father Bernard Garrand, whose well-designed and tasteful homes improved west end neighbourhoods in Ottawa. Pierre's Brookside Series includes townhomes from 1397 Sq Ft to 1791 Sq Ft. Also Semi-Detached Homes and Single Family Homes.

A small home builder who has specialized for over 20 years in building solely in his own neighbourhood - Aylmer, Quebec. There are three communities currently available there - one off of Lucerne Boulevard, another closer to the Marina, and a third in a shared community already established by Richcraft Homes at La Croisee.

Metric Homes President Pierre Bernier has recognised how homeowners may now be at the mercy of soaring gas-heating and oil prices. He realised that the answer was to build homes that were more airtight and increase the insulation in walls and attics. He now features more efficient water tanks and furnaces and high-efficiency windows. Since 31% of our heating efficiency is generated by the sun, he estimates that (in a 3,800 Sq Ft home) he can save home owners more than $4,500 a year in heat and hydro costs. As a result, he was the first Ottawa home builder to win a Federal Government Energy Star Award. That means his homes must be 40% more efficient than minimum Ontario building code requirements. Some of Metric's communities are Arbourbrook, Deer Run, and in Richmond.

This is a father-and-son enterprise in which the father was formerly a director of the multinational property developer, Costain - which changed its name to Coscan. We gave their bungalows a 5-Star Award for Excellence in Design - since when we have daily enquiries about them. What those two bungalows designs have in common is "panache." And it is unusual for a smaller builder to possess that kind of self-assurance, craftsmanship and aplomb, which are more typical of successful bigger builders. We attribute it to their being a second generation business based on the expertise and hands-on experience of the first generation founder, Bob Riggs.

Then there are Talos, Avalon, Longwood, Denmoor, Patten - and a whole lot more we'll be telling you about in future.

Watch out for our informative and meaningful editorials about Ottawa's ingenious builders and their unique new homes.