FAQs
ABOUT COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS
When is the deadline?
Entries will be accepted until 2:05pm, December 11, 2023.
Can I enter my project if I am not a member of the local Home Builders' Association (HBA) in the area in which the project is located?
No. Being able to enter a project in the CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence is a benefit of membership in that particular local HBA. Therefore, you should contact the local HBA in the area in which your project is located and consider joining the association.
Can I enter my project if it is located in an area not served by any local HBA?
Yes. If the project is located in an area served by a local home builders' association (HBA), CHBA requires that you are a member of that local HBA. However, if there is no local HBA where the project is located in Canada, you may still enter it if you are a CHBA member.
Are projects located outside Canada eligible for the CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence?
No.
If my project was a partnership with another home builder or renovator, can it be entered?
Yes, so long as the co-applicants are both members of the local HBA in which the project is located. If only one company is a member, only that company can receive recognition. Please note, however, that partnership projects are not eligible towards either the Design Excellence Award, the Renovation Excellence Award, or Marketing Excellence Award as those three awards are intended for single home builder / renovator / developer members.
Do I need consent from the architect and/or designer?
The competition requirements state that you confirm that architecture and design are either the product of the entrant's employee(s), or in the case of independent architects and/or designers, that their written consent has been obtained (in which case you must also provide their name).
Do I need consent from the photographer/videographer?
The competition requirements state that you confirm that the photography and video are either the product of the entrant's employee(s), or in the case of independent photographers and/or videographers, that their written consent has been obtained (in which case you must also provide their name).
Are renderings acceptable as image uploads?
Renderings are not acceptable in most categories. The only exceptions are: Best Renderings, and Mid- to High-Rise Project (Planned). Renderings may also be found in the content of some marketing categories, but the images supplied may not be renderings (for example, there may be renderings within a company's brochure, but the images submitted to the Best Brochure/Kit category must be real pictures of the brochure, not renderings).
Do entries need to be anonymous (i.e. all logos and identifying marks removed from images, floor plans, etc.)
Product (new homes and renovations) images need to be unmarked (no logo, borders, etc). We encourage floor plans to be free of identifying marks whenever possible, but it is not a requirement for this competition because we are trying not to make it too taxing for you to enter. By nature, images submitted to marketing categories can have logos on them.
I've got two great projects in the same category. Can I enter both of them?
Yes. You are able to enter up to 3 projects per category for each local HBA membership. Projects are to correspond to the market area served by the local HBA. If you were to have 2 local HBA membership, you could enter 3 projects (x2) in each category for the market areas covered by your 2 local HBA memberships.
ABOUT NEW HOME AWARDS
What does square footage include?
For New Home categories, square footage refers to any finished living area that is above grade. If you have a finished basement but it is below-grade, you do not count the square footage, but you are allowed to discuss and submit images of the finished below-grade space(s).
My home has a finished walk-out basement. Does it need to be included in the square footage?
If residents are able to walk out of the basement into a yard (allowing for full-height windows, etc.), the basement is not all below-grade and therefore you must count its square footage. If residents have an egress in the basement, but it leads to exterior stairs to get to ground level, this does not count as above-grade, and the basement square footage does not need to be included. Please see example images below of both scenarios.
How do I know if my home is considered production or custom?
Production Homes have floor plans that are meant to be used for more than one customer. Many production home builders give customers the option to customize aspects of the home to a certain extent. However, it is still a production home. A custom home is truly a one-of-a-kind home with a plan that was designed and built for one specific customer and is not to be repeated.
What qualifies as a Low-Rise Attached Home for the CHBA National competition?
Attached homes share a common wall or walls with another unit. The CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence separates attached homes into two types: 1) ground-oriented low-rise, and 2) mid- to high-rise condominium or apartment units. Low-Rise is defined as three storeys or lower, aligning with Part 9 of the building code. This may include Part 9 homes with Part 3 garages below, or 4-storey homes with Part 9 variances. Depending on where in Canada you are and the style of the home, ground-oriented low-rise attached homes can also be known as townhomes, row houses, duplexes, semi-detached, and condos. Ground-oriented low-rise attached homes each have their own entrance that is accessible from the outside.
What do you consider a Mid- to High-Rise Building?
Mid- to high-rise building (condominiums or apartments) are defined as four storeys or higher, and share one or more common entrances (residents cannot access their home units from the outside, and have to enter the building into a common space/foyer to access their front doors). An entry in the mid- to high-rise project focuses on one residential structure/building, as well as the common areas and amenities surrounding it (which may include landscaping, pathways, commercial/mixed-use spaces, etc.). The interior of the structure/building, including any common spaces as well as individual units, should also be referenced.
Can a Low-Rise Attached Home be a custom build?
Yes. Attached Home categories do not differentiate between production and custom.
For Low-Rise Attached Homes, should the images show the entire building, or just one unit?
Your entry must focus on one unit, and the interior images and the floor plan must correspond to that one unit. You should have one exterior image that shows the entire building, and a second exterior image that focuses on your chosen unit. You may choose to enter more than one unit/floor plan into the competition as separate entries.
For Mid- to High-Rise Projects, should the images show the entire building, or just one unit?
These two categories require you to submit images of the exterior of the building, common spaces (interior and exterior) which all residents share, as well as a sampling of what units look like. Please see specific category requirements in the awards platform for more information.
Can I enter a Net Zero Ready home into a Net Zero Home Award category?
