Oscar Fonseca - Industrial Designer, Kitchen Designer & VP Of Communications NKBA, Praries Chapter

In January we announced the wonderful addition of Oscar Fonseca to the Pinnacle Group team. Over the past few months, he has proven to be an incredible asset to our team and we are thrilled that he has officially accepted the full time position as our in-house kitchen and millwork designer!

For the past twelve years, Oscar has actively worked in the Design Industry with an emphasis on cabinetry design, custom millwork and furniture. He has been involved in numerous large scale luxurious residential projects (including both new construction and renovations). Oscar has participated in regional design competitions such as “Design Inside The Box” as well as repeated entries in the National Kitchen & Bath design competition. Some of his exquisite work has been showcased in magazines like Best Home, Opulence and Western Living. 

Oscar attended the Instituto de Diseño de Caracas (Caracas Design Institute) in Caracas, Venezuela from 1995-1999 where he earned his Industrial Designer designation. In 2002-2003, he attended SAIT to update his AutoCAD skills, and continued his professional development in 2006 where he took the Kitchen Designer Course from the NKBA (National Kitchen and Bath Association). In 2010 he attended Mount Royal University for the Introduction to Residential Interior Decorator Course.  Oscar is an active member of the NKBA, Prairies Chapter (VP of Communications).

We are extremely excited that we can now offer our Client Families Oscar’s impressive design expertise on Custom kitchens, millwork built-ins, feature walls and many other architectural details all now offered within our in-house Design-Build services!

Featured Project Kitchen

Pinnacle Group is a regular participant in the Calgary Region CHBA Renovation Tours.

However, the date for the upcoming Spring Renomark™ Reno Tour did not coincide with our Client’s move in date; in lieu of this, we opted to host an exclusive Pinnacle Group Custom Home Tour in February 2012. Visitors to this home were so impressed with the project that we decided to again open the doors via a Virtual Tour; to those who were unable to attend in February, and for those who attended but wanted to share the project with their family and friends! As an added bonus, we decided to showcase two additional whole home renovation projects recently completed by Pinnacle Group!    

Featured Project - Custom Home Exterior Back View

You can look forward to seeing: 

• A country cottage style custom built estate acreage home encompassing over 5,500 SF of developed floor space. 
• A European influenced design of a two storey complete home renovation.  
• A second generation walk-out bungalow, backing onto an exquisite golf course requiring a complete “gut to the studs” makeover with every wall relocated. 

As a SPECIAL BONUS for those who attend the entire event, we will be posting a contest link towards the end of the tour. From that link, you can enter into a draw for a chance to win a free iPad 2! No strings attached – we simply want to thank-you for taking the time to attend our tour!  

Featured Project - Expansive Open Concept Capturing Amazing Golf Course Site Lines

EVENT DETAILS:

When: April 28th, 2012

Time: 10am & 6:30pm (Two Times Available)   

Registration: You can register for this event via the following  -1.Web:  http://www.pinnaclerenovations.ca/webinar.php

2.Phone:  Dial (587) 333-8601

3.Text: Text your name and email to (587) 333-8601

We hope you will join us for this incredible opportunity to tour 3 Pinnacle Projects from the comfort of your own home!!

*Limited seating available – registration will be on a first come, first serve basis.

For those of you who may not already know,  3 years ago we received Honourable Mention in this award category and then last May 2011, we were extremely honoured not only to again be nominated but also to have won this coveted award in the Small Business category! These awards are offered in 4 categories; Small Business (25 or less employees), Medium Business (26 to 75 employees), Large Business (76 or more employees) and Non Profit/Charity.

The awards are designed to recognize trustworthy businesses and organizations that display ethical leadership in our community; nominations are received anonymously, and candidates are evaluated by an independent panel of judges from the business and academic communities. The following criteria are used to determine the recipients of these respected awards:

1. Ethical practices surrounding customer/supplier relationships
2. History and reputation of ethical practices in the community
3. Marketing, advertising, communications, and sales practices
4. Employee training and staff policies
5. Evidence of financial responsibility

Pinnacle Group is the ONLY Full-Service Renovation Firm to have ever won the BBB Ethics Award. Although we are proud of all of our industry awards, including the respected SAM Awards, for us, the BBB Ethics Award truly speaks volumes; it supports our belief in ethical business practices so we may provide our customers with the highest quality customer experience.

