It's All in a Name

When building a new home, trust is a key factor that can either make or break the experience. From ensuring that the materials used in the home stand the test of time, to seeing the client’s vision through to fruition, home builders have a lot on the line.

For Ennio and Mary Cancelli, the founding owners of Enmar Homes, it is their more than 20 years of experience that has helped them gain the trust of each of their clients.

“It’s like a piece of art. You start from the beginning… It’s not a renovation. You start from the bottom and it’s something you grow,” says Ennio. “To make the client happy, it’s a pleasure.”

Ennio and Mary, who founded Enmar Homes 10 years ago, work directly with their clients. Just like their company’s name — a portmanteau of the couple’s names — Enmar is a business partnership that allows them both to apply their industry-related strengths.

“We know our borderlines. Anything with financial, Tarion [warranties], legal papers and insurance, I know my role, and that’s where I come in,” says Mary. “Any construction and permits, that’s his department. We find a balance.”

Mary, who has a background in real estate, grew up in a family very similar to the one she has created with Ennio and their two sons.

“My grandfather was a builder, and [so was] his father. It’s very much in my mother’s genes and I think it came to me. Whenever we were young, we were always looking at floor plans, and the building of homes. I think I was born for this,” she says.

Ennio, whose trade background includes 20 years as a craftsman, specializes in consulting with clients about materials that include tiles, marble, limestone and natural stone, as well as wood such as maple and cherry. His largest, most notable project is the Liberty Grand, where he helped install 100,000 square feet of marble.

“You would think sometimes that the hardest part of a house is the foundation and the walls, but he loves every bit of it. He really spends the time with the clients, he takes them to places where they can select their tiles and their plumbing fixtures,” says Mary. “We guide them through the process.”

In addition to the traditional building services, Enmar Homes also offers custom build, interior design, green solutions, real estate consultations, floor plan consulting, home renovations and restorations.

Despite their success in the building industry, the Cancellis didn’t begin with designing lavish homes. After the couple got  married 24 years ago, they started out with a small house in Toronto at Eglinton and Dufferin.

“It was 17 by 100 [square feet]. With time and lots of work, we were able to build our own home,” says Mary. “We started with our first project at Bathurst and Avenue Road. That grew with us buying properties. We would purchase properties, tear them down and build brand new homes.”

With over two decades in the home building industry, Ennio and Mary are strong believers in quality over quantity. Although Enmar Homes continues to grow, their clients won’t be left dealing with a project manager or supervisor. Since the Cancellis have remained committed to building between four to six homes per year, it allows them to remain actively involved in each home’s building process.

“We keep the numbers small, but we have projects that are 500 to 5,000 square feet. We try to keep them few,” says Mary. “We don’t want it to be about the more houses we do, the more money we make. For us, we do about four or five homes, and we’re on every project. It’s my husband and I… We really take pride in giving our clients super service. They deal with us directly… We become very close with our clients. We have long-lasting relationships with them.”  


The Glencairn

The company’s newest project, The Glencairn, is currently in development. Located at 973 Glencairn Ave. (at Dufferin and Lawrence), the 2,500-square-feet house consists of three floors and a nine-foot-high ceiling. The spacious open concept of the house, which includes a large foyer and two large guest closets, is accented with travertine marble, hardwood flooring and intricate nine-inch crown moulding.

The main room consists of a gas fireplace, and the kitchen consists of a breakfast nook and eating area that is equipped with Master Chef stainless steel appliances.

The house contains three bedrooms, one of which is the master suite with an adjacent ensuite equipped with an extra-large glass shower. The two additional bedrooms maintain the home’s spacious appeal with large windows and one full bathroom, decorated with porcelain tiles and European marble.

The house includes a fully finished carpeted basement with a gas fireplace, full bathroom and a laundry room.

The house’s prime location, just north of the city, is close to schools, public transportation and Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

“It will have all of the characteristics that the area requires: High quality, [and] a lot of that area requires open concepts, windows, French doors and glass showers. Those are the kinds of things that you will find in there,” says Mary. “If you’re a lawyer, an accountant or even a legal assistant, it’s a home that professionals can live in and just enjoy… They can start a family and raise their children. They will have all of the room they will need… Even for a young professional who wants to buy a house and wants to live in the middle of the city. It’s an excellent opportunity to buy, in a growing area.”

Construction of the home begins in November and is scheduled for completion in May 2012. Although the finer details of the home are yet to be seen, an Enmar Home is something worth investing in.

“We like dealing with clients. We like to share our knowledge. This can be such a tough place to be, for the clients, when they are spending all of this money and meanwhile, they don’t know exactly where it is going. The first thing we do is we let them come to our home and let them know they are dealing with us directly. It makes them feel very at-home, like they are dealing with the family.” •

For more information on Enmar Homes, including a full list of services, visit » enmarhomes.com