Yes, as long as it has been Qualified in the CHBA Net Zero Home Labelling Program.
Can I enter an infill home?
Yes. Infill homes can be entered into the appropriate Custom or Production category.
If the custom home is still in the builder's possession do I need to submit a homeowner permission form?
Yes, you do. Please write "in builder's possession" on the form for clarity.
Can I give public credit to my architect, design professional, cabinet maker, energy advisor, interior decorator, etc. involved with my project?
Yes. Builders/renovators/developers may elect to give credit to one (or more) CHBA member company(ies) that worked on the project. Once you start an online entry, please enter their company information in the Contributor(s) tab.
ABOUT HOME RENOVATIONS
What should be included in the renovation cost?
To determine which category your renovation should be entered into, the cost of the renovation must include your pre-tax estimate of the dollar value of any materials the home owner self-supplied (e.g. kitchen appliances).
Can I enter a kitchen or bathroom renovation in the Kitchen or Bathroom Renovation categories, and also enter them as part of a Whole Home submission?
Yes, absolutely. The same goes for Best Exterior Renovation, Best Single Room Renovation, and Best Basement Renovation.
What can be entered in the Best Single Room Renovation category?
The Best Single Room Renovation category is for single rooms other than kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and outdoor living. Examples include (but are not limited to): home office, home library, bedroom, home gym, etc.
If my project for the Best Basement Renovation is a basement that wasn't previously finished, is it eligible?
Basements that were previously partially finished or unfinished are allowed.
What can be entered in the Exterior Renovation category?
Projects in the Best Exterior Renovation category must involved a renovation of the exterior of the home, though landscaping that is connected to the project may also be showcased. Example projects may include: a major upgrade to the front of the home, an outdoor kitchen or living space added into the backyard, etc.
ABOUT MARKETING AWARDS
I'd like to acknowledge the marketing company for my project. Do they have to be a CHBA member?
Yes. In order for CHBA to recognize marketing companies for their efforts, they must be a member through any local HBA.
How are marketing companies recognized in the Marketing Awards?
The CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence are presented to home builder / renovator / developer members (the primary entrant). The primary entrant is allowed to name a marketing company as a partner for marketing awards. In that case, the award would be presented to, for example, ABC Builder with DEF marketing company.
So, home builder and developer members have a choice as to whether or not to name their marketing companies as “partners” or to give acknowledgement to them through a credit for individual Marketing Awards. The Marketing Excellence Award, however, is presented only to the home builder or developer with credit given to the various marketing companies who may have worked with them on individual Marketing Awards categories.
I am the Marketing Company and doing the submissions for one or more companies. What do I need to know?
You can enter as yourself and keep all of your clients' entries within one login. To save yourself time filling out the company details every time you create an entry, copy an existing entry and edit as needed.
What constitutes a Digital Advertising Campaign?
The Best Digital Advertising Campaign category is intended to capture elements from your non-website digital marketing activity that includes paid advertising. Marketing activities for this category may fall within a broader marketing like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, emails to mailing lists, banner ads on search engines or within websites, etc.
ABOUT THE MARKETING EXCELLENCE AWARD
Do I need to apply to the Marketing Excellence Award?
There is no application for the Marketing Excellence Award. To be eligible for the Marketing Excellence Award you must have entered a minimum of four (4) marketing categories and win in at least one (1) of those categories. The award is given to the single company with the most points accumulated in all of the Marketing categories. Your prospects of winning increase by making up to 3 entries in multiple marketing categories.
Are partnership projects eligible for the Marketing Excellence Award?
No. The Marketing Excellence Award is intended for a single home builder or developer member not working with another home builder or developer member. Although marketing companies may be partners in individual Marketing Award categories, they are not included as a partner for the Marketing Excellence Award because multiple marketing companies can be involved in projects covering the ten individual Marketing Awards categories. Marketing companies are given credit for their work in the concept, creative and production associated with the entries from a particular home builder or developer that attained “winner” or “finalist” status in the individual Marketing Awards categories.
ABOUT THE RENOVATION EXCELLENCE AWARD
Do I need to apply to the Renovation Excellence Award?
No, there is no application for the Renovation Excellence Award. To be eligible for the Renovation Excellence Award, an individual renovator member must have entered a minimum of three (3) Home Renovation Awards categories and win in at least one (1) of those categories. The award is given to the single company with the most points accumulated in all of the Home Renovation Awards categories. Your prospects of winning increase by making up to 3 entries in multiple new home categories.
Are partnership projects eligible for the Renovation Excellence Award?
No. The Renovation Excellence Award is intended for a single renovator. You can credit architects, design professionals, as any other CHBA member companies that worked on the project with you.
ABOUT THE DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARD
Do I need to apply to the Design Excellence Award?
There is no application for the Design Excellence Award. To be eligible for the Design Excellence Award, an individual home builder or developer member must have entered a minimum of three (3) New Home Awards categories and win in at least one (1) of those categories. Any points scored in the New Home Spaces categories are also included. The award is given to the single company with the most points accumulated in all of the New Home Awards categories with the exception of the category "Mid- to High-Rise Project (Planned)," and includes points accumulated in the New Home Spaces categories. Your prospects of winning increase by making up to 3 entries in multiple new home categories.
Are partnership projects eligible for the Design Excellence Award?
No. The Design Excellence Award is intended for a single home builder or developer member not working with another home builder or developer member. You can credit architects, design professionals, as any other CHBA member companies that worked on the project with you.