We will keep you posted in the coming months as to the results of this recent nomination and send our congrats to all the incredible companies who have been nominated for this outstanding award.

Children of the Dominican Republic

Instilling their passion for helping Calgary’s youth into the corporate culture at Pinnacle Group has always been important to Paul & Elaine Klassen. They are avid supporters of the phenomenal Calgary’s Safe Haven Foundation that helps at risk teens and recently they lent their support to a group of philanthropic teens at the Glenmore Christian Academy. These incredible students are leaving today on a Mission Adventure to San Pedro, Dominican Republic over Spring Break to build 3 homes for needy families in that country.

Pinnacle generously chose to support this initiative after being approached by one of their valued Client’s daughters who was involved in the trip. We wanted to post the wonderful letter she sent to Pinnacle Group, explaining the scope of the project and their appreciation for Pinnacle’s involvement:

Map of the Dominican Republic

On Friday, March 23, 2012, 47 Grade 9 students plus chaperones will travel to the Dominican Republic over Spring Break to build 3 homes for needy families in that country.  We have been responsible to raise money through bottle drives, chocolate bar sales and a school wide silent auction.  We were also encouraged to think of friends, family and others in the community who would be willing to support this cause.  So, how did Pinnacle Group get involved?

In 2008, Pinnacle Group finished renovating our family home.  For our family, it was an awesome experience working with Paul and his Team!  We love our “new” home!  My parents immediately suggested that I contact Paul Klassen at Pinnacle Group.  Their motto “Creating Homes for Life” seemed to fit perfectly with what we were doing.  Grant McNaughten, Jessica Schultz and I presented our project to the staff at Pinnacle Group in early December 2011.  Each home is the size of a double garage and will house a family who has never had a home of their own.  The Team at Pinnacle Group was very encouraging and committed to a generous donation towards one of the homes.  We were thrilled and very grateful for their support.  Paul Klassen even visited our school to present us with the cheque!  We will keep you posted with photos and details of how the houses came together. Thanks again, Mr. Klassen!

Warm Regards,

Adrianna Good

Gemma Presenting Brooke With Her New Ipad 2!

This past Saturday we showcased a Pinnacle Group Custom Built Estate Home in the prestigious community of DeWinton. We want to sincerely thank our amazing Client for allowing us the opportunity to open the doors to the public to view this amazing project! As well, we want to thank all of our incredible guests that came out to see this beautiful home and find out what the Pinnacle experience is all about; it was a buzz of activity the entire day! We thoroughly enjoyed touring past, present and future Pinnacle customers through this stunning home!

Our hats go off to our incredible team of trades and suppliers who spent the day educating the public on the incredible contributions they made to this project.  Visitors were also treated to freshly grilled Spolumbos sausages by our great friends at Jerome’s Appliance Gallery - thank-you for keeping us all fed throughout the day! To finish off an amazing event – we enjoyed presenting the winner of our draw with her brand new iPad 2 – congratulations Brooke!

For those of you who weren’t able to make this tour, we will be posting photos and video of the event in the coming weeks. As well, stay tuned for upcoming announcements on our next tour and events. We welcome any comments or feedback on the tour for those of you who were able to attend!

Custom Home Tour Exterior Back View

It is an exciting day as we officially do the project hand off to our Client today for their completed Custom Built Home Project. This is the project we will be showcasing to the public tomorrow. We are busy finalizing all of the details  in great anticipation of our Open House tomorrow Saturday March 17th, 2012 from 10am-4pm. We are extremely excited to open the doors to the public to this incredible project and once again want to thank our valued Client for allowing us this opportunity!

Here is a detailed Project Overview of what you will have the opportunity to view tomorrow!

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Attracted to the impressive property views, the Homeowner purchased this 15
acre parcel several years ago with the idea that they would someday build their
family dream home in which to raise their 4 children. Through the course of an
intensive Design Discovery Process, the Pinnacle Group design team created a
home design solution that would meet the present and future needs of this
family, while remaining within a targeted budget.

