The Canadian Home Builders’ Association – Calgary Region’s SAM Awards night is tantamount to Hollywood’s Oscars, it is the “Big Night” for the area’s homebuilders and honours the industry’s best and the brightest. Ashton Custom Homes, and its sister company, Trillium Homes, have always seemed to have a lock on these prestigious awards with a total of 12 top or finalist awards since 2000.

This year was one of its best yet. Asides from the Grand SAM win they also took home Best New Home Awards for The Giovanni II ($175,000-$209,000 category), The Normandy ($210,000-$249,999), The Giovanni III ($250,0000-$289,999), and The Sophia ($290,000-$329,999).

Ashton Custom Homes’ President Tony Arcuri says his company specializes in custom-built homes for all price ranges, from starter to estate homes. His hands-on approach to the business is what seems to set him apart.

“It’s hard to compete in a market that has a lot of big names, so when you are a small volume builder you have to build houses that stand out from the crowd. I try to do this with all the homes I build no matter what the price category. The fact that my houses were awarded in four categories tells me I am succeeding,” he tells New Home Living.

Arcuri has been building houses in Calgary since 1984 and started Ashton Custom Homes in 2003. He then purchased Trillium Homes in 2005, which builds exclusively in Airdrie.

“Being a small volume builder in addition to a custom home builder gives me an edge over our competitors. When you are able to give the customer exactly what they want, you end up with very satisfied customers. On top of customer satisfaction is our focus on quality,” he says.

“When I started building homes, I did the framing, the cement work, the insulating, the dry walling and even some of the exterior work. Now, at this point in my career, I let the experts handle the hands-on work, but all my trades still know you can’t get much by me. Generally when we turn a house over at possession there are very few issues that need attention,” Arcuri points out.

The Giovanni II shows off the builder’s ability to craft top quality, exactingly designed custom homes on a budget. The two-storey, 1,825-square-foot beauty was built under the $210,000 mark but still manages to impress with its terrific use of space, its wide kitchen counters that offer convenience and style, and its elegant hardwood flooring and granite countertops.

“Since we are a custom home builder we do build houses in any price range. In Airdrie we build more starter homes and people’s second and third homes, when they are really starting to know exactly what they want in a home. In Calgary and surrounding areas we focus on higher end homes,” Arcuri points out.

The secret he says is simple. Focus on the customer and quality. “My management team is small and most of my trades have been working for me for years, together we are able to put up most homes in about four months, even when it was booming we could turn around a home in approximately six months.”

Arcuri says the economic downturn actually allowed them to focus on improving their already solid reputation for quality.

“The economic turmoil was difficult. We were kept busy finishing up the product that was sold before the slowdown. After that we focused on building spec homes, which I think was what the buying consumer wanted at the time. It also gave us some time to review some of our processes and really focus in on, the quality in our homes, which was sometimes hard to do during the ‘boom’ time.”

He adds that being a consistent winner at the SAM Awards just shows his hands-on approach works. “I can tell you, from the first time I saw a Grand Sam award, I knew I wouldn’t stop until I had one in my office. This year’s award show couldn’t have gone any better for our company!” For more information visit www. ashtoncustomhomes.com