Caritas lottery features largest house yet
$2-million house is 5,400 square feet and includes something for everyone — even the kids
It’s being called a winner’s wonderland.
The latest lottery dream home to be unveiled to Edmontonians has hints of whimsy, a master suite to die for, a wine room with an unexpected view, and if you’re into home automation there’s a fridge with cameras inside it.
For its 2017 edition, the Caritas DreamLife Lottery grand prize — valued at $2,011,349.55 to be precise — is a four-bedroom, fourand-a half-bathroom offering from Marcson Homes. At 5,453 square feet, it’s the largest home yet for the Caritas Lottery. The exterior is a mix of Tudor and Craftsman architecture, while the interior is contemporary with touches of rustic and industrial elements.
“People are really loving the home,” said Michelle Pilon, Marcson’s vice-president. “The overwhelming comment has been how they could all see themselves living in this house. That makes me very proud of our design, as this was the feedback I was hoping for — many dream homes are either too large, too unique, or overwhelm the senses.”
The 1,949-square-foot main floor of this Cameron Heights home sets the tone for what’s to come. Neutral shades — a palette of primarily whites and greys with the occasional bolder colour selection — provide the backdrop. Spacious is a description that applies to most every room in this two-storey home. The open-concept kitchen, dining area and great room are the focal points, but there is also a bar area just off the great room with a glass floor that reveals the house’s lower-level wine room.
“Looking down into the wine room can be an adventure (when you’re) stepping onto the glass floor,” said Pilon, noting that it allows for extra light to reach the wine room while adding an interesting feature to the house.
“Of course, I love the kitchen,” added Pilon. “The large island countertop provides so much working space and room for those holiday buffets that will be taking place at your home. The appliances are state-of-the-art and have so many great features, including cameras in the fridge so that you can check to see what you are running low on right from the grocery store. There is an app that allows you to sync your appliances to your mobile device.”
Further, the kitchen includes an urban cultivator to grow your own herbs year-round, while directly adjacent to the island is a hearth room — an open space with a fireplace, some seating, and a large flat-screen television. An office/den combination, right off the foyer, leads into the library and its floor-to-ceiling bookcases — with a custom rolling ladder so that you can access even the highest shelves.
The upper floor, at 2,064 square feet, includes a rounded catwalklike hallway that opens to the great room below. At one end, there’s a hint of Alice in Wonderland in separate boys and girls bedrooms. The boys room has a camping theme with the bed placed in a cottagelike structure, while the girls room is fun and frilly. But here’s where the whimsy comes in, as a secret play room connects to both bedrooms. Think of the rabbit hole from Alice in Wonderland, except instead of going down, you’re just popping across into the next room.
“Our boys and girls rooms are separated by this very cool space that can be accessed through cute and colourful holes in the wall of each room,” said Pilon. “I’ve decorated it as an art room, but it can be used as a shared homework or reading room as the kids grow.”
At the other end of the second floor is what is normally referred to as the master suite.
However, in this case it would probably be more apt to describe it as the master oasis. The extralarge master includes the bedroom proper, with a three-sided fireplace — one side faces the bed, another faces the roomy retreat zone, and the third side fronts onto a coffee bar.
But that’s only one aspect of the master wing. There’s also a self-contained vanity area that opens into an expansive ensuite, equipped with a large walk-in shower, a stand-alone tub, and an island/vanity that can easily compete with this city’s largest kitchen islands. If that’s not enough, a large, well-appointed walk-in closet sits at the end of the ensuite.
“The master bedroom is a dream, and one you would never have to leave,” said Pilon. “Close the doors for your own personal timeout and you have everything you could have ever dreamed of for a master bedroom. It consists of a bar (coffee in the morning and wine at night — should one so desire), a sitting area with a three-way stone fireplace, an ensuite that words cannot even describe, and a dressing room with custom shelving and an island to house all of your personal belongings.”
If you should decide to leave this master oasis and head all the way down to the finished basement, there’s an additional 1,440 square feet of living space, with a large chunk of that dedicated to some of the more fun things in life.
“Entertaining is a breeze in this basement,” said Pilon. “A card table, a pool table, and a fantastic shuffleboard table are just a few of the ways your guests can keep busy in this home. Not only are these very expensive pieces going to keep you entertained, it is decorated in a way that still makes it a very comfortable place to relax.”
In addition, there’s also the wine room, a guest bedroom, and a large bathroom on the basement level.
“The (house) plan was originally created by Carla Weinmeyer, our very talented vice-president of sales and marketing, who is extremely creative and has a real knack with home design. Together with our drafting team, the plan evolved into a home that any family could live in,” said Pilon. “Marcson Homes is very proud to be involved with the Caritas Hospitals Foundation. As a company, we provide people with the homes of their dreams in wonderful communities that are in need of the Caritas Hospitals. These communities are so important to us, and we only hope that our support of this lottery will help make their lives that much better.”
Net proceeds from this year’s lottery will help support emergency services at the Grey Nuns and Misericordia hospitals. Since 1994, the lottery has raised $22 million for Covenant Health. The Grey Nuns and Misericordia emergency rooms, which were designed to accommodate 25,000 visits yearly, are seeing much larger numbers being accommodated, according to Owen Heisler, the chief medical officer for Covenant Health. From April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016, there were 70,300 visits to the Grey Nuns emergency room and 51,000 to the Misericordia.
“We’re in the process of designing the new Misericordia emergency room and government funding was announced months ago,” said Heisler. “The funding from the government is important and appreciated, but these lottery funds will allow us to provide an extra dimension of care to the people we help.”
Grey Nuns staff members added that the funding provided by the lottery will make a difference.
“We see the patients when they’re most vulnerable. For us, this is really about improving patient care,” said Dr. Rob Kruhlak, facility chief at the Grey Nuns emergency department.
“We already provide good care,” added Darla Reynolds, program manager at the Grey Nuns emergency department. “But this will give us the opportunity to refine our space and give our patients the care and spaces they deserve — in terms of privacy and comfort.”