Criteria
• Create a beautiful, yet non-pretentious traditional cottage farm-house exterior.
• Establish a generous floor plan providing ample space for the family to grow.
• Incorporate a generous and open kitchen/dining floor plan to facilitate the hub
of family gatherings and entertaining guests.
• Provide a walk-out lower level to capture the natural grade of the property;
providing the largest window area possible to capture the incredible views.
• Develop an oversized garage area to accommodate SUV’s, large trucks and
ample seasonal storage.
• Design the entire upper portion of the garage to allow for a future Mother-in
Law Suite.

How Was The Criteria Met?
• Although the front of the home is unassuming, the true grandeur of over 5000 SF
of developed space spanning three floors, with a walk-out lower level
complete with patio, fire pit and hot tub is evident as soon as you walk to the
rear of the home.
• Sweeping views of the City, Mountain & River Escarpment are visible through tall
transom windows from each area of the Kitchen, Great Dining Hal, Great Room
& beyond.
• The magnificent open foyer highlighted by a hand-crafted custom front entry door and
complimented by a grand and very traditional ‘Eastern-Open’ Staircase graciously
welcomes this family and their guests!
• An impressive open gourmet kitchen meets every Chef’s dream of a full suite of
luxury appliances, over 20’-0” of granite counters plus an island with a 12’-0” unobstructed
preparation and eating area.
• Just a step outside the bi-parting Garden Doors is 2000 sq. ft. of wrap-around
Veranda with an outdoor kitchen and BBQ area. Simply stated, this area alone encapsulates
some of the primary criteria; this truly represents the hub of the home!
• The garage area boasts over 1000 sq. ft. including 8’-0” high overhead doors.

Green Initiatives
Pinnacle is proud of the green initiatives incorporated into this custom home design.
These included the installation of Low E Argon Gas windows, 98% efficient furnaces
with three zoned heating systems for true floor to floor comfort, high efficiency wallhung
boiler for both domestic hot water and infloor radiant floors in the garage and lower
level walk out. Further installations included a 600 CFM Hydronic Makeup Air unit ensuring
fresh air is brought in each time the range vent is activated, as well as an HRV/Heat
Recovery Ventilator Unit for fresh air circulation year round and a balanced heating
system to the lower level walk out area. Extensive use of spray foam rounds out the
Green initiatives which enhanced R-Values and contributes to near-zero air drafts and
leakage. In summary, the estimated Green construction practices as compared to standard
practices, will result in reducing the carbon footprint of this home by an estimated
40%! Other initiatives included a complete Solar Plan to be implemented in future installations;
this includes wiring capacity and conduit feeds from the attic spaces to allow for
ease of future solar and/or wind turbine installation!

We are looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow and don’t forget you have a chance to win an Apple iPad 2 with Protective Case as well! For details on the event and directions click here: Custom Home Tour Invite March 17th

We were extremely pleased with the turnout at our recent Creating Homes For Life Seminar. It was a great success and brought together a fine team of Calgary’s experts in Design, Home Building and Finance; providing our guests with a jam packed session full of food for thought!

Although the seminar was of interest to anyone looking to Renovate or Custom Home Build, we did spend a significant amount of time focussing on Aging In Place initiatives. 

Marianne Rogerson, Assistant Professor & Program Coordinator, for the Studies In Aging Certificate Program at Mount Royal University, kicked off the event with an incredibly informative and positive overview of Aging In Place. She encouraged us to look at other cultures in the world and how they successfully integrate their changing lifestyle requirements within the context of their homes and the community that then supports them.

Kathy Yuen, President of Phase One Design, provided an in-depth analysis of the steps involved in the Design Process when it comes to Renovating or Custom Home Building. As well, she addressed ways in which we can all be proactive in the Design Phase to incorporate future Aging In Place needs. It is amazing how much can be incorporated today for tomorrow’s needs!

Paul Klassen, Owner & CEO of Pinnacle Group, alongside a fabulously astute Pinnacle Client, provided a thorough, real life Renovation Case Study, from the perspective of the Client; they discussed what one should expect from the Renovation experience. With her candid approach, it was evident that Jacqueline successfully engaged the audience and taught us all how a home can be built to accommodate family members from the age of 2 - 92. She discussed how integral it was for the Builder to understand the needs of each family member to ensure the outcome of her Renovation was a success.

