Building
Today... for Tomorrow
“Leave what you don’t need and
you may be amazed at how far your budget will
take you…your life will also be positively
changed forever.” These are words that Celine &
Pat Shank, owners of Evergreen Concepts Inc,
live by, ever since they returned, some 20 years
ago, from a sailing sabbatical to the Bahamas
aboard their sailboat. This trip dramatically
changed their outlook on life. After working in
construction for years, Pat says the trip made
him realize he wanted to work in an environment
that promotes and supports cost efficient,
healthier and environmentally responsible homes.
Six
years ago, Pat & Celine decided to relocate
their business to the Perth area in order to be
able to work within a community that has always
been, in their opinion, passionate about
protecting the environment.
Located east of Perth on Hwy.
7 off Leach’s Road, Evergreen Concepts is a
country home building consulting and design
company geared towards environmental
stewardship. With over 20 years experience
behind them, they offer complete home and
cottage building package systems, as well as
provide expert design consultation, project
management and various specialized products also
geared towards environmental responsibility and
healthy living.
Although the main thrust of
their business has always been centered around
designing and building quality and energy
efficient country homes and cottages, Evergreen
Concepts follows a simple, yet definitive,
principle...”to show people what they can easily
and economically do without sacrificing their
lifestyles”, says Pat.
Their
latest effort, the Country Cabin concept, is
based on cost effective designs, allowing many
more property owners in the moderate to lower
budget range, to truly appreciate their natural
surroundings, as Pat and Celine experienced on
their sailing adventure all those years ago. A
second model, a small cabin, is presently being
built only meters from Hwy 7. This will clearly
show how efficient small can actually be.
“Our main goal is to
demonstrate how simple it can be for most people
to build ‘light to medium green’ while making
their environmental foot print much smaller,”
says Céline. “Lifestyles and budget concerns are
always taken into account, right from the
start”, adds Pat. The cabin kit sizes range from
800 to 1,200 sq. feet, geared to younger
families and generally anyone whose budget falls
below the $200,000 mark. “Country Cabin Getaways
was created to reach out to individuals who face
a limited budget, wanting only to connect with
nature through cabin ownership,” says Céline.
“Many options exist in order to keep cabin
budgets reasonable even with an environmentally
friendly approach,” says Pat. When each project
wraps up, the Shanks say they want to walk away
with a sense of satisfaction...“We want the
clients to say they feel good about their new
home or cottage,” Celine says. “If they feel
good about it, then so do we.”
At
Evergreen Concepts, the step by step approach
adapts to the clients’ needs, anywhere from
assisting the do-it-yourselfer to full turnkey
clients, through design and consulting
expertise. The couple also works to ensure a
better understanding of the green living
lifestyle. “Building Green is not a fad... it
will not go away”, says Pat. In fact, as the
couple has witnessed over the past few years,
the movement to build “greener” & healthier
homes is finally catching on. “Controlling
design, reducing waste, embracing new and more
efficient technologies to build is where this is
all going”, says Pat. The fact that the revised
2012 Ontario Building Code will encompass many
concepts that have been important to Pat &
Celine is proof that the whole industry also
sees a need for it.
With the present economic and
climactic pressures affecting our planet, their
slogan, “Building Today... for Tomorrow” has
never been more appropriate.
Celine & Pat welcome visitors
to their office & models or to their websites at
www.evergreenconcepts.ca and
www.cabinkits.ca
You can also reach them by
calling 613 267-6721 or toll free 1 877-267-6721
Background:
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon
challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and
operate solar-powered houses that are
cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive.
The winner of the competition is the team that best
blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design
excellence with optimal energy production and
maximum efficiency.
For
those who had visited this page before, another
Solar Decathlon took place in Washington from
September 23 & October 2nd. . The timing was not
quite right for us to attend but we have been
following all the teams’ progress online.
Canada
was, once again, represented by Team Canada:
University of Calgary. They placed 10th out of 19
teams. This year, “Team Canada has partnered with
the Native Communities of Treaty 7 to design a home
that meets their needs and interests, integrating
technology and tradition. TRTL is a unique
celebration of innovation and cultural diversity.”
To
find out more about TRTL and Team Canada, visit
their website at
www.solardecathlon.ca
For more information, to find out Who Won and to
see “virtual tours” of every solar house, please
check out the official Solar Decathlon website at:
www.solardecathlon.org.
At Evergreen Concepts, we have made designing and building “
Also at Evergreen, we believe that most informed consumers these
days are starting to appreciate the growing
...and
most other areas within 300 kms. Extra delivery charges for packages
could apply in other areas.