5 Day Build Interview Series: Dr. Tony Stone

Dr. Tony Stone is a physician at the Bowmanville Memorial Hospital, where the money raised through the sale of the 5 Day Build home will be donated in order to fund the new critical care unit they’re building. Dr. Stone fills us in on why the expansion of the critical care unit is so, well, critical to the enhancement of patient care at the hospital in the fast-growing Durham region.

The 5 Day Build Interview Series: Darlene Bastianelli

Our first interview with a representative from the Lakeridge Health network! Darlene Bastianelli is the executive director of Lakeridge Health. In our interview she explains the interesting inner-workings of the network that, through four local hospitals, serves the Durham region.

5 Day Build Interview Series: Otto & Jeff, Precise Drywall and Insulation Ltd.

This father and son team have been in the drywalling business for years, but this will be the first time they have to complete the drywalling in only one day. It will test their skills, but Otto and Jeff are up for the challenge and excited to get to work. Pardon the noise on this one, it was a busy day at the job site.

Courtice Local Flavour (Part 2)

More factoids about the scenic town of Courtice where the 5 Day Build will take place.

* The 208 hectare Darlington Provincial Park is located at the south end of Courtice. It’s great for skating and tobogganing in the winter.
* Thomas Courtice, who lent his name to the town, arrived in the area in 1831
* Mostly a rural community for much of the 19th and 20th centuries, the town began to grow rapidly in the 1980s when new housing developments were created.
* Calgary Flames draft pick, Greg Nemisz was born in Courtice.

There will be a quiz on Courtice local history at the end of the build.

19 days to go

Builders are laying the foundation and the paperwork has been signed. The 5 Day Build officially commences in 19 days.

In the weeks leading leading up to the build, here’s what you can expect to find on the blog:

* Videos of interviews with Halminen Homes reps including founder Hannu Halminen, doctors from the Bowmanville Memorial Hospital and tradespeople who will be donating their time and skill to the project.
* Photos from the job site as the crew prepares for the build.
* More fun facts about the fair town of Courtice, where the house will be built.

Courtice Local Flavour (Part 1)

A few factoids about the fair town of Courtice, Ontario.

* Don’t let the spelling fool you, Courtice is pronounced “Curtis.”
* Quick local history lesson: the area was first settled in 1795 by the Conants and the Trulls families. In fact, the 5 Day Build home will be located near Trulls Road.
* Jim Abernethy is the mayor of the Municipality of Clarington, which also makes him mayor of Courtice. He was elected in 2006.
* 2010 Winter Olympic snowboard, Matthew Morison is a Courtice Secondary School alumni.
* Courtice is serviced by the always useful GO Transit buses, essential information for anyone thinking of moving to the area.

5 day deadline? No problem for Halminen Homes

Halminen Homes is one of the most innovative home builders in the Durham region. A look at the testimonials on their website reveals that the 7,000 families living in homes built by Halminen have a lot of good things to say about the developer. The words “professional”, “wonderful experience” and “quality workmanship” come up frequently in the testimonials.

With 37 years of experience under his belt, it’s clear that Hannu Halminen, the founder of Halminen Homes, is well-prepared to take on the 5 Day Build challenge. But Mr. Halminen can’t fully take credit for the 5 Day Build concept.

“I was looking back and mentioned I had once built a complete home in just 14 days,” he explains. “My new partner Ryan Holland said he thought he could do one in just five. So we have put him to the test.”

“The idea of selling the 5-day home and donating the proceeds to the hospital just followed naturally. It was something all our trades immediately supported.”

Ryan Holland is the vice-president of Halminen Homes.

Although it’s an excellent way to show off his team’s skills, Halminen believes it’s also an opportunity to make a major contribution to his community. The proceeds from the sale of the new home will be donated to the Bowmanville Memorial Hospital to help build a new intensive care unit.

Visit the Bowmanville Memorial Hospital’s wiki page for some background on the hospital, and be sure to check back here often for the very latest updates and information.

5 Day Build home to be built by all-volunteer crew

To ensure all the proceeds from the sale of the home are donated to the Bowmanville Memorial Hospital, it will be built by a crew of more than 75 volunteers. The tradespeople will donate their time to help improve the quality of health care available in their community.

The construction itself is a massive undertaking that has been as meticulously planned as a space shuttle launch. Teams of volunteer builders will be assigned to three separate 8 hour shifts. Shifts will work around the clock to complete the home in an impressive 5 days. Each room of the house will have its own dry waller and three teams of bricklayers will be working at any one time. In the event that a shift of builders completes their work early, the next shift will be on hand to begin immediately. Halminen Homes, the housing developer organizing the project, will set up an on-site marquee tent to feed the workers.

Can it be done? Come out and see the progress for yourself! Crews will be working day and night in an effort to complete the home on schedule. Anyone who is curious about the project is encouraged to stop by and cheer on the builders.

What’s all this about a 5 Day Build?

The action begins on August 9th in Courtice, Ontario.

At 6am, Ryan Holland, the Executive Vice President of Halminen Homes will signal over 75 tradespeople to spring to work on a beautiful 2,300 square foot, two story brick home.

What will be so special about this house?

The goal is to complete construction, landscaping and furnishing all within five days. Sometime in the afternoon on Friday, August 13, workers will be putting the finishing touches on the exterior and landscaping. It’s an astonishing feat that will turn home-building into an exciting spectator sport. Once finished, the home will be sold for an estimated $400,000. All proceeds will be donated to the Bowmanville Memorial Hospital to help fund a new intensive care unit.

The construction site is located on the east side of Trulls Road about 1.5 kilometres north of Nash Road in Courtice. There are signs to follow for the Courtice Homestead which will make the site easy to find. Halminen Homes is encouraging anyone who wants to see the action to come out to the job site. Bleachers and a refreshments table will be set up for spectators.

The 5 Day Build social media team will be frequently updating the blog to provide all the latest information on the progress of the project. This will include interviews with Halminen Homes staff, tradespeople working on the home, local Courtice residents, videos of the workers in action and photos of the house as it’s built from the ground up. You can also follow the project on Twitter for the most to-the-minute updates. If you’re a Facebook user, check out our fanpage and feel free to drop us a line on the wall.

Welcome!

Greetings from the 5 Day Build social media team. We will be updating this blog daily with videos, photos, interviews and progress reports from the job site.