RENOVA BRANCHES OUT
Company harnesses its renovation expertise into release of new builds in Cochrane
Renova Homes and Renovations is skilled at taking houses apart and putting them back together. Now, the company formerly known as Albi Renova is employing that expertise in the new home construction industry and has opened its first show home in Cochrane.
Renova president Justin Mauro, who took over the company in 2018 from his cousin Brian Maurer, says it was always his intention to expand into building in new communities.
“Renovations are more complicated than taking a plan for a brand-new home, on a site that's clear and accessible and building from scratch. It's a smooth transition for our team. They're familiar with old construction practices and new ones — all those things give us an advantage,” says Mauro, who grew up working in his parents' company, Albi Homes, which was purchased by Brookfield Residential in 2015.
The Renova show home in Cochrane is the Sunalta, a 2,103-square-foot, front-drive model at 176 Precedence View in Precedence in Riversong, by Madlee Developments. Mauro says the design's origin came from years of reconfiguring and creating spaces for busy modern families. The three-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home on a walkout lot is developed on all three levels. It has an open concept main floor, an upstairs central bonus room and laundry area, a home gym and entertainment space in the lower level.
“Every piece has been thoughtfully designed to meet the everyday needs of our customers,” he says.
The Sunalta can be built in Precedence starting from $552,000, including lot and GST. Renova has developed several models for its inaugural offering, with bungalows starting in the $470,000s and two-storey floor plans priced from the $530,000s.
Mauro says he chose Cochrane to launch Renova's new construction division as he'd become well-acquainted with the town during the eight years he spent as director of land development for La Vita Land.
“As far as urban communities go, I have experience. I'm biased. You can't get better value for land in Cochrane. Your overall home and land price is lower than in most places in Calgary,” he says. “It's one of the best communities, with proximity to the mountains and to services in the city.”
As Renova eases into building in new communities, the company will still offer renovations and custom homes in established communities. Mauro says his vision for the future is to capitalize on the company's expertise in innovation, quality and value and become an integrated real estate company.
“We're years away, but our vision is to create small developments with different housing mixes. Eventually, we want to plan, build new communities and do high-end renovations. We'd like to build a family's first home, then their second or third and then redesign and refit as they live their lives. To truly have customers for life,” he says.