Wrapping It Up

So, the contest is wrapped up.   We feel as though the entries require some sort of response from us,but we haven't quite worked it out yet.  We'll let you know if anything comes to mind.  We won't be awarding the house to anyone, but it's not because there were not any worthy entries.  It was the quantity, rather than the quality, of entries that made it clear to us that this just wasn't going to fly.  In most cases, we won't be returning entry materials, but where people requested that we do so at the time of their entry, we'll do our best to carry this out as expeditiously as possible.

We're going to start returning entry fees as soon as possible . Please don't contact us to ask when your entry fee will be returned. 

Those who paid by PayPal within the last two months will be refunded first, with earlier PayPal payments being refunded shortly thereafter. 

For those who paid by cash or money order, we will be sending a cheque to the address that came with the entry. 

For those who paid by cheque, we will simply mail back your cheques where the cheque was not cashed, so that you don't need to check your bank statement to see if $11 went out or not.  For those entrants with a cashed cheque, we will mail you a cheque refunding the $11. 

Finally, for those who paid by Interac Email Money Transfer, where we haven't yet deposited the transfer, we will simply cancel the transaction. However, since the transfer lapses after 4 weeks if we don't deposit it, it's possible that some transfers will simply end up getting cancelled by that route.  Where the transfer has been deposited, we'll either send a money transfer in your direction or else send you a cheque refunding the $11.

When we're convinced we've returned all entry fees, we'll place notice of it on this website, and then, if we somehow missed you, please do contact us and we'll remedy the oversight as soon as possible. 

Some people asked us not to return their entry fee but instead to give it to charity.  We appreciate the sentiment, but we're reluctant to make a mistake and fail to return someone's entry fee who did not make such a request.  As such, we're just returning the fees, and if you were feeling charitable with your entry fee, we'd encourage you to act on that impulse and make a donation to the charity of your choice.

We will be available as always by e-mail at us@the11dollarhouse.com and by telephone at (780) 240-9924, so if you have any questions or otherwise need to get a hold of us, feel free.

We just want to say again how grateful we are to everyone who entered and dared to dream a little.  We are mainly disappointed that we were unable to make at least one dream come true, and we are sorry to everyone who took the time to lay it on the line and take a real, honest, heartfelt shot at this contest.  Returning your $11 is pretty easy.  We wish we could return your time and effort and hope as easily.

The house will continue on its path to completion.  If you're in the neighbourhood and feeling curious to see what all the fuss was about, feel free to drop in.  David is usually there Monday to Friday from 9ish to 5ish.  You can always call ahead just to be sure, as trips for supplies and coffee do occasionally take him off site.  We're hoping to have an open house to celebrate the finished project this spring.  As it gets closer, we'll post the details for that event.