RAVENSWOOD ‘DREAM’ HAS ROOM FOR FAMILY TO GROW
When the Woods first decided it was time to buy a new home, a place outside Calgary city limits wasn’t the first idea that came to mind. But then they saw the benefits of putting down roots in an area like Airdrie and haven’t looked back.
The family of four moved from a place on Calgary’s northwest end to Ravenswood in Airdrie last year. Opening sales in 2008, Ravenswood by Qualico is now in its sixth phase of development, which includes 100 lots.
“It was originally my husband that wanted to move to Airdrie. I was stuck on Calgary,” says Jennifer Wood. She’s an emergency dispatcher and her husband Benjamin works at WestJet. They have two young children, Paisley and Elliott.
“The prices of the houses and the sizes of the yards made my decision for me,” Jennifer adds.
Semi-estate homes start from the $500,000s and front-attached garage homes start from the $460,000s. These homes are offered through a veteran builder group that includes Broadview Homes, NuVista Homes, McKee Homes and Pacesetter by Sterling Homes.
Ravenswood is also slated to include laned homes, duplexes and multi-family development.
The Woods fell for a model by Broadview Homes that they saw displayed as a show home in Calgary.
They were thrilled when they found out that they could build the same floor plan in Ravenswood.
“I remember saying, ‘This is my dream home,’ ” says Jennifer of Broadview’s Berkley model. The plan is a five-level split, which is an uncommon orientation but exactly what the Woods wanted, she adds.
“Just the size and the openness and knowing we wanted more kids and having the option to have four bedrooms upstairs, you never find that anymore,” Jennifer says. “I took pictures of everything in that house, thinking OK I’ll just use some of the design ideas from it because it’s perfect.
“Then I got talking to Broadview, and they said the same as my husband, ‘Have you looked into Airdrie?’ And the process was completely affordable.”
So the floor plan and price were what the Woods wanted. But they wanted to make sure Ravenswood lined up with what was important to them, as well. A quick drive around the community answered that question.
“There were lots of young families,” says Jennifer. “Our last place, you never talked to your neigh- bours. Here, it’s kids out riding bikes and parents walking with kids and their wagons. We could see where playgrounds were going to be and we knew there would be schools close by. Our kids can walk to school so we don’t have to bus them and don’t have to drive them.”
Ravenswood is a finalist for one of the major development awards at this year’s Calgary region SAM (Sales and Marketing) Awards. The community is one of five finalists in the running for Community of the Year — Calgary region.
“We recently surveyed current Ravenswood residents and the comments were overwhelmingly positive,” says Qualico’s communications manager Maribeth Janikowski. “Residents loved the quiet, large streets, the large park spaces and the wonderful community network.”
That satisfaction has led to repeat buyers, such as Tasha Carty. She first bought a starter home through Pacesetter in Ravenswood in 2012 and is now in the process of building her second home in the community. She picked the Santiago 6 model, which is a 2,376-squarefoot home with a front-attached garage.
“We are staying within Ravenswood because it is a quiet neighbourhood close to all the amenities we need,” says Carty, adding the couple is fond of its views.
“I work very close to Ravenswood, which is a perk, as I’m able to come home for lunch and to walk the dogs,” adds Carty. “There are good pathways through the neighbourhood and nearby and more to come soon with the next few phases starting up. And there are offleash dog parks close by, as well.”
Ravenswood sits on Airdrie’s southeast corner, making it easy to get to Calgary. This includes an easy commute to work for the Woods.
“I’m 20 minutes and (Benjamin is) maybe 25,” says Jennifer. She says the couple measured the commute on Google Maps and compared it to their previous home in northwest Calgary. It was shorter to come from Ravenswood.
“Maybe by three minutes,” says Jennifer. “But three minutes is three minutes, and I’ll take it.”
Not only is Ravenswood the next step for the Woods, it’s likely the last place they’ll buy a home, says Jennifer.
“I will never move — ever,” says Jennifer. “This is our dream home, dream neighbourhood and dream neighbours.
“It’s perfect.”