Have you ever seen a meteor shower? Join astronomers with telescopes on August 13th from 8pm to 11pm at Aldergrove Regional Park where there will be lantern lit trails, blacklight skits, games, crafts, storytelling and other entertainment. If you’re into camping you can even stay overnight and there will be concessions open in the morning serving a hot Sunday breakfast. This event is all ages and costs $2 per person and is definitely worth the trip! For more information click here.

July 13th was an important day as Portrait Homes’ staff eagerly waited to find out the winners of the 2016 Avid Awards.  We were ecstatic to learn that Portrait Homes was the recipient of the Avid Gold Award for the Best Customer Experience in BC! This award marks the fifth year in a row that Portrait has been recognized by Avid and we are truly honored.

This specific award is presented to builders who score highest in the New Home Move In Experience survey which details homeowners purchasing experiences within the first 90 days of moving into their new home. Principal, Rob Grimm says “If we had to name one thing that sets Portrait Homes apart, it’s our dedication to providing the most stellar customer experience in the industry. Winning this award confirms that all of the hard work and effort our team has put in to create happy customers is paying off as we strive to be the world champions of the homeowner care experience”. We would also like to take a moment to thank all of our homeowners who participated in the Avid surveys, without your input we wouldn’t have won this prestigious award.

If you would like to watch the award presentation you can view it here https://youtu.be/CKw_YfnISMg

The Maple Ridge Public Library will be hosting a mini camp out for kids ages 5 and up on Friday July 15^th from 3 to 4pm. It’s the perfect chance for your kids to learn campfire songs, listen to a nature talk by WildBC and have fun while learning. For information about other activities and events that the Public Library will be holding visit their website here.

It seems like every year as summer approaches it’s nearly impossible to book a reservation at a campground because everything has been booked months in advance. We know it can be pretty frustrating but you don’t have to cross off camping from your summer bucket list yet if you get a little creative! You’re living in natures neighbourhood so why not try setting up the tent in your backyard and roast hot dogs and marshmallows on the bbq and tell spooky stories and sing camping songs. If you do decide to sleep outside in a tent it’s always a good idea to keep flashlights on hand and to remember that you also share your backyard with nature’s furry friends so make sure to properly store away any food remnants.

We love trying new things and while we tend to gravitate to neutral colors and relaxing decor we do enjoy spicing things up with some bold patterns. Houzz put together a wonderful article about pairing neutral colors with fun, bright patterns with suggestions on how to use mixed materials to create a bright but calm space. Visit Houzz to check out the article.

Organizing your home can seem like a never ending battle, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel depending on how you approach the situation. Houzz perfectly describes the feelings most homeowners experience when starting such a daunting task; “getting your home organized is a great feeling, but figuring out where to start can be overwhelming” So let us help you figure out where to begin, Houzz has some great suggestions that we would love to share them with you. We especially liked the advice about getting to know “active vs. passive zones” and “creating a way station for items in transit”. You can find the article here.

There’s no arguing that technology has changed the way that kids grow up these days. A lot of children know how to use Ipads, cellphones and computers better than most parents do. Alexandra Samuel is hosting a free seminar called “Hacking Parenthood: The Three Worlds of Digital Parenting” discussing what parents need to know about raising children in the Digital World. Held on June 7^th from 7pm to 8:30pm at the ACT Main Stage Theatre, don’t miss out. For more information please visit her website here.

Everyone knows how annoying weeds can be when you’re trying to maintain a garden. Rebecca Cuttler has put together an article for Houzz with suggestions about what you can do to fight these little pests and how to keep them out of your garden. Cuttler also includes interesting information about what causes certain weeds to grow and why. So put away those pesticides and try a few of these natural remedies and let us know what you think!

Check out the article here.

Getting through a work week can be draining and sometimes a nice relaxing bath is all it takes to rejuvenate and feel ready to take on another day. Houzz has come up with some great suggestions on how to prepare a relaxing bath as well as some helpful tips in creating a spa like atmosphere. Check it out here.

