All the comforts for home

National Post

Oct. 14, 2011

Richmond Hill for countertops. North York for new doors. Across to Mississauga for appliances.

Home improvement projects can disrupt your life at the best of times. The last thing you need is to travel across the city and surroundings for the materials you require for your home renovation - never sure if you're getting the best deal because you're too exhausted to drive any further just to compare prices.

Yet, that's exactly what home renovators today do: With thousands of small-to medium-sized home improvement suppliers spread across the greater Toronto area, spending days on the road just to find everything you need is simply part of the home renovation process.

But wouldn't it be nice if things were different? If all of those suppliers you needed were in a single location? Wouldn't it save you time and money if you had one destination for all of your home improvement needs?

Improve - Canada's largest home improvement centre - promises exactly that, for a more convenient and less time-consuming home renovation experience. Scheduled to open in 2013, it will be the first of its kind in the country: a new model for shoppers looking to find the right supplies and services for their next home improvement project.

"This property's going to be marketed as a destination point. It will be a huge drawing card," says Larry B. Purchase, chair of the executive council commercial division of the Toronto Real Estate Board.

Most Canadians today live in their own home or apartment. They invest in real estate. And part of that investment means renovating and improving their home so that it feels comfortable to them and increases in value for future buyers. Home renovating might as well be considered a Toronto pastime - approximately 2.5 million GTA homeowners are actively renovating at any given time. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, in 2009, reported close to $8.7-billion spent on home renovations in Toronto alone, with about $25.8-billion spent across the country.

Whether they're in a new home or an old one, homeowners will always find something to improve on or personalize - and as they move on to their next new house, they'll do the same there. And with 100,000 to 150,000 new immigrants coming to the GTA annually, there are always new homeowners with new home improvement needs. Improve will help new and existing homeowners alike, but without the hassle they currently encounter.

Consider more than 400 shops all under one roof, and all focused on selling top-quality home improvement and construction products at different price points to service different income groups, and with negotiable delivery terms. Think about small-and medium-sized suppliers, all with approximately 500 square feet to showcase their goods and services, in a central Vaughan location that will spread over 310,000 square feet and 21 acres.

Improve will give homeowners exactly what they've been looking for - even if they didn't realize that they were looking for it. Competition will be encouraged so that shoppers will be able to compare products and prices to find the best alternative for their home improvement needs. And there will be restaurants and bars where they can sit and consider their options between showroom visits, as well as meeting rooms and conference halls where suppliers can present new technologies and services.

Shoppers can benefit from comparing and contrasting and mixing and matching, without having to get into their car to drive from place to place. It's not only efficient and economical, they'll also get better, more personalized service directly from showroom owners and they will be able to discuss the terms of their purchase with professionals who know their business like no one else. All of the goods will be delivered, so there will be no waiting in line or looking through an overstuffed warehouse to find what you need - and you can negotiate the delivery terms that work for you.

"There may be a symbiotic relationship that develops between the various vendors," adds land surveyor Sasa Krcmar, executive director of Krcmar Surveyors Ltd. "And I think there will be a lot of good referrals back and forth. So I think it's almost like being in a renaissance of new thought, where a lot of these people can push each other's products in a way that wasn't maybe thought up before."

Improve will be designed to make an impression, too, with architecture from Torplan Consultants Inc. and a design from Montreal-based GHA Design Studios; the award-winning retail design firm has credits that include work at the Promenade Mall, Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Fairview Mall and Bayview Village Shopping Centre.

A cross between a shopping mall and an upscale design centre - with all of the benefits of a home show but without the prohibitive costs and inconvenient timing - Improve will be a welcome experience for the whole family. There will be playrooms for the children, lounge areas and beautifully decorated halls and bright windows to enhance the shopping experience.

"I often think of a place like Copenhagen, or I think of somewhere in Europe . They've done this and they've done it really, really well. And there's already a format there for it," says Lisa Rogers, designer and TV personality.

In fact, home improvement centres have thrived in locations through Europe and Asia. Market research shows the same model will flourish in the Toronto market, too. But Toronto's just the start: Improve is expected to attract national attention. Once the Toronto location is built - and the showrooms are up and operating successfully - the ownership team behind Improve plans on taking the model to major cities throughout the country.

For now, though, the focus is on the GTA - and the Vaughan location that will be Improve's new home. Close to Highway 407, Highway 7 and Highway 400 - as well as Steeles Avenue and Keele Street - Improve will be conveniently located for shoppers coming from throughout Toronto and the surrounding areas, with plenty of parking available. The extension of the Spadina line will also bring subway access to Vaughan by 2015; when it does, Improve will run a shuttle bus from the Steeles West subway station to conveniently bring shoppers to its doors.

It's the perfect location - one that the Improve team spent a year trying to find.

"I think there was some great vision on the part of Improve to come to Vaughan," says planner Mark Emery, president of Weston Consulting Group.

"Vaughan is almost the centre of construction and construction supply for the GTA."

The City of Vaughan, too, is the perfect partner, supporting the Improve vision from the start.

"We always welcome innovation and technology, and a better way of doing things, and I believe this project falls within that category," says Gino Rosati, Vaughan's deputy-mayor and regional councillor.

Once it is up and running, more than 1,500 people are expected to visit Improve on a daily basis, taking advantage of suppliers in a range of categories, from flooring and roofing to grills and barbecues, and from hot tub and pool supplies to security systems. There won't be any toy stores or clothing outlets, though - everything will be home-related, targeted specifically to home renovators.

And for those renovators who hire designers to take on their home improvement challenges - and pay them by the hour - it's a bonus as well.

"Not only would it help me but it will save my client money," Ms. Rogers says. "Because at the end of the day, I can go to one place - it's going to cut my time in half."

Improve will be efficient, pricesavvy and convenient - it's a model that's proven effective and will continue to do so in the Toronto market. It promises to improve the home renovation process, and to make homeowners' lives easier at the same time.

Frankly, what could be better than that?

For more information, visit the Improve website at improvecanada. com.