NARI Announces 2013 National CotY Award Winners

DES PLAINES, ILL., (April 15, 2013) – The 2013 Evening of Excellence reception took place April 12, during a three-day event for the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), which also included its Spring Business Meeting, held at the Intercontinental Kansas City at the Plaza, in Kansas City, Mo.

This year, NARI brought the Evening of Excellence™ to the remodeling industry as a whole, via an online Webcast announcement that was also broadcast to those who were in attendance in person at the reception. The presentation highlighted both Regional and National winners totaling 133 projects in 26 categories ranging from kitchens, baths, additions, exteriors, whole house and commercial remodels. The Webcast will be available for 30 days at www.nari.org/eveningofexcellence.

NARI thanks its Evening of Excellence sponsors, Pella Corporation and The Home Depot.

Contractors from seven regions nationwide vie for the awards on an annual basis. All projects submitted for judging were an improvement or an addition to an existing structure, with the exception of one category, “Residential Exterior Specialty.” Otherwise, new construction projects were not eligible.

In addition, the projects entered were completed between July 1, 2011, and November 30, 2012, and were not submitted in prior NARI National contests. An impartial panel of judges, who are experts within the industry and associated fields, selected winners based on each entrant’s binders, which include “before and after” photography and project descriptions. Judging focused on problem solving, functionality, aesthetics, craftsmanship, innovation, degree of difficulty and entry presentation.

Twenty-six national CotY winners were named at this year’s ceremony. Preliminary judging took place in Des Plaines, Ill., in early January, after which regional winners were announced in each of the categories. These regional winners advanced as finalists at the national level. Three projects were honored under the Universal Design Project Recognition program, and 11 projects were honored under the Green Project Recognition program.

To be considered for a CotY Award, a company must be a NARI member in good standing. The entries of this year’s competition totaled over $71 million worth of remodeling projects. NARI members represent an elite group of the approximately 800,000 companies and individuals in the U.S. identifying themselves as remodelers.

The complete list of national CotY award winners for 2013 is as follows:

Residential Kitchen Under $40,000
David Wilkes Builders
Austin, TX
To accommodate an expanding family, the homeowners wanted to open up their first-floor living space by relocating the kitchen to the front of the home and upgrading with budget-friendly fixtures and finishes.

Residential Kitchen $40,000 to $80,000
Strobel Design Build
Saint Petersburg, FL
The homeowner’s dream of a contemporary gourmet kitchen with ocean views came true with removal of a wall and modern amenities, including bamboo cabinetry and stainless steel appliances. 

Residential Kitchen $80,001 to $120,000
Jackson Design & Remodeling
San Diego, CA
East Coast colonial style meets California in this kitchen remodel, with additional storage in wood countertops and strategically placed peninsulas, all against an ocean view backdrop.

Residential Kitchen Over $120,000
Realty Restoration with team member Twelve Stones Designs
Austin, TX
A chef requests a commercial-grade kitchen makeover, expanding into unused guest room and living room areas. Despite structural and ventilation obstacles, the expanded kitchen is now an entertaining and teaching hub with a large working island, spacious work isles and plenty of room for 10 with wheelchair accessibility.

Residential Bath under $30,000
Pure Design Environments
Eden Prairie, MN
With damage from a leak and resale in mind, this master bathroom was a mix of basic improvements covered by insurance and personal style. An underused tub was switched out with a luxurious shower system, and an old shower enclosure was transformed into a boutique-like accessory closet to house the client’s jewelry and shoe collections.

Residential Bath $30,000 to $60,000
Harth Builders
Spring House, PA
A disabled veteran receives a grant from the Veterans Administration for the ultimate accessible bathroom guided by the client’s physical and occupational therapists. Overcoming spacial and budgetary challenges, this universal design project turned a first-floor powder room into a completely waterproof, barrier-free shower, with an accessible sink and toilet.

Residential Bath Over $60,000
TriplePoint Design Build
Saint Petersburg, FL
Cramped, cluttered and outdated, the homeowner’s master bathroom needed to be remodeled to fit the rest of the home’s contemporary style. Poor design required a change of layout and expansion into an outside courtyard for efficient flow. The final product was topped off with European fixtures, frameless glide shower door, crystalized glass countertops and tiles throughout.

Residential Interior Under $100,000
Rainbow Valley Design & Construction
Eugene, OR
First-floor renovation included opening a dark kitchen to surrounding dining, family, living rooms for entertaining. Removal of interior walls of kitchen opened the space and increased natural light in the once gloomy area. Innovative features included tankless hot water heater, nickel-gap cabinetry with cabinetry above peninsula featuring an open wine storage made out of matching wood flooring panels.

