Neighbours surprised by huge home on two lots
Neighbours on a quiet crescent in Malmo Plains are baffled by the size of a giant new house that’s replaced two single-storey bungalows.
“I call it the Little Butterdome,” said neighbour Duncan Robertson, with a laugh, referring to the 5,500-seat arena at the University of Alberta.
The two-storey, 6,600-squarefoot home is currently shrouded in bright yellow construction insulation and waterproofing. Its threestorey elevator shaft for a rooftop patio can be seen from more than a block away.
“He made two houses into one house. It’s definitely not infill . ... Everyone has been pretty much scratching their heads,” Robertson said.
A giant house on a street otherwise full of ordinary single-storey bungalows is a new twist to Edmonton’s infill debates. People normally talk about subdividing lots or creating smaller homes to increase density.
But consolidating lots is simple to do — just file papers at the land titles office.
It’s already more common in core areas of Calgary, said the house’s architect, Roger White, a Calgary-based architect whose portfolio contains at least one other similar house there.
“I’ve seen a lot where they combine lots,” said White, after describing the new home as having a ground-floor swimming pool and underground parking.
The house at 11427 48 Ave. is across the street from a pocket park and has small windows looking out onto the street. That’s for privacy, said White. The stairs are glassed but with a material that can turn foggy at the click of a button. It has a secondary suite on the ground floor that could accommodate a live-in caregiver.
The construction value listed on the city building permit is $1.3 million.
“It’s his ‘getting old house.’ That’s how he described it when he spoke to us,” said Robertson, who said the owner — listed at the land titles office as John Douglas Kennedy MacDonald — had been living in a bungalow on one of the since-consolidated properties for years.
MacDonald is a lawyer, businessman and long-term resident of the neighbourhood. He bought the rundown house next to him and tore it down. That helped some neighbours accept the new home, which clearly stands out on the street, said Robertson.
“For some that would be a beautiful home. It’s not my style, but I don’t think it will hurt us . ... John is just one of these really great people so it’s kind of hard to be mad at him.”
MacDonald couldn’t be reached for comment.
David Hales, the city’s branch manager for development services, said Edmonton has no specific rules governing the consolidation of lots, only subdividing them. “Consolidation is a simple process with the land titles office.”
After consolidation, the house has to follow similar rules to other houses on lots zoned RF1 — rules that specify how close to the property line it can be built, what percentage of the lot can be covered, and how high the roof can be. The elevator shaft doesn’t count for that height.
Murray Whitby, president of the Malmo Plains Community League, said the group didn’t oppose it because it follows all city rules.
“It’s quite the thing,” he said, laughing at a building that really stands out on the block.
Some neighbours don’t like it because it’s an imposing building. But it might look better once the landscaping is in, he said.
Edmonton could regulate against this, but it’s probably an anomaly, he said: “It’s really a oneoff.”