LARGER HOME, YARD SUIT COUPLE’S NEEDS
For dog-loving pair, upgrading to Jayman Built home in Evanston was right move
Dog lovers Eileen Tria and Dusten Schneider, who already shared a home with one pooch, had their hearts set on more.
But the older 1,300-square-foot laned single-family model they had in Coventry Hills wasn’t going to make that easy. After adding a deck and detached garage to their already-snug yard, the couple knew, if they were going to welcome another four-legged friend into their home, it was time to collar an upgrade.
They bought a spec single-family home in the move-up segment by Jayman Built in the community of Evanston.
Now on a generously-sized corner lot, “It had the right yard for us, which was the biggest thing,” says Schneider.
This allowed them to expand. Joining their existing dog, a cocker spaniel named Cooper, is Vada — a Bernese mountain dog.
“We play fetch, do dog training outdoors, and Cooper and Vada like to play with each other out there,” says Tria. “The yard has been great for getting them to run around and chase each other and get more exercise in.
“Safe to say we would have never gotten Vada unless we moved from our old house. She’ll likely be around 100 pounds when fullgrown, so she’ll make good use of the space of our yard. Also, we’ve already discussed getting another dog to add to the family in the future.”
While the couple wasn’t convinced they needed a new build, starting their search with options on Calgary’s resale market — a family member, who bought two new homes through Jayman, suggested
they try this route, as well.
They saw a difference in multiple areas, including confidence — knowing the additional expense of replacements and renovations isn’t something they ’ll need to factor in, says Tria.
“You know what you’re getting,” she adds.
“With everything brand new, it’s just been a huge load off our minds.”
It was also something they felt would suit their needs for the longhaul.
“We wanted it to be a house that we were going to stay in for a long time so the last thing we wanted was to grow out of another house and do this whole thing again in five years,” Tria says.
They bought the Vivid floor plan, a two-storey front-drive model. Jayman is down to its final stretch of quick-possession front-drive single-family homes in Evanston, and offers both quick-possession and pre-construction laned singlefamily homes and duplexes in the community, as well.
Jayman is currently selling its Vivid plan in the communities of Livingston, King ’s Heights, and Seton, depending on lot availability.
The quality of construction also mattered. “This is a well-built home,” says Schneider, who works in the residential industry, building decks, fences, and garages.
While the bonus room, by its name, may sound like an extra space in the home, to Tria — who works full time in the insurance business — it’s been key.
She’s a part-time music teacher, and now has an ideal area in which to hone her craft, along with the right space for her piano.
Tria teaches piano and voice lessons, but also plays the guitar, drums and ukulele.
“As a voice teacher, I regularly have to accompany my students while they sing, hence needing a piano to practise on during the week,” she says.
“We’ve also discussed the possibility of me teaching privately at home,” Tria says, adding the lack of private space in their previous home restricted that. “Our new house provides me with the opportunity to do that in the future.”
Some of the home’s highlights, not initially considered necessities, were also part of the attraction — things like the open-concept main level, dual vanities in the master ensuite, and soft-close hinges on the kitchen cabinets and drawers.
“A lot of the things, they were never really (a must) on our wish list,” Tria says. “But now that we actually have all of it, I can’t imagine life without it. We have an open-concept, which is awesome for when we have guests over. We have a huge island, which we never had in the old house, nor were we looking for that when we were looking at new houses, but the convenience of it is awesome.
“The same thing with our master ensuite. At our old home, we did have an ensuite, but it was quite a bit smaller ... this one is gigantic in comparison. It has proven to be what we wanted — even though (initially) we didn’t know we wanted it.”
As Schneider describes, “little things” such as soft-close cabinets, make a “big difference.”
“I love the house,” he says. “It looks so clean, everything matches, everything is brand new. It pretty much hit every marker for me, to be honest.”
But just as the home and yard were important, so was the location. Schneider has lived on the north end of the city long-term, with a place in Panorama Hills before the Coventry Hills home.
“I watched Panorama Hills grow up as I lived there, and now we’re doing the same with Evanston, which is a (good thing),” he adds.
The community, now in its later stages of development, is located within the amenity-stocked Symons Valley corridor. The maturity of Evanston, itself, is a draw for many homebuyers, says Laura Field, marketing co-ordinator for Qualico Communities, the developer behind Evanston.
“The schools mean you don’t need to bus your children, the transit means you can get around easily, the commercial is already in place — it’s all in Evanston,” Field says. “In the commercial space, there is a clinic, banking, yoga, restaurants — pretty much anything you would need is located in the Evanston Towne Centre. Families can ride their bikes … and enjoy the seven parks in the community.”
Along with Jayman, builders in Evanston include Pacesetter by Sterling Homes, Trico Homes, Sterling Homes, NuVista Homes, Broadview Homes, Partners Development Group, and StreetSide Developments.
Front-drive single-family homes start in the $500,000s, while laned single-family homes start in the high $300,000s, duplexes start in the $300,000s, and town houses start in the high$200,000s.
Twelve show homes, featuring laned single-family homes and duplexes, were unveiled in Evanston in May.
On the benefits of the location, Schneider also points to the convenient access to shopping in other nearby communities, such as the Walmart Supercentre and Loblaws City Market in Sage Hill, along with Creekside Shopping Centre and Beacon Hill Shopping Centre.
“It’s crazy how much stuff is right round us,” he says.
That includes access for outings with their dogs. Along with the parks and pathways within Evanston, there are other opportunities for scenic outings within the vicinity.
Schneider singles out pathways and ponds near Creekside Shopping Centre, adding “there are a lot places around here to walk, which is great for us.”