Residential Interior $100,000 and Over
Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling
Gaithersburg, MD
Owners of this 1740s home needed to update the amenities to accommodate a young growing family that fit their  21st century lifestyle. Remodel include lead abatement, electrical, plumbing, geo-thermal heating and cooling upgrade, and secret compartments such as a secret phone charging zone under the staircase, for ample storage.

Residential Interior Element
M Remodeling Inc. with team members Moda Floors and Interiors and Recentered Pieces LLC
McDonough, GA
The homeowner’s bold style turned a regular fireplace makeover into customized 16-foot structure accommodating hundreds of pounds of black marble on the wall. Complex framing and custom steel brackets were fabricated to assist in creating the structure as well as maintaining pressure points to prevent crushing. 

Residential Addition Under $100,000
Amiano & Son Construction Co.
Tabernacle, NJ
The clients decided their outside deck area would have better use as additional indoor space during the winter months. The addition was an extension of the outdoor space, with large windows on all sides and stone designed to match stone on the previous outer walls. The bar area and ceiling were made from rustic pine and maple wood to complete the rustic look of the room.

Residential Addition $100,000 to $250,000
Bartelt-The-Remodeling Resource
Delafield, WI
A four-season sunroom addition connects indoor/outdoor entertaining with a hydronic heating and gas fireplace with zoning in the existing furnace to warm in colder months. The new space features a full bar, with wine cubbies and beverage refrigerator, seating around a fireplace and sliding door exit into the outdoor patio.

Residential Addition Over $250,000
McCutcheon Construction Inc.
Berkeley, CA
Unsafe and disjointed, this 1920s storybook-style home needed updates to the kitchen, laundry room, powder room and a 228-square foot addition to the family room and mudroom. Building the addition into the side of a hill made space for a hidden, 300-square foot underground wine cellar.

Residential Exterior Under $100,000
Albrecht Wood Interiors Inc.
Centerville, OH
A high-maintenance treated deck was due for a remodel. The homeowners turned the eyesore into an outdoor living retreat, with complete outdoor kitchen, including granite countertops, refrigerator, built-in grill and trash can. The cabinetry, custom bar and new decking were made out of Ipe wood. The homeowners added a trellis with a remote-controlled awning, to shade outdoor TV viewing area and kitchen.

Residential Exterior $100,000 and Over
The Howland Group LLC
Milford, OH
This young couple wanted to connect indoors to the outdoors by expanding an existing deck into a 504-square-foot covered porch and outdoor kitchen with parking area underneath. Details include Cumaru decking and handrail, bronze sconces, chandeliers and fans, with exposed beams and skylights in the vaulted ceilings.

Residential Exterior Specialty
T. Hurt Construction Inc.
Omaha, NE
A four-season boat house on a lake-front property accommodates storage needs as well as entertaining. The air-conditioned and heated space is the perfect rest stopbetween the water and the home. The remodel features a stacked stone fireplace and bar, patio lounge area, covered game area with a glass overhead door enclosure.

Entire House Under $250,000
Dave Fox Design Build Remodelers
Columbus, OH
Before moving into their new home, the clients decided to update the kitchen, reconfigure the first floor—including an addition to add an office, walk-in pantry and laundry room—and a small expansion of the living room to make the master bedroom larger. Unique features included sound-proofing the office, a workstation in the laundry room for bill paying, reuse of interior and exterior windows and doors.

Entire House $250,000 to $500,000 (Green Recognition Program Honoree)
Spring Creek Design LLC
Honey Brook, PA
An old barn on the property was converted into a secondary living space to offset the original small home. With sustainability in mind, the project addressed the barn’s deteriorating condition as well as multi-functional use of the converted space, including workshop, play room, birding platform, working barn area (chicken coop, livestock equipment and feed, beekeeping, gardening) and two-car garage.

Entire House $500,001 to $1,000,000
Titus Built LLC    
West Redding, CT
Neighborhood zoning restrictions and hurricane codes were adapted to this coastal home renovation. The scope of the project required gutting the first floor and the addition of two more levels.

Entire House Over $1,000,000 (Green Recognition Program Honoree)
Allen Associates
Santa Barbara, CA
A 1960s home on hillside with the view needed a modern, energy-efficient update while preserving as much of the homes features as possible. The project included a 110-square-foot addition onto the master bedroom, and two new structures, a guest house and garage. 

