builder profile
A Custom Home Without the Custom Price Winnipeg’s Randall Homes launches Avanti Custom Homes
by Judy Penz Sheluk
A partner of Randall Homes, a family-owned builder since 1983 in the Winnipeg home building industry, Avanti Custom Homes launched in September 2015 with a 1,722-squarefoot bungalow in the Oak Bluff West subdivision on the outskirts of Winnipeg. The neighbourhood offers lot sizes ranging
HBM: Clearly the company has been success-
Homes philosophy in the house market), com-
from 70’ to 84’ wide. There are plans already
ful. What prompted the decision to enter the
ing up with new concepts and new designs at
in place to build in other communities in Win-
custom home market, and what changes were
an affordable price point in custom market.
nipeg. Why did a production builder enter the
required to do so?
custom build space? We sat down with Jason
HBM: It’s early days for Avanti Custom Homes.
Jaquet, the company’s Vice President, to find
What has been your biggest challenge to date,
out.
HBM: Let’s
start by finding out a bit about
Randall Homes.
JJ: Randall Homes was established in 1983 by my father, Randy Jaquet. The first year we were in business we sold 35 homes, the next year we sold over 70 and we’ve grown ever since. The company now sells over 220 homes annually, and has won numerous awards over the years
The home buyer can request anything they want, from small tweaks to drawing completely new plans from scratch.
for our innovative designs. Our philosophy is
and how does that compare to your experience as a production builder?
JJ: The biggest challenge we faced was getting the Avanti Custom Homes name out in the Winnipeg marketplace. Since Randall Homes was already an established builder in Winnipeg, as a new custom builder in an already competitive custom market we used social media and print ads to brand the Avanti Custom Homes name and get people talking before we started any projects.
that we don’t build homes to win awards; we build them for our customers. The emphasis
JJ: Randall Homes has been a company that is
HBM: The pricing structure for an Avanti home
has always been creating a comfortable living
always pushing the envelope with awarding-
is fixed vs. the more traditional cash allowance
space. The key to our success is the long-
winning design ideas and standard features
route. What are the advantages for the cus-
term relationships built along the way—from
added into our homes. As a result, we wanted
tomer and the builder in using this method?
developers and tradespeople to the bank and
to set up a custom home company that would
accounting firm to the staff and the Jaquet
be able to offer a custom home without the
JJ:
family. More than a home builder, we are a
custom price tag. Giving them Choice, Value
going to get and at what cost:
relationship builder.
and Service (a key element of
uu Cash allowances can leave the client with
16 Home BUILDER March/April 2016
the Randall
The buyer knows exactly what they are
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