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Trail Appliances BC:quality(75))
Raj Issar, president and founder of Madison Avenue Homes, is a luxury custom home builder in Vancouver, BC. Madison Avenue Homes has earned a reputation for building high-quality homes throughout the lower mainland by focusing on the details and working with professionals.
“We treat each home as if it's our own,” explained Raj. “Our clients appreciate that type of ownership from a company building their dream home. We understand their reliance on us to make suggestions and to give our professional opinions to ensure that they're satisfied in the end. The kitchen is an imperative part of a family's home, so we lean on Trail Appliances as a strategic partner to help the homeowners make the right selection for their appliances.”
Consulting the pros
When it comes to choosing the right appliances for a home, it’s important to know how the family plans to use the kitchen, and the best way to do this is by asking. Do they do a lot of cooking, or will the kitchen be primarily used for gatherings and events? What kind of appliances do they tend to use, and are they interested in exploring new options? Do they know what kinds of appliances are available? “For many clients, they only know what they know,” said Raj. “If their experience has only been with a general range and a basic refrigerator, they may not know about induction cooktops or a steam oven, or some of the newer items available to make life more convenient.”
“We rely on Trail Appliances to suggest the best cooking appliance for the customer’s needs. Their salespeople take the time to interview the client and figure out what they're looking for before making recommendations.” - Raj Issar, president, Madison Avenue Homes Ltd.
Am Sajan, Key Account Manager at Trail Appliances Single Family Builder Division, explained how an appliance consultation works, “In most cases, Raj does an email introduction between myself and the client, then leaves it to us to coordinate a time and date to meet. I'm based out of Cloverdale in Trail’s Surrey/Langley showroom, which is our newest and biggest showroom, and we also have really nice showrooms across the lower mainland, on Vancouver Island, and in Kelowna. We’re very mobile and can meet at the location that’s most convenient for the client. Each consultation runs for an hour or so. Once the appointment is over, I’ll send them a booklet of the items they liked, broken down by each room: the laundry, the basement suite, and all the kitchens.”
The spice of life
“Many people are now looking for a secondary kitchen that can be a little messier,” said Raj. “They're looking for more function than form. The messy area of the spice kitchen and the kitchen they present to guests are designed differently. You want to make that look a little nicer — present the wow factor. And then behind the scenes in the spice kitchen is where all the real work gets done.” It doesn’t matter what you call it — a spice kitchen, wok kitchen, chef’s kitchen, or simply a secondary kitchen — Raj and his team can design a space that’s right for you and your family.
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“The design considerations for a spice kitchen,” said Raj, “tend to focus on utility. Lots of cupboard space and an almost industrial-strength hood fan for ventilation. The cooking appliance will vary depending on the comfort level of the owner. For most of the homes we’re building, there’s usually a cooktop and an oven in the spice kitchen.
Since the City of Vancouver has banned new installations of gas cooking appliances, we have to look at alternatives, and that’s where we really lean on Trail Appliances to suggest the best cooking appliance for the customer's needs.”
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Kitchen appliance innovation
For many families, making the time to eat a good meal at home is a tricky balance – fortunately, there are new appliances and accessories that make meal prep easier and faster, and often include fantastic features, such as the ability to program the language to suit your family best.
In-wall coffee makers with an iPad-like interface, high-speed dishwashers to get everything cleaned up faster, and in-drawer microwaves are not unusual features to see in many new homes.
“Steam ovens and speed ovens are really popular,” explained Am. “The steam oven is great for reheating your food. Things that typically get ruined in a microwave come out as if they’re fresh or have just been cooked. It’s also popular with our Asian clientele, who love it for rice and vegetables because it keeps the nutrients in the food. It's a very healthy way to cook.
A speed oven is essentially a microwave and oven. You can reheat your coffee or pop your popcorn, but it also acts as an oven, and since it has a smaller cavity, it heats faster than a typical wall oven. It’s great for items that don’t need to be done in the bigger oven. Both the steam oven and the speed oven are becoming common in the homes of our customers, especially in today's day and age where everyone seems to be in a rush.”
Creating more living space in Burnaby
In addition to building fabulous custom homes, Madison Avenue Homes is now building high-quality laneway homes for families and investors in and around Burnaby.
“We are aware of the current housing crisis,” explained Raj. “We’ve recognized that there are two types of clients considering a laneway home in Burnaby: the investors looking for rental income and families looking at multigenerational living. We’re building solutions that benefit everyone: accessible homes that are perfect for aging parents or for a young family to live on their parent’s property. These homes are a great tool to help families live together, with their own space to grow.”
Working with the experts
Whether you’re building the custom home of your dreams or choosing appliances for your next renovation, working with a reputable builder and an appliance expert is a smart way to get what you need and what you want. “When someone like Raj, who we've been working with for quite a long time, sends a client to you, he's putting a lot of trust in you to make things right for his client,” said Am.
“Things have changed a lot in the appliance world, even over the past five or six years, but what hasn’t changed is our commitment to taking care of each client as if they were our own.”
About Trail Appliances
Locally owned, family-operated, and committed to the community, it’s easy to see the secret to Trail’s success: under-promise and over-deliver. With twelve showroom locations throughout B.C., Trail Appliances is conveniently close by, no matter where you live.
If you’re moving into a new custom home or it’s just time to upgrade your current appliances, contact the pros at Trail to make the process easy, enjoyable, and affordable.
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