Residential Historical Renovation/Restoration (Green Recognition Program Honoree)
Dovetail Construction Co. Inc.
Richmond, VA
Built in 1914, this home was utilized as a recreational senior center until 2008 when new owners wanted to change it back into a home. Under guidance of commissioners to keep the historical nature of the home intact, and utlizizing required lead paint/asbestos abatement, the interior and exterior of the home was updated. Energy-efficient improvements reduced monthly utility expenses from a few thousand to a few hundred.

Commercial Interior
EDW Builders Inc.
Newtown, PA
This transformation of a strip mall eatery into a frozen yogurt shop was constrained by the mall management requiring no dust, noise or construction traffic during business hours and commercial building codes. The owners requested creative reuse of the original materials, including flooring, ceiling tiles, lights, cabinetry and fixtures.

Commercial Exterior
Brown Restoration Inc.
Raymore, MO
The budget-conscious owners of the office building wanted an economical makeover of the exterior, incorporating aspects from other buildings in the area into the design.

Commercial Specialty
Alward Construction Company, Inc. with team member Design Set Match
Berkeley, CA
A turn-of-the-century detached outbuilding was remodeled into a new two-story office with a full bathroom and curbless shower, while keeping original charm intact. Features included radiant heated hardwood flooring, skylights, full deck, storage, LED lights and preservation of a giant redwood tree close to the building.

Home Theater & Media Rooms Under $150,000
Media Rooms Inc.
West Chester, PA
Owners of a pub-themed basement wanted a movie palace home theater. Feature included hidden audio and video systems, a tin ceiling, and in-house fabrication of acoustical wall panels, columns, millwork, proscenium around the screen and counter.

Home Theater & Media Rooms $150,000 and Over
Media Rooms Inc.
West Chester, PA
Clients desired a Japanese-style home theater and wine cellar requiring all colors, textures, materials and layout to be focused on the harmony and characteristics of traditional Japanese design. Features included Shoji screen doors, motorized video screen and custom bar with roof tile imported from Japan.


In addition to the CotY Awards, there were eight categories of Achievement Awards handed out in Kansas City. The Achievement Awards are bestowed on an annual basis, and in most cases, the recipient must be nominated. The categories are designed to recognize outstanding achievement by an individual, company or chapter that serves to promote and enhance the professional remodeling industry.

The complete list of national Achievement Award winners for 2013 is as follows:

Chapter President Award
Presented to a local chapter president who has demonstrated outstanding leadership capability in the broad range of service to his or her chapter during his or her term of service.

Aaron Bryant, Greater Omaha NARI

Chapter Community Project Award
Presented to a chapter for a community project to enhance the community and increase the awareness of NARI in the community, both locally and nationally.

Greater Omaha NARI

Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Council

NARI of Greater Dallas

NARI of Central Ohio

NYC/LI NARI

Chapter Excellence Award
Presented to a chapter for work (other than a specific community project) which impacted the chapter’s local area or state in a positive manner, gave the association higher visibility within the community and enhanced the image and awareness of NARI through local activities, membership campaigns, awards programs, community service, etc.

NARI of Greater Charlotte

2013 Distributor of the Year
Recognizes distributors who have demonstrated a strong commitment to NARI, the professional remodeling industry and the community or communities in which they do business.

The Hamilton Parker Company, Columbus, Ohio

Professionalism Award
Presented to a non-paid NARI member who has shown exceptional leadership, devotion, dedication and accomplishment through his or her efforts to promote NARI as a professional organization at the local level.

Tom Callen, Muskego, Wis.

Harold Hammerman Spirit of Education Award
Established in 1978 by the late Harold Hammerman, this prestigious award recognizes excellence in training and education in the construction industry.

Ken Connor, CR, Menomonee Falls, Wis.

Lifetime Achievement Award
Recognizes accomplishments, awards, local community involvement and NARI National involvement in both appointed and elected offices.

Jim Klappa, Milwaukee, Wis.

Michael S. Hydeck, MCR, CKBR, Telford, Pa.

The President’s Awards
Bestowed upon individuals who, in the opinion of the president, have done the most to assist in reaching goals.

Paula Cozzi Goedert, Chicago, Ill.

Anthony Tripp, CR, CKBR, CLC, UDCP, Chicago, Ill.
Robert Didier, Hauppauge, N.Y.

Jan Burchett, Merriam, Kan.

Mike Waite, Charlotte, N.C.

Homeowners are estimated to spend a total of $145.5 billion on home improvements in the U.S. through the third quarter of 2013.

NARI is a professional association whose members voluntarily subscribe to a strict code of ethics. According to results from the 2012 Member Profile Study, NARI members outpace the industry norm in sales, production and employees, when compared to professionals represented in the Home Improvement Research Institute’s (HIRI) 2011 Remodeling Professional Study.