RARING TO GET INTO THE LOOP
Evanston home offers perfect place to put down roots, gather with family and friends
Whether it’s a fun night with friends or a place to curl up with a good book, Hannah Benner and Devon Beaton find it easy to imagine what life will be like in their new townhome.
The young couple, who have been renting a duplex in innercity Kensington for the past four years, bought their first home at the Loop in Evanston by Street Side Developments.
While browsing floor plans, one of the spaces that resonated with the couple was the large patio fac- ing a landscaped courtyard — the perfect spot for the rustic log swing Benner received as a gift from a cherished relative.
“It’s something that I want to bring with me wherever I go,” says Benner, who works in marketing. Along with the common things people think about when hunting for a new home, seeing a spot for the sentimental piece mattered.
“I have a blanket for it, throw it on there and sit there and read my book,” Benner says. “It’s very calming.”
They bought the Amaranth 14.0, a 1,259-square-foot townhome with a single car front-attached garage.
“I like that there’s a little area, like a mudroom, when you walk into our place, which I think will be a good place to store my blanket and things for the patio that we can store and bring out when we need it,” says Benner. “I have thought a lot about how I’m going to live in this place.”
To Beaton and Benner, quality time with friends matters. They enjoy hosting get-togethers and needed a home that helps make this happen.
Beaton, in particular, has a group of friends who dabble in making their own beer, and they rotate homes where the tastings take place.
Much of their socializing will be done on the home’s second level.
“I love the open-concept,” Benner says. “I can see having friends and family over visiting in the kitchen, living room and dining area.
“It really fit with us,” she adds. “We actually have a similar layout in our place right now, so we ended up going with something we’re already living in and love so much ... we really think it’s going to continue to work for us.”
The kitchen has a sink and eating bar that faces a central dining area, and great room on the other side of it. With access to a balcony, the cooking space also offers the opportunity to step into the fresh air, something that stood out to the couple.
“You feel like you’re not enclosed in the kitchen,” she says. “The kitchen is part of your experience and your living, not a separate room. That was really important.”
Kitchens at the Loop come with a stainless steel Whirlpool appliance package, a full-height backsplash, quartz or granite counters, and contemporary flat panel or shaker-style cabinets in an assortment of selections.
Benner says she was also pleased with the home’s abundance of large windows, which will fill their living space with natural light.
On the second level, their home has two master bedrooms — giving friends the opportunity to spend the night. “It’s funny,” says Benner, laughing. “Some of my friends already have dibs.”
The Loop comes in seven townhome floor plans that range from 1,205 to 1,511 square feet. Prices currently start from the $290,000s, before tax.
These homes are available in dual master bedroom or threebedroom formats and come with a single or tandem car attached garage.
The Loop will develop in four phases — including 36 townhomes in the opening phase — that encir- cle a natural preserve.
“It’s not a very dense project and, like all other StreetSide developments, it is designed spe- cifically to blend with the natural landscape of the area,” says Kimberley Orr, Streetside’s senior marketing co-ordinator.
“For one thing, each home will not look directly into their neighbours’ backyards and will instead have views of the individual landscape themes in the centre of each phase.”
Each phase focuses on a different landscape theme including the Foothills, Rocky Mountains, Parkland and Grassland.
Earlier in October, StreetSide gave potential buyers their first look at full- scale examples of what’s available at the development, opening two new show homes.
This is the builder’s second development in the community, following the award-winning Evanston Square, which has since sold out.
The location was another element that stood out about their new home, says Beaton and Benner. Evanston is master-planned by Qualico Communities in the Symons Valley end of northwest Calgary. It puts residents near a wide assortment of shopping amenities, including Evanston Towne Centre, anchored by a Sobeys grocery store.
They’re also a quick drive to Creekside Shopping Centre and Beacon Hill Shopping Centre.
“When we drove through the community we just felt like it had everything there,” Benner adds. “We don’t even have to leave that area on the weekends — we love that.
“It really incorporates a lot of demographics,” Benner says of Evanston.
“It’s got a family feel but also has a lot of people who are entering the market and getting their first home.”
They know people who have lived in Evanston long- term, including some who have purchased their second home in the community.“I think that’s a really good sign,” she says.