Silestone surfaces donated in support of the YMCA Dream Home in partnership with CHBA and TRU School of Trades and Technology
Tags: Cosentino Canada | 3 years ago | Written by: Cosentino
Cosentino is continuing to support various initiatives across Canada, furthering the company’s commitment to the North American market, the trades industry and local communities. In a recent partnership with the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) and their collaboration with the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) School of Trades and Technology, Cosentino proudly contributed Silestone surfaces to the Training House. The house is built with the help of students enrolled in carpentry, electrical, and plumbing programs, providing them with real-life worksite experience that goes beyond the practical application of the classroom. Once completed, the home is raffled off as the Y Dream Home by the YMCA/YWCA Kamloops.
We had a chance to connect with Rose Choy, Executive Officer of the CHBA Central Interior, and Annie O’Dwyer of Access Countertops to learn more about this incredible project, its impact on the community, and why Silestone surfaces were a perfect fit for the home.
What was CHBA’s involvement in the Dream Home? How many years have you been supporting dream home initiatives?
Rose: In our community, it’s known as the Y Dream Home, but to TRU School of Trades and Technology and the local Canadian Home Builders Association (CHBA), builders of the Dream Home, it’s known as the Training House.
This year marked the thirty-first consecutive year of the successful collaboration between TRU and CHBA Central Interior. The Training House offers a unique opportunity to benefit both organizations and the community at large through the YMCA/YWCA programs funded by the proceeds from the Dream Home lottery.
TRU’s building trades students, including those in the electrical, plumbing and carpentry programs, are directly engaged in the construction of the Training House, taking the knowledge gained in the classroom and learning to apply it in a real-world setting. From there, the home is shown to the public and then offered to the YMCA/YWCA Kamloops to raffle off in a lottery as the Y Dream Home.
Where did you find the inspiration for the design behind the dream home?
Rose: The 2021 Training House/Y Dream Home was designed by Ivory Winston of ProCad Design in Kamloops. By reorienting the front door around the corner of the side street, he cut out hallways for an open-concept floor plan and utilized the full potential of a smaller-scale lot.
What makes this dream home stand out among the rest?
Rose: While every Dream Home offers its own set of unique qualities, the 2021 Training House/Y Dream Home boasts solar panels, which offsets 73 percent of the home’s electric consumption. It also meets Step Code 3, meaning it’s 20 percent more energy-efficient than a typical BC Building Code home.
What is your favourite part of the YMCA Dream Home, Kamloops?
Rose: The most rewarding part of the Training House/Y Dream Home is the community collaboration; everyone coming together for a meaningful purpose to give back through the YMCA/YWCA in Kamloops and allowing the future tradespeople attending TRU to gain real experiences they can take with them into their future careers.
How do the Silestone countertops included in the kitchen and bathroom spaces complement the overall design in the home?
Annie: Silestone Eternal Serena in 2cm thickness was used in the kitchen on the island with a waterfall design and the perimeter countertops. Silestone Miami Vena in 2cm was used throughout the laundry room and bathroom vanities. The interior designer, Deane Roberts of Fine and Dandy Interiors, used the Silestone shades to give a cool and contemporary look throughout the home. Paired with beautiful dark blues, whites, and varying shades of grey, the house overall gives off an aura of total relaxation.
What was Access Countertops’ experience working with Silestone?
Annie: We have worked with Silestone surfaces for many years, and Cosentino’s service is incredible. Our representative, her supervisor, and the team in the warehouse, always go above and beyond in aiding us in the sale of the product. The colour offering of the products is beautiful, and the quality is cutting-edge. I always recommend the Silestone, Dekton and Sensa products to customers for their projects and will continue to forge a long and successful relationship with Cosentino into the future.
Why is the Dream Home such an important project for the community?
Rose: The students’ experience on the work site goes beyond the practical application of classroom knowledge. They also learn there’s more to a construction site than building. Coping with bad weather, unanticipated scheduling delays, even finding reliable transportation to and from work is as much part of the job as putting together the pieces to create a house.
While a student may not think dealing with these aggravations constitutes much by way of marketable experience, it makes a favourable impression on future employers when they know an employee can overcome the kinds of adversity common to every construction site.
Along with supporting the next generation of tradespeople, the Kamloops residential construction industry benefits from the Training House through the opportunity to showcase new products and services and give back to the people who support their businesses.
Public adoption of the latest technologies and techniques in housing construction is a relatively slow process. A house is a significant investment, and not many are willing to risk the unknown. Those limitations don’t exist in the Training House/Y Dream Home. When the public tours the house during the lottery, they see for themselves what these enhancements can do to promote a home’s livability. When it’s time for them to build or buy, they will be looking for those same features.
The men and women who make up the construction industry are, first and foremost, members of the Kamloops community. Their generous donations and sponsorships reflect their support of the aims and objectives of TRU and the YMCA/YWCA. And in the magic way of giving, what they offer through their businesses is received back in abundance. From TRU, they receive skilled tradespeople as assets to their businesses. From the YMCA/YWCA, they receive community services that improve their own and their family’s personal quality of life.
Each year there is only one person publicly declared the winner of the Y Dream Home. Behind the scenes, there are hundreds of winners, all because they built or contributed to the house.
For more information about the 2021 Training House/Y Dream Home, please visit: https://www.chbaci.ca/2021traininghouseproject.htm
