Geerlinks, Goodman, Deroo and Reyneveld all part of a respected home construction cooperative
By
Mark Schadenberg
I’ve
been a full-time Realtor since January of 1999 and a lot has changed in that
time in real estate circles both in trends and policies.
The
map of the City of Woodstock has also changed considerably as our entrance signs
now promote a population of 41,000.
One
consistent theme or name in this time span, however, locally has been the name:
The Builders Group.
When
I began my career, there were still a few blank lots on Crow and Neutral on the
west side of Lansdowne, and on the east side of that avenue there was the
beginnings of Heron, Blue Jay and Oriole streets.
I
don’t know the exact day The Builders Group was established, but it should be
considered a significant moment in the growth of Woodstock in residential
subdivisions. Could they possibly be celebrating a 20-year birthday of their win-win-win-win-win-win
cooperative in 2017? It truly is an affiliation of excellent local home
builders with a strong philosophy of quality and craftsmanship.
I
will certainly not forget the contributions of the late developer Albert
Hargreaves here, but if you see a formal amalgamation among four builders
(today it’s actually five construction companies) continue for a duration of
two decades anyone should be impressed. It’s not just building homes, it’s
approving subdivision plans, installing storm sewers and water, utilities,
concrete curbs, asphalt streets, and don’t forget the street lights. The City of
Woodstock engineering department of inspectors and site plan approvers has truly
been fortunate to have this crew of neighbourhood creators.
The
Builders Group are Oxford Builders (George Geerlinks), John Goodman Homes, Karl
Reyneveld, Deroo Bros Ventures (Rick and Henry), and Marc Deroo Fine Homes.
The
vast majority of homes in the so-called bird sanctuary (Also: Cardinal, Finch,
Falcon, Hummingbird, Kingfisher and Parrott) neighbourhood and the military
themed streets (Spitfire, Normandy, Halifax, Dieppe, Juno, Anzio, Alberni, Moro,
etc) were all constructed by these five companies. They have earned their
successes.
The
condos on Heron’s Landing and at Anzio/Spitfire were both built by VanEl based
in Brantford, but with our aging demographics it was John Goodman who
constructed the city’s most recent project of 1-level condos with a complex
fronting on Munnoch.
There
is a Builder of Sport category in the Woodstock Sports Wall Of Fame, so there
likewise should be a Builder Of Woodstock category to recognize the accomplishments
of the Builders Group at City Hall.
I
will also not forget the efforts of other Woodstock-based builders such as
Heritage, John Hurley, Tru-Built, and Ray Losee. I recently chatted with the
owner of a construction company who operated as Champagne a few years ago and
his work can be seen on streets like Indian, Haida and Algonquin. Woodstock has
a strong framework of carpenters, plumbers, HVAC crews, electricians, and brick
layers. I think I’ve known brick layer Bill Poort since I was about 10 years
old.
Out-of-town
builders have also been aplenty and continue to expand Woodstock subdivisions
like the Neighbourhoods of Devonshire (Claysam and Finoro), Sally Creek (Sun
Light, Breymark and Trevalli) and Havelock Corners.
As
a Realtor, I’m not supposed to advertise listings of other offices without
permission, but you can certainly shuffle through the links below and contact
me if you would like to buy a home in the Woodstock area – brand new or
residential resale.
The
summary though when you look at a city map is to applaud The Builders Group. I
must add that there key contribution might be the fact that each street
features unique and attractive homes as it’s never a cookie cutter collection
of identical houses.
Deroo
Ventures are also concentrating on Boot Hill west off Mill Street.
Plans
continue to build on the former site of Ecole Ste. Marguerite Bourgeoys on Huron
Street.
A
new conglomeration of building lots has appeared east off County Rd 11 in the
west end of the city, and you will see the Builders Group there as well.
I
love Woodstock and thereby enjoy promoting everything Woodstock.
Alberni connects Alberni to . . . Alberni
Country Road 11
Just south of Canada's Outdoor Farm Show park
LINKS:
www.cityofwoodstock.ca
www.cityofwoodstock.ca
() () () () ()
Dedicated to Woodstock and Oxford County
Mark Schadenberg, Sales
Representative
Senior Real Estate Specialist
(SRES designation)
Royal LePage Triland Realty
Independently Owned & Operated, Brokerage
757 Dundas St, Woodstock
(519) 537-1553, cell or text
Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com
Twitter: markroyallepage
Facebook: Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland
Discussion . . . Direction . . . Determination . . .
Destination
