Home:     Jack James Home, The Donaldson
Designer:  Homes by Avi

This time we have chosen a builder and a home that offers more than just a beautiful place to live. It offers opportunities and experiences for some aspiring young people.

Michael Jacobson, Product Development Manager with Homes by Avi, is an Architectural Graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies, and has designed his fair share of beautiful homes. He says that Homes by Avi is founded on providing customers with quality; from the initial design to the finished product. “At Homes by Avi, we are constantly striving to produce home designs which not only suit the lifestyles of our customers, but designs that reflect the care and pride with which our homes are built,” says Jacobson.

The Donaldson is one such design that reflects Avi’s design ethic in more ways than one. Although Jacobson didn’t personally work with the original design team on this particular model, he knows a lot about this popular floor plan. “In the case of the Donaldson, this is a model that has evolved based on customer feedback,” says Jacobson. “The Donaldson offers a bright open kitchen, a separate living space at the front of the home, and all the comforts of a spacious master suite which includes an ensuite, walk-in closet and a private balcony.” As well as including some pretty nice design features, Jacobson says that this home also offers a spacious floor plan. “The Donaldson does a really good job of creating privacy for the homeowners at the rear of the home, while still feeling very open,” says Jacobson. “It definitely feels much larger than you would think for a home of its square footage.” This 1781-square-foot ever-evolving design has been a consistently strong-selling plan, and offered the perfect floor plan for one of Avi’s other projects.

One of three school mentorship programs that Homes by Avi has contributed to since 1997, the Jack James High School partnership was intended to provide students of the trade-oriented school with an overview of the different construction-related trades and some practical experience in the residential housing industry. In 1999, the design and materials for the first Jack James home were given to the school’s Construction Services Shop, giving students the chance to become involved in the construction of a residential home. The first six home designs were bungalow plans that allowed the students to participate in all aspects of the construction process, from framing, sheathing, siding, roof trusses, and shingles to drywall, window and door insulation. This offered a unique hands-on approach to learning about different aspects of the housing industry, as well as offering students a chance to learn from different trades people and gain some practical skills in the process. John Szymoniak, the school’s construction teacher, says that the home is built at the Jack James campus and then moved to the actual foundation site where the new homeowners will live. After the sale of the home, net profits
are re-invested back into the school to support the Construction Services Shop and other construction-related shop classes.

The seventh Jack James home was a two-storey project with a front-attached garage that offered all sorts of new obstacles to overcome, and new challenges to be met. In that case the Jack James students completed the first level, and once transported to the site, the rest of the home was completed by Homes by Avi’s trades. The eighth and most recent Jack James home is the versatile Donaldson plan. “This is the second year we have built a two-storey home through the Jack James program,” says Jacobson. “One of the advantages of choosing a model with a rear detached garage is that the floor plan is smaller, so the costs of moving the home from the school yard to the finished foundation are less – which ultimately leaves more money to re-invest back into the school.”

Avi Amir, founder and President of Homes by Avi, says that it is also much easier to find lots that are suited to a two-storey home than it is for bungalow lots, due to that very fact that the two-storey lot can be a good deal smaller. He says that he is very happy with this eighth home and with the project in general. “Jack James prepares students for trades,” says Avi. “I give them their first practical experience in building a house.” Karl Boorman, the students’ Work Experience teacher who has been involved with the project for about seven years, agrees wholeheartedly. “We make the students aware of trade schools and SAIT,” says Boorman. “And many of the students who were involved in this project have graduated and moved on into the workforce; many in the trades.” However, Jack James Assistant Principal, Cathy Shellenberg, says that there is more to the program than just work experience. “It was great just seeing the students’ faces as we pulled up to the house,” says Shellenberg. “Their reactions as they were finally able to see the finished product and the end result of all their hard work.”

So a great design team, a great floor plan and a great company provide a winning combination that provides an even greater experience for the kids of today; ensuring that the residential home industry of tomorrow will be in good hands. Additionally, some great kids get to see first-hand what true accomplishment feels like, and carry that feeling over into whatever they embark on in the future.  NL