FAMILY FINDS ROOM TO GROW
Arrive at Evanston a welcome homecoming
A spacious two-car garage, energy-efficient features and a handy home office helped Arrive at Evanston earn top marks with a young family of four. Lauren Hankins, Trevor Morrow and their two kids Aria and Elaina are moving to the new townhome development in northwest Calgary.
Arrive at Evanston is composed of 173 units starting from the $339,900s by Partners Development Group.
The project is under construction in Evanston, a community master-planned by Qualico.
The family went with an end unit in the project’s Willow floor plan. This option starts at 1,306 square feet and when fully developed can reach 1,574 square feet. It’s offered in either a three-bedroom or double-master bedroom orientation with two and a half bathrooms.
And catching Hankins’ and Morrow’s eye — the two-car front attached garage with a full-depth driveway.
“For us, it’s just the space,” says Hankins. Finding enough storage space in a townhome can sometimes be a challenge, she adds.
“For us, we’ve got two vehicles because we both commute and it was just getting to the point where we have kids toys and we’ve got outdoor things that we want to store in the winter,” says Hankins. “We’ve got the basement but we’d rather have those kinds of things accessible in the garage, so that was definitely a big selling feature for us.”
This complex follows similar developments by the company at SkyView Ranch and Redstone in northeast Calgary. Arrive at Evanston will include an on-site child care centre that will measure 10,000 square feet. It will be operated by Kids and Company and is expected to open in summer 2016.
“We want our home owners to arrive home to everything they love, whether that means receiving high quality finishings, a maintenance-free lifestyle, lower energy costs and long-term value, or simply being able to walk their child to the onsite Kids & Company Child Care Centre,” says Jade Mahon, vice-president of sales and marketing.
“We want to provide that. It’s about building a community where everyone will arrive happy.”
When Hankins and Morrow decided it was time to buy their next home, the first place they looked was the list of current developments by Partners Development Group.
They live in Wildwood Village, which is one of Partners’ developments in Strathmore.
“It’s just a smaller company, so I feel like they’re really down to earth and make sure that they’re helping us make the decision for us,” Hankins notes. “It’s not just about getting us in.”
Both Hankins and Morrow have jobs that bring them to Calgary, so a move to the city makes sense, says Hankins, who works as a fashion and jewelry stylist.
“For me, working from home, too, I need a space,” says Hankins. “Having that room in the basement just as you come in from the garage is just perfect because I can set up my office there and can shut myself away when I need to.”
The rec room connects to a laundry room and mechanical room. On the main level, the wall-free design resonated with the couple. The dining area is flanked by the large kitchen and great room without any obstructions between them.
“I love entertaining,” she says. Hankins adds, it’ll be nice “being able to have the kitchen and the balcony, having more of an open-concept when I entertain for Christmas dinner or Thanksgiving.”
Arrive at Evanston is certified through Built Green Canada. This is a national program that rates a home based on the level of energy-efficiency in its materials and building methods.
These townhomes feature a 96 per cent high efficiency furnace and a 100 per cent efficient electric water heater. They also have watersaver toilets and faucets along with floor-to-ceiling energy-efficient windows.
“Built Green was a big part for us,” says Hankins.
She was especially impressed by the heat recovery ventilator, which exchanges stale air from inside the home for fresh air from
EVANSTON FROM G1
the outdoors.
“Having that clear it completely and refresh it, that’s awesome,” she adds.
First possessions at the project are slated for late October 2015.