Patricia Virk, Mortgage Specialist for BMO & Ian Playfair, Wealth Advisor for BMO Nesbitt Burns provided an array of innovative mortgage solutions and investment options that are available to those looking to Renovate or Custom Home Build. I think we were all impressed with the  financial solutions that are available for Homeowners that can benefit both their short term and long term financial goals.

The speaker panel were available after the seminar to answer one on one questions attendees had about their specific home needs. 

Along with an incredible continental breakfast served to attendees by the always friendly Whitecappers staff, guests were treated to an amazing home-made lunch catered by a local Strathmore company – Kim’s Katering. Nobody left with an empty stomach or an empty mind full of fabulous information on Renovating, Custom Home Building and Aging In Place initiatives!

We look forward to bringing this Seminar to other communities in and around Calgary and plans are in place for another Seminar on May 10th, 2012. We encourage you to visit the Creating Homes For Life website for upcoming information. As well, we will be posting extensive video footage of the presentations on our blog in the coming weeks.

If you are interested in attending future Seminars like this, feel free to contact us at greatresults@pinnaclerenovations.ca or give us a call at 403-720-8789, and we will make sure to put you on our notification list!

Scott Palmer - Pinnacle Group Renovation Consultant

We are extremely fortunate to have a new Renovation Consultant recently join the Pinnacle team. We want to extend a warm welcome to Scott Palmer!

Scott has been an Area Sales Manager for one of Calgary’s largest home builder/developers for 10 years; the past 2 ½ years he devoted his efforts to the residential and commercial renovation markets.

He brings with him a wealth of experience including his involvement in over 600+ new home purchases as well as several industry recognitions! He is a PHBIA certified salesperson (Professional Home Builders Institute of Alberta) and was a finalist for the SAM Awards Rookie of the Year.  The CRHBA (Calgary Regional Home Builders Association) and the Calgary Sun jointly ran a program recognizing sales achievement based on dollar volume in any given month and Scott was recognized 5 times as Sales Person of the Month! 

Scott has been following Pinnacle Group’s success since entering into the renovation market and was looking for an opportunity to join their Team as he felt the core values of Pinnacle Group were a match for him both personally and professionally. We have no doubt that Scott’s endearing personality, work ethic and strong belief in the importance of customer relationships is a match for Pinnacle Group!

We hope you can join us at our upcoming Custom Home Tour on Saturday March 17^th so you can view an incredible estate home project and meet our amazing team of Renovation Consultants, including Scott!

Authentic Field Stone Hood Canopy

This is an amazing opportunity for you to come and see a CUSTOM BUILT ESTATE HOME built by Pinnacle Group; how often do you get the chance to tour a private residence and see first hand the quality of craftmanship, style and design of a Builder? This opportunity does not come along often and we hope you embrace the chance to come and find out what the Pinnacle experience is all about – you won’t be disappointed!  We extend our sincere thanks to our amazing clients who are making this opportunity possible for you to see their incredible Country Cottage Design.

Exterior Front View

 

Exterior Back View

So set aside a couple hours on St. Patty’s day -  anytime between 10am – 4pm and see what all the buzz is about! Click here for the official promotional brochure, complete with hours, address and a map: PinnacleGroupCustomBuiltEstateHomeTourMarch17, 2012

See you soon!

Pinnacle Group Reno Tour November 2011

For those of you that have never had a chance to visit one of our Reno Tours in the past – we hope you can join us in March for this one of a kind tour. For those of you who have stopped by our tours in the past, we look forward to seeing you again! Just to get an idea of the scope of projects we have opened to the public previously, check out this video from our most recent Varsity Reno Tour in November 2011. Although it was a brisk -30 degree day, Calgarians came out in full force to see this spectacular renovation!

Click here to view this video now: Pinnacle Group November 2011 Varsity Reno Tour

For this next tour, you can look forward to viewing a spectacular Country Cottage Design, with over 5500 SF of developed floor space, beautifully capturing the sweeping views of the City, Mountain & River Escarpment in the prestigious acreage community of Dewinton. This custom built home boasts 2000 SF of wrap around veranda and an impressive gourmet kitchen that reveals a full suite of luxury appliances and exquisite granite counters!

Watch our website for further details and the address in the coming weeks!