It was bittersweet as we watched potentially the last rock blast at Nelson Peak. Tim Eliason from Coyote Blast & Drilling has been blasting rock at Silver Ridge for the last 14 years marking the end of an important era. We wanted to capture this moment on videotape so that we could share it with you all. Check it out below!

The Haney Farmers Market will be open for the season as of May 7^th and to celebrate they will be serving cake and giving away carnations to welcome the first 100 mothers to the Market. There is a selection of delicious lunch spots beside the Market too in case you happen to get hungry including Hunger Management, Pub Grub, Thai and our favorite, the Rocking Point Ice Cream shop. There will also be a petting zoo for the kids put on by the Willow Spring Farm. The Haney Farmers Market will take place from 9am to 2pm at 11900 224 Street at Memorial Peace Park.

Do you have a favorite spot in your backyard where you would love to have a small seating area? Well if you’re looking for ideas, Houzz has put together a list of 10 different secluded garden nooks that could work great in any sort of backyard. It can be as simple as placing a bench underneath a tree creating a shady spot to relax in if the sun is feeling too hot. Click here to see the different kinds of garden nooks and find which one works best for you.

Take it from Houzz, “when your belongings are neat and tidy, your whole home feels cleaner and more inviting, and daily life is easier and more pleasant” so why not spend a weekend or two cleaning out all of the clutter that’s accumulated so that you can relax and enjoy the wonderful weather that we’re having. If you’re not sure where to start, Houzz has come up with a great checklist to help you get started, to check it out click here.

Last Saturday the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association hosted their annual Ovation Awards Gala. There were hundreds of amazing entries, in dozens of categories of new homes and renovations from throughout the lower mainland. We would like to congratulate all of the finalists and winners in this year’s awards.

We were very honoured to receive two Ovation Awards. The categories we won in were for Best Single-Family Detached Home for the Hummingbird Floorplan. Two Hummingbird homes sold this past week to a few very excited buyers and we still will have 5 more of this floorplan in Phase 3.

We were also ecstatic to win the Grand Ovation Award for Best Single-Family Home Builder of the Year. We believe that each award that Portrait Homes wins, is a reflection of all of the hard work, dedication, commitment to quality and tireless hours spent by each of our staff and trades to build our homeowners dream home. And for this reason, we are always proud of each award we receive and this year is no different.

If you didn’t have a chance to watch the Georgie Awards ceremony when it was aired on TV don’t worry, you still can. Shaw has posted a twenty minute video of the Awards Cermoney on their youtube page – be sure to check it out!

Fun for the whole family! Don’t miss out on the fourth annual Family Festival held on April 23^rd from 10:00am to 4:00pm at the Timberline Ranch. Endless activities for the kids including western shows, pony rides, hay rides, a petting zoo, a western photo booth and tons of other fun things to do! Registration is required and can be completed at the Timberline Ranch website.

Now that Spring is here, don’t miss out on your chance to plant some flowers and vegetables that you will be able to enjoy later on in Summer. Houzz has a great How-To video demonstrating how to build a Veggie Box on stilts! Why waste money going to the grocery store when you could grow your own herbs and vegetables in your very own backyard. Check out the video below to see how it’s done.

How to Build a Veggie Box on Stilts

Now is the perfect time to prepare for the upcoming sunshine by bringing the comforts of inside, outside. Check out this great Houzz article with tips on how to create a wonderful entertaining space in your backyard.

Find the article here.

At this year’s CHBA BC Georgie Awards ceremony, we were truly honored to be the recipient of 3 Gold Georgies recognizing excellence in the homebuilding industry.

Winning the Customer Choice Award 7 years in a row has strengthened our goal to be the World Champions of the Homeowner Care Experience because we are passionate about ‘doing things right’ and ‘doing the right thing’. Our purpose is to create homeowners that are not only satisfied, but ecstatic about their home buying experience and the Customer Choice Award is a reflection of our continual success.

We would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to all of our homeowners for their support, without them we wouldn’t have won Single Family Builder of the Year.