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McClure had no thoughts of becoming a builder when his
father-in-law, Bill Wasko, asked him to work for his
company. At that point, in 1983, McClure had just
graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor
of Science Degree.
“It was kind of a summer job,” McClure recalls. “He
(Wasko) needed some help for the summer with a couple of
houses and I didn’t have anything lined up and wasn’t
sure what I was going to do. It was a summer job that
hasn’t ended.” McClure has come a long way since those
early days. With Wasko’s retirement in 1990, McClure has
become President of Wasko Developments, as well as chief
designer. He’s also responsible for the day-to-day
running of the business, supervises the sites and still
finds time to work on the homes.
The company builds homes mainly for sophisticated young
move-up families who are looking for a custom design. It
also caters to buyers who are making a lateral move from
a 2-story home to a custom single-floor plan.
Kitchens and family rooms, where most families spend
their time, are particularly important to clients,
McClure says. Many opt for gas fireplaces in their
kitchens to enhance their sense of cosiness. While some
buyers are attracted to the open-concept designs they
see in a model home, many prefer to have their family
room separated from the kitchen to reduce the noise of
children playing.
Plenty of large windows and low-maintenance features are
also popular. “Nobody wants to spend their time working
around their house anymore,” McClure explains. “They
want to be somewhere where they can come home from work
and enjoy the house.”
During a first meeting with buyers, McClure discusses a
p otential
floor plan, as well as the pros and cons of that plan
for their family and lifestyle. Because it’s often
difficult for buyers to visualize the appearance of
their home based on plans, he sometimes takes them to
the homes of other clients to show them certain
features.
Whatever the route clients take to achieve the
finished product, the end result is always the same. “We
want people to be happy. That’s our goal,” McClure says.
With the number of subdivisions in which it’s building,
Wasko Developments has homes to suit a range of
lifestyles. The company is currently building homes in
three subdivisions and is gearing up to start building
in a fourth.
Hickory Woods on Southdale Road, between Wonderland
and Colonel Talbot roads, features 37 lots ideally
situated on one crescent and one cul de sac. The homes,
which are priced from $300,000, are built on lots with
frontages of 60 to 65 feet.
Wasko Developments and Aleck Harasym Homes are the only
two builders in the site. And that’s idea, says McClure.
“I think it’s nice having just a couple of builders in
there. It keeps the streetscape very nice. We’re both
experienced.”
In addition, Wasko Developments is currently building
in Phase Three of Richmond Hill. The lots are 65 feet in
width and homes start at $300,000.
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Wasko Developments, which is a partner in Hazelden
Homes, has also just opened a site in the Stoney Creek
subdivision. “Most of the lots are treed, 50-foot lots,”
McClure explains. “The homes are in the $200,000 and up
range.”
This fall, the company will be building its first model
homes in the Neighbourhoods of Sunningdale, an exclusive
new community which is located south of Sunningdale Golf
Club in the Medway Valley. Ravine and park lots back
onto the Medway Creek and boast frontages of 70 to 80
feet. Homes there will range from $350,000 and up.
That Wasko name has been prominent in London since 1956
when Bill Wasko began
 building
homes in Sherwood Forest and in Westmount. Since 1983,
Wasko Developments has built custom homes in Windermere
Estates, Pineridge Estates, Hunt Club, Hazelden North,
Warbler Woods, Warbler Woods West, Sunnyside in
northwest London, and Chantry Estates. The company
currently builds 20 to 25 homes per year.
While Wasko retired in 1990, the company is still very
much a family business. Diane McClure, Wasko’s daughter
and McClure’s wife, is in charge of marketing and enters
the homes in design competitions. McClure’s
brother-in-law, John Kuiack, works as a site supervisor.
That company’s family atmosphere extends to staff, as
well. McClure credits excellent staff members, including
office manager Gayle Abbott, with helping clients
through the extensive decision-making process that’s
required in custom-building a home. Many of the present
tradespeople began working with the company in the early
days and take great pride in their work.
During the construction, McClure encourages clients to
tour their home. He tries to make the experience of
building a home as stress-free as possible. “It should
be a fun thing. It’s a little bit stressful, but it
should be fun,” he says.
In recent years, Wasko Developments has racked up a
number of awards. In 1998, it won a service excellence
award for southwestern Ontario for a small-volume
builder from the Ontario New Home Warranty Program. Last
May, the company won two design awards from the London
Home Builders’ Association (LHBA); one for the best
living space and another for best custom-designed home
over $200,000.
Other LHBA awards include; an award of excellence in
1998 and 1999 for the most outstanding kitchen and, in
1999, an award for the best contract custom home over
$200,000.
For the last 13 years, Wasko Developments has held an
excellent rating for after-sales service from ONHWP.
McClure, a past LHBA president, says he looks after
clients “as much as possible,” when it comes to
after-sales service. He also acts as a resource for
clients who, 15 years down the road, may need a
contractor to complete upgrades to their home.
In the future, he says he can see himself building
custom homes for retirees on Lake Huron. “That’s a
future market, but right now, I’m enjoying what we’re
doing.”
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