REGINA – The Regina Spring Home Show wrapped up its 38th year Sunday afternoon at Evraz Place, and there were several notable trends.
The show has expanded 30,000 square feet to 180,000 this year, and featured over 250 exhibitors.
“People are tired of the same old product,” said Denis Jones, president of Deveraux Homes and Development.
He stood in front of a closet-sized structure that looked more like an Ikea project rather that the traditional appearance of the skeleton of a home. Called “Bone Structure,” this method of building doesn’t required much skilled labour.
“In a market like ours, where we’re very short of framers and skilled trades, this is a solution that will help,” said Jones.
While some exhibitors sold new homes, others wanted to spur interest in new communities.
“Coopertown offers an urban village,” said Evan Hunchak, land development manager for Dream Development.
His exhibit showed off Regina’s proposed new neighbourhood, which includes bicycle lanes, walking paths and multiple parks.
“A lot of the landscape features will also be edible, so plants like Saskatoon berries, chokecherries, apple trees – that type of species,” he said.
One of the showstoppers came courtesy of the audio-video company ON AV: a TV being showered drenched in water.
The eco-friendly material is another trend being continued this year.
“It seems to be a general focus on green building materials. The more you can do, the better you feel about the home,” said Luke Shaheen, president of Get Foam, a company that specializes in foam insulation that incorporated recycled material.
And those eco-savings are becoming more necessary.
“That new family will start with that smaller home, build that equity into their home, upgrade into a bigger home and it really just continues from here,” said Jason Christbason, the show’s manager.
And if it’s time for a change, some good news: “It’s definitely a buyers’ market right now. Houses sit a little bit longer, so sellers are eager to negotiate, so right now is the perfect time to buy,” said Kari Wolitski, a real estate for Fusion Real Estate.
As winter dies down, the market springs back to life.
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