CARRIAGE SUITES ADD FLEXIBILITY
Couple drawn by community’s central location
Carriage suites can strike an important balance, offering independence while being together.
To Soren Nielsen and Sarah Chipper field, who were interested in having this sort of connection to Nielsen’s mom, the concept made a lot of sense.
The couple got engaged late last year and were looking for their first place together. Helives in Altadore and she’s in Garrison Green, so the plan was to maintain the central location they’ve both come to love.
Part of what drew Nielsen and Chip per field, who have a five-yearold named Blake, to the community of Currie is that its current phase of single-family homes gives homebuyers the option to have a carriage suite built over the detached garage. This stretch of the community is exclusive to Crystal Creek Homes.
“It’s something that’s self-contained,” says Nielsen of the space that will belong to his mom Alie, who turns 86 years old this October. “But if she wanted to pop over and have dinner with us, hang out with our little guy, or play with our puppies, it’s that close.”
The family has three dogs, two cockapoos, and a German shepherd.
“If the roads are bad and (my mom) needed to get something and Sarah is out and about, she could pick her up some milk and eggs, if it was too snowy for my mom to drive,” he adds.
The carriage suite will measure about 800 square feet and have all of the day-to-day necessities, such
It’s something that’s self-contained. But if she wanted to pop over and have dinner with us ... it’s that close.
as a kitchen, well-sized great room and bedroom.
“It was important for my mom to have a little bit of a balcony,” says Nielsen, president and CEO of Home Solutions Corp. “She has always been a gardener and likes to grow tomatoes and whatnot, so we thought she could have some planters on the deck, so she could grow some petunias or tomatoes.
“Sarah has offered that we could put some planter beds in the backyard, if she wanted to garden there. We thought that would be a great thing for her and her grandson to do, to grow some things together,” he adds.
Their home will have a south exposure, walkout basement, and stand three storeys, rather than the more commonly seen two.
The top level is devoted to the master bedroom. At 842 square feet and a vaulted ceiling, “it’s a really nice retreat,” says Nielsen. It has a soaring fireplace, expansive ensuite, walk-in closet and south-exposed balcony, as well. There are three more bedrooms on the second level and another in the developed basement. Thebasement will also include a large exercise space surrounded in glass.
“It’s going to be a neat mix,” says Chip per field .“We both have different personal styles. I’m a bit more traditional and Soren is a bit more contemporary. It’s a really nice Arts and Crafts style of house.”
One of the benefits of the home’s main level is that it has two access points to the patio, one from the dining area and another from the great room. “We just really wanted to bring the outdoors inside,” says Nielsen.
The appeal of Currie is incomparable, mixing the best of two worlds and inner-city location and a master-planned community.
Lots in this phase range from 32 to 53 feet wide and face Alexandria Park, which includes an aviationthemed playground. The couple says this proximity will come in handy for outings with Blake and their dogs. Prices on homes by Crystal Creek in this phase of Currie currently start from the high $900,000s. The builder will open a news how home in June of this year.
“The appeal of Currie is in comparable, mixing the best of two worlds and inner-city location and a master-planned community,” says Lindsay McGregor, sales manager and vice-president, business development for Crystal Creek.
“The unique and flexible building parameters provide immense opportunity for home buyers that can’t be found elsewhere,” she adds. “Third-storey loft spaces, walkout lots and garage carriage suites are just some of the options available in this exclusive enclave. It’s truly a one of a kind opportunity.”
Currie, formerly dubbed Currie Barracks, is the third and last Canadian Forces Base Calgary site under redevelopment by Canada Lands Co.
The community stretches 79 hectares (195 acres) in southwest Calgary and devotes 9.3 hectares (23 acres) in open green space, including an urban dog park. A later phase of Currie, its neighbourhood core, is planned to include 245,000 square feet of commercial development and an urban plaza.
This segment of the community will feature an anchor grocery store, shops and restaurants. Chipperfield and Nielsen look forward to the future wave of amenities, adding this sort of connectivity was what they were looking for. “Wereally wanted to be as close to walking or biking distance as possible,” says Chipperfield. “Our goal is to just be outside and be as a family as much as we can.”