Luxury Home Canada Winter 2013: "Redefining customer service"

No. 4

WINTER 2013

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THE TEAMS COPPER CREEK HOMES/ SU CASA DESIGN RAWLYK DEVELOPMENTS/ JOHN HADDON DESIGN BARNETT CONSTRUCTION LTD./ NESBITT ORIGINALS LTD.

DESIGNER SHOWCASE:

ATMOSPHERE INTERIOR DESIGN INC. ALSO:

MUNGE LEUNG DAVID TYRELL ARCHITECTS JOHNSON CHOU INC. TIMBERHAVEN HOMES LTD.

UNCOMMON GROUND Exploring new territories that complement impressive spaces

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01 The master bedroom features dark hardwood floors, custom crown molding and an expansive walk-in closet with built-in shelves for storage. 02 A modern wood and glass staircase exudes style and functionality while connecting levels throughout the home.

The Avalon Location: Oakville, Ontario hush.ca

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HUSH Builders REDEFINING ‘CUSTOMER SERVICE’ ONE LUXURY HOME AT A TIME

by Amy Howell Hirt

Holiday lighting. Maid service. A good masseuse or a personal training session. These are just a few services that traditionally would not warrant a call to a home builder. Unless that builder is Naheel Suleman.

Suleman, the president of Toronto-based HUSH Builders, is seeking to breathe fresh life into the phrase, “customer service,” with a little inspiration from wildly successful enterprises such as Mercedes and even Mickey Mouse.

Before launching his company in 2000, Suleman worked as an accountant in a variety of industries, including residential construction, where he saw a gaping disconnect between “seller” and “buyer.”

For builders, a house was a product, a “widget” to move out of inventory. But for buyers, it was an emotional experience that clashed with the “blackout” periods during construction, when they were not welcome on-site, and a design process that alternated between leaving them to their own

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defenses and herding them like cattle through overwhelming showrooms.

It was a quote from the great Walt Disney, on the key to his empire’s success, that finally clicked for Suleman. “He said Disney isn’t about animated characters or theme parks – it’s about making kids happy,” Suleman says. “That was our ‘aha’ moment.

That was the genesis of HUSH.” Following the Disney example, the client’s experience – designing, building and then living in the home - became the product, rather than the home itself. “We want to provide our buyers a best-in-class experience, from the sales process to designing their home. It’s about experiencing their home. The actual house is a by-product,” Suleman says.

He also found plenty of customer-centric inspiration in the luxury hotel industry and a few choice brands in the high-end car market.

“I always compare ourselves to the car industry.

Right now in homebuilding, you have a lot of GMs, Fords and Chryslers – a lot of production builders that serve the market. And then there are the Rolls-Royce’s and the Lamborghini’s, who produce a limited number of cars or, in our case, custom homes. But there wasn’t a Mercedes or a Lexus, who builds a larger number of homes, but also very high-end homes,” Suleman says. “Our buyers can say, ‘I own a HUSH home,’ just like you can say, ‘I own a Mercedes.’”

issue # 04 lhcanada.com

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The Avalon Builder Naheel Suleman believes that every buyer should have a customized experience that exudes a certain air of luxury, whether the company is designing from scratch or working with an existing plan.“Ninety-nine percent of the homes we build are custom-designed, because buyers have the ability to customize any of our plans to fit their lifestyle,” says Suleman, the owner and president of Toronto-based HUSH Builders. One example of this “standard customization” is Avalon - one of the company’s seven established communities. Inspired, in part, by the laid-back luxury of Provence, France, it includes just 13 homes situated on a cul-de-sac near Lake Ontario. The French Provincial-style homes, designed by Hicks Partners, include elegant finishes such as limestone and stucco exteriors, masonry detailing around the windows, coffered ceilings in the family room and dining room, custom-milled 7¼-inch Colonial wood baseboards on all floors and solid granite or Caesarstone countertops. In addition to these standard upgrades, buyers are able to design their own landscape plan, with the help of a landscape architect, and personalize their cabinetry systems from Braam’s Custom Cabinets.

In addition to standards that are considered billable upgrades by some builders–such as an air-source heat pump, complimentary services for custom homes and existing plans include, a concierge who works on behalf of the buyer, from attending meetings to introducing them to community events; a moving coordinator; an evaluation of the home’s floor plan, in consideration of the client’s furniture and artwork and a 30-point inspection after the first year.

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concept borrowed from the automotive market.

The certifications are kept on-file, like a record of oil changes for a car, with the goal of providing a selling point, if needed in the future.

“If you’re going to buy a used Mercedes, you’re probably going to go to the dealer, not to a used car lot,” Suleman says of the company’s documentation.

For those who want something closer to an allinclusive package, optional services include customdesigned HUSH furniture and HUSH-exclusive home good lines, including bedding and linens by Frette, flatware and glassware by Mepra and china

by Rosenthal.

Some of HUSH’s catering options are more about lifestyle than home construction or maintenance.

Clients can contact the company to set up at-home car cleaning, personal training, massage or yoga sessions, and, yes, catering and party planning.

Even after buyers move in, HUSH offers services such as lawn maintenance, snow removal, housecleaning, holiday décor and lighting, pool maintenance and home-improvement projects. Optional yearly home inspections are another value-adding

Suleman says being able to connect buyers with providers who have been “vetted” by HUSH was a natural extension of the intimate relationship his team develops with clients, as well as the luxury experience they deliver.

03 Custom cabinets by Braam along with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops provide a sleek finish for the kitchen area. 04 Custom wood flooring paired with elegant furnishings and accessories add an elegant touch for the entryway. 05 A traditional dining room sits off of the main hallway and kitchen utilizing the open floor plan when entertaining.

“Our buyers are million-dollar buyers. They don’t want to worry about taking care of their lawn. They want to be serviced,” he says.

A MESSAGE FROM CAMEO KITCHENS Recognized as best of the best 2012 by the Robb Report Magazine, Cameo Kitchens and Fine Cabinetry has been producing cabinetry and millwork of exceptional quality for over 25 years. Using superior materials and finishes, combined with great design and customer service is what make Cameo Kitchens an industry leader. Offering our clients a large selection of wood species and finishes, we are able to satisfy even the most discerning taste. Although we utilize state of the art manufacturing equipment to produce superior products, we still keep true to our motto “never abandon hand craftsmanship in favor of the mass